Postdoctoral researcher career development and alternative career exploration.
As part of the Research Culture NI Project, it is recognised that enhancing the opportunities for personal and professional development of postdoctoral research staff is of significant value and importance.
As a postdoctoral researcher, your journey extends beyond the realms of academia. Professional development is the cornerstone of unlocking your full potential, empowering you to thrive not only in your current field but potentially also in new and exciting career paths.
QUB and UU are both signatories to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. In line with the Concordat obligations, we are committed to providing opportunities, structured support, encouragement and time for researchers to engage in a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year, recognising that researchers will pursue careers across a wide range of employment sectors.
For more information on available support, see below.
One to one personalised support
A well-crafted application and well-prepared interview can make all the difference when it comes to landing your dream job! Jill Wright our Careers and Employability Officer is here to help, by providing feedback on your CV and helping you prepare for interview.
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Each job application needs to be uniquely tailored to the role. This requires time and effort, especially at the start. Getting your academic and industry CV ready for application is important. Take this into account in your job application timeline and don't wait until the end of your contract to start applying for jobs.
We can provide feedback on the CV or cover letter that you have prepared for a specific job application.
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Invited for an interview? Congratulations! We can help you prepare either by organising a mock interview, take the opportunity to practice your interview technique, time your presentation and get feedback that will be valuable to your interview performance. We can also provide one to one interview coaching or send you example questions.
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We also offer one to one meetings to discuss your career progression and plans, focusing on your research skills and experience and how you can take these into the future.
Careers in the Public Sector event
Join us for this half-day careers event to hear from former postdocs and PhDs now working as Government staff and Civil Servants within various departments across our public sector.
Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025
Location: Mandela Hall, Belfast
Time: 09:30 - 13:30
You'll have the opportunity to network in small groups, ask questions, and hear first-hand experiences from those who have successfully transitioned from academia into public sector roles. A panel discussion will also provide practical advice on the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for public sector jobs.
The event will include lunch and refreshments, giving you additional time to connect with others and continue the conversation.
Come along, make valuable connections, and discover more about careers beyond academia.
Career Exploration Interview
Date: Tuesday 6th May 2025
Location: Online
Time: 12:00-13:00
Join us for our latest career exploration interview session to hear about the exhilarating career of Dr Craig Davison, Senior Account Executive at Clustermarket. Craig will delve into his captivating career journey, highlighting his transition from the laboratory to business roles as a scientist in cloud-based software companies. There will be a Q&A opportunity at the end of the interview.
This is the sixth instalment in a series of new career exploration interviews and panel discussions.
All welcome to attend!
Podcast
"The theory of the postdoc evolution" is the podcast from Queens. It aims at providing postdocs with information that helps them plan their careers.
It mainly features discussions and interviews with former postdocs about their career journey and the roles they have taken up after their postdocs or PhDs. Most of these discussions are recorded at live events attended by postdocs.
How to listen to the Podcast:
From your favourite podcast provider App: The theory of the postdoc evolution is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. These platforms allow you to follow/subscribe to the podcast to get notified when new episodes are available.
Prosper: unlocking postdoc potential
Join Prosper today. Prosper has been developed through 4 years of collaboration and co creation with employers, Higher Education Institutions, Principle Investigators and postdocs themselves. The portal provides resources to postdocs and PIs and developers of Postdocs. It is funded by the research England development fund.
The Prosper portal is a free resource helping postdocs REFLECT on their career, EXPLORE their options and ACT to take their next step and thrive in multiple career pathways. It hosts many resources and enables individuals to create an account to plot and track their progress as well as annotate and save resources.
Visit the Prosper portal or use the QR code.
Meet Jill
Jill Wright, Research Careers and Employability Officer, Queen’s University Belfast
Jill’s role sits within within the Research Culture team at Queen's University Belfast, as part of the Wellcome-funded Research Culture NI project and involves preparing postdocs across both Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University for future career transitions through delivering a suite of training and development opportunities to enhance skills and helping postdocs explore alternate career paths outside of academia, supporting them with job applications and interview preparation.
Her role also involves engaging with employers across NI who are employers of postdocs and those that are new to the conversation to promote the talent pool of postdocs that we have in Northern Ireland across our two universities.
Before joining the Research Culture team in June 2024, Jill worked in the private sector and brings with her extensive experience in early career development as well as running employability programmes in partnership with government bodies and local higher education institutions. Jill has established relationships with Queens and Ulster as a previous key graduate employer.