Postgraduate and ECR Workshop 2024

When I saw the LSAANZ advertise their Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Workshop it ticked all the boxes. Chance to learn, tick! Easy access via Zoom, tick! Opportunity to network, tick! All in the one day, tick! The two mini workshops looked at impact and tips on publishing and really highlighted the pitfalls to be aware of and strategies to help you achieve publication success. As someone new to this space they were useful and importantly, very practical. In between these was a networking session. We were paired up and placed in breakout rooms. I was a bit sceptical on how this would work, but I suppose with only two people in the ‘virtual’ room, you must speak. The session facilitator had a great approach to this, we had to articulate what we could offer the other person. This alternative approach worked well and was a good opportunity for self-reflection and self-motivation, realising that we all have something to offer in this space. One also cannot underestimate the renewed energy and focus attending something like this brings, particularly concluding with a ‘sit down and write’ session enabling you to finish on a high with a sense of accomplishment. Thank you!

As a distance PhD student, attending online workshops is a welcome opportunity to learn and engage with academic faculty and other postgraduate researchers. The LSAANZ Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Workshop was an insightful day, mixing practical advice from leading academics with networking opportunities to meet other law and society students and ECRs in Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Alysia Blackham and Dr Bridgette Toy-Cronin were generous in sharing how they had developed their research careers. A key takeaway was the importance of keeping in mind our long-term professional goals and taking advantage of networking opportunities to expand the impact of our research.

The afternoon workshop kept it real with Dr Carwyn Jones, Dr Jess Mant and Dr Jonathan Liljeblad providing inside knowledge on publishing, including the options, challenges and opportunities in the current academic environment.

Throughout the day, open discussion and questions supported constructive dialogue to help us navigate our early career researcher journeys. Networking in small groups was a great way to get to know other students, and I look forward to maintaining these connections moving forwards.

Thanks very much to the facilitators for the excellent workshop.