From PhD to Postdoc: Strategies, fellowships, and real-world insights
Thinking beyond your PhD? Learn how to turn your research into the next big step!
This event offers practical guidance on securing fellowships and postdoctoral positions, with insights from researchers and academic leaders who have successfully navigated the process. Dr Marcus Nicolson and Dr Remi Edwards will share their personal journeys from completing PhDs in the Social Sciences to becoming postdoctoral researchers, reflecting on the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned along the way. Finally, Professor Simon Rushton will offer valuable insights into the opportunities and obstacles involved in the application process, drawing on his extensive experience to explain how to navigate the challenging transition from PhD to postdoctoral research. Attendees will gain actionable advice on applications, career planning, and the realities of post-PhD life.
Dr Marcus Nicolson completed his PhD in the Social Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University. His project used an ontological security theoretical framework alongside creative arts and narrative enquiry techniques to examine the lived experiences of young adult migrants in Glasgow, UK. This research has foregrounded individual perceptions of security, transnational identity negotiation, and the role of (im)migration narratives in sub-state contexts. He has published research in journals including Comparative Migration Studies, Social Inclusion, and International Migration. After working as a project manager and research assistant on a number of large-bid social research projects, Marcus began a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the Eurac Research Centre on the Horizon 2020-funded B-Shapes project, where he explores how borders shape perceptions of European societies, with a particular focus on the experiences of minority populations in European borderzones. This means Marcus can talk us through his journey into Eurac, highlighting his reflections on the highs and lows of post-PhD life.
Dr Remi Edwards, Research and Impact Associate at the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), brings insights from completing her doctoral research and transitioning into an early-career research role. Remi’s work focuses on labour in global supply chains from a critical political economy perspective, drawing on her PhD research, which explored how workers shape private governance initiatives in agricultural industries, comparing cases in the US and Costa Rica, to understand labour governance, power relations, and prospects for worker-driven change. Alongside her research, Remi edits and commissions pieces for the SPERI Blog, contributes to the SPERI Presents… podcast, and supports broader knowledge exchange and impact activities within the institute. She will share her personal experience of moving from doctoral study into her current role, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of the transition, and potentially offering insights into research dissemination, building impact, and navigating funding and early-career decisions.
Professor Simon Rushton, Director of Research and Innovation in the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, offers a perspective rooted in extensive research leadership and engagement with competitive funding processes. Simon’s research on the global politics of health, peace and conflict, and participatory research methods has been supported by major funders including the ESRC, DFID/FCDO, NIHR, MRC, Wellcome Trust, and the Newton Fund, with projects conducted around the globe. He also serves as Chair of an ESRC peer review panel, bringing first-hand experience of how funding decisions are made and what makes a strong application. Finally, Simon is an active member of BISA’s Executive Committee and has led numerous postdoctoral development workshops, supporting early-career researchers in navigating funding, publication strategies, and academic career progression. Simon will share insights into developing competitive research proposals, engaging effectively with funders, and building sustainable academic careers in internationally competitive environments.
The discussion will be followed by a Q&A.
Registration will close two hours before the event begins.