Tagged / PAW

Events taking place as part of UK National Postdoc Appreciation Week

Postdoc Appreciation Week logoUK Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) is an annual nationwide event celebrating the contribution postdocs make to research and academic life.

This year, Postdoc Appreciation Week runs from Monday 16 September to Friday 20 September with free events taking place to connect and support researchers.

The PAW flagship event this year, Into the Postdoc-verse: building relationships across dimensions, will explore how to authentically network and build long-lasting relationships across disciplines/sectors. This will include live networking sessions to practice and build connections right away as well as a keynote talk by Dr Steve Cross, founder of Bright Club.

The event takes place 10am – 12.15pm, Monday 16th September.  Register here: https://event-lab.co.uk/paw/

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of PAW,  free online 1-2-1 careers sessions are also available on Tuesday 17th September for those who do no have institutional support for careers/CV clinic. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/UKNPAWcareers

Find out more about UK Postdoc Appreciation Week on the PAW website. 

Postdoc Appreciation Week: Postdoc Appreciation meet-up

PG research

This week is UK Postdoc Appreciation Week and we are celebrating and showcasing the achievements of our postdoctoral researchers and their important contribution to research at BU. 

To mark the week, we hosted a Postdoc Appreciation meet-up event on Talbot Campus…

A photo through a window of people gathered in a room with a poster saying Postdoc Appreciation Week

The Postdoc Appreciation Week meet-up

The event offered the opportunity for postdoctoral researchers, their line managers, and research staff from across the university to come together and network, as well as find out more about current postdoctoral research taking place at BU.

The event was opened by Professor Mike Silk, Co-Chair of the Research Concordat Steering Group at BU.

Introducing the event as an opportunity to increase and enhance the visibility of postdoc researchers at BU, he said: “Postdoctoral researchers really are the ones who drive forward the research agenda at any institution.

“They are the lifeblood of my research and career – I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without the postdoctoral researchers that I have managed.”

As part of the event, postdoctoral researchers Sina Safari and Anastasia Vayona presented short summaries of their current research.

Sina Safari stood in front of a screen

Sina Safari presents his work as part of the ADDISONIC cluster

Sina, a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Structural Dynamics and Advanced Materials, shared his work as part of the ADDISONIC research cluster, which is looking at how ultrasonic fatigue testing can provide valuable data around how long materials will last.

The work has applications for industry in helping them develop more robust modelling around the lifespan of materials, as well as exploring ways of potentially using less material while extending their life.

Anastasia, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Social Science and Policy, spoke about her research exploring greenwashing, wish cycling and the circular economy.

Anastasia Vayona presenting her research

Anastasia Vayona presenting her research into the circular economy

She shared a brief history of the introduction of plastic packaging and the development of a ‘throwaway culture’, which peaked around the 1990s. She also spoke about some of the challenges around recycling – including the responsibility being largely left with consumers, and unclear messaging which leads to recycling becoming contaminated and ended up in landfill.

The event ended with the chance to chat over coffee and cake, and offered a great opportunity to learn more about postdoctoral research at BU and meet some of our current researchers, as well as say thank you for the contribution they make to research at BU. The hope is to hold similar events in future – watch this space!

If you’d like to write a blog post to share your appreciation for our postdoctoral researchers, please contact research@bournemouth.ac.uk. You can also get involved on social media during Postdoc Appreciation Week by using #LovePostdocs and #NPAW2023 on Twitter and Instagram and tagging us @BU_Research or @UK_NPAW.