BU Research Blog

The BU Research Conference returns on Wednesday 14 June, where we’ll be exploring the F word – failure: what we can learn from it, and how we can overcome it.

As well as inspiring speakers – including BU Honorary Doctorate recipient Dr Jan Peters MBE, Robert Seaborne from Inside Academia, and Professors Ann Hemingway and Sam Goodman – we also have a range of practical workshops planned to help with developing strategies and techniques to deal with setbacks and overcome obstacles.

Each workshop will last one hour and attendees will have the opportunity to attend two of the below workshops on the day:

Bounce back to your future   

Some knockbacks hurt more than others, leaving our confidence dented and our energy drained. This interactive session provides space to explore who you are and create a personal vocabulary to return to in moments of doubt. You will leave with a personalised paragraph to confidently introduce yourself to collaborators and co-workers.

This workshop will be delivered by Helen Shipton of Katalytik, a confidence coach who is passionate about helping people be their best through their authentic voice. 

Building Resilience

This workshop will help you explore and identify strategies to build your personal resilience capabilities. You’ll explore what is meant by resilience and why it’s so important and discuss strategies and approaches to build resilience and develop a positive mindset. 

This workshop will be delivered by Rachel Curry from Organisational Development.

Improving writing practices

Professor Matthew Bennett has published more than a dozen books and 170 papers over almost 30 years in academia. In this workshop, he will share some of his personal journey with academic writing and the hard-learnt lessons along the way – covering the trials of striving for elite journals, dealing with rejection, and practical tips for better writing.

This workshop will be delivered by Professor Matthew Bennett, Professor of Environmental and Geological Sciences.

Repurposing your unsuccessful grant applications

This workshop will cover best practice for repurposing unsuccessful applications for external funding. You’ll discuss what makes a successful application, the value of feedback from funders and peers, and how to develop a revised bid.

This workshop will be delivered by Eva Papadopoulou, Research Facilitator in RDS.

The BU Research Conference takes place on Wednesday 14 June in the Fusion Building. To find out more and book your place, visit: https://researchconference23.eventbrite.co.uk