In academia, who you know can be just as important as what you know. This engaging, practical workshop is designed to help researchers at all stages of their careers develop the skills, confidence, and strategies needed to build meaningful professional networks - both within and beyond their discipline.
Led by Dr Mhairi Towler, this interactive session explores networking as a core professional skill that supports not only research and collaboration, but also your ongoing career development. Whether you’re a postdoc exploring your next step or an established academic expanding your interdisciplinary impact, this session will help you to network with purpose.
Topics Covered:
- Your Network and Networking: Goals, tools, and self-assessment.
- How to Make Your Network Work for You.
- Interdisciplinary Working and Collaboration.
- Communication and Active Listening Skills.
- Practical Tips for Conferences and Events.
- Networking Etiquette and Boundaries.
- Next Steps for Ongoing Development.
Aims and Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify the key goals and information needs that networking can help address.
- Reflect on and map their current personal and professional networks.
- Apply practical strategies to grow and nurture their networks (including online and in-person approaches).
- Approach interdisciplinary collaboration with greater confidence and clarity.
- Use active listening and communication techniques to strengthen collaborative work.
- Take actionable next steps to build sustainable relationships in and beyond academia.
Location: MS Teams online
Facilitator
Mhairi Towler, Research Advancement and Culture Manager, University of Dundee.
Pre-session Requirements
None
On-the-Day Details
Please arrive ten minutes prior to the beginning of this session. If you require any reasonable adjustments for accessibility reasons, please contact [email protected]