Autumn events with the SPERI Doctoral Researcher Network

SPERI’s Doctoral Researcher Network (DRN) has hosted its annual introductory event for the new semester, and plans to host two further events this semester.

Image of someone presenting at SPERI (Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute)

The DRN is open to all PGR students at the University of Sheffield whose work connects with political economy, broadly conceived. The network is focused around providing a space for connection and collaboration across departments.

The online introductory event, entitled ‘Finding Your Lane in Political Economy: Navigating the field in your early career’, was held on November 11th and featured three academics from the SPERI community, Dr Hannah Lambie-Mumford, Prof. Genevieve LeBaron and Prof. Ataur Belal. The speakers reflected on their respective academic trajectories and how decisions that they made early on influenced their later careers. All three shared personal experiences and provided insightful and practical tips to help members to think strategically about their PhD process. The online event was attended by almost forty PGRs across the Faculty of Social Sciences, a testament to the need of mutual connection and support between researchers.

The convenors of the DRN have announced two more events and said:

“We want the DRN to continue to provide a space for conversation and collaboration during this period of disruption. We have announced two more events this semester which will take the form of ‘Afternoon Chats’. We will be joined by four SPERI post-doctoral researchers, who will cover subjects such as: loneliness and mental health, supervisions relationships, job markets tips, productivity, horizontal networking, opportunities outside academia etc. We also want to invite people to come forward with any other topics or works-in-progress they would like to discuss with the rest of the community. 

“All PGRs in the Faculty are welcome to grab a hot drink and join us, so please sign up for the online sessions on the 23rd November and 7th December. We look forward to seeing you there!”

If you are interested in getting involved with the DRN, please contact one of the convenors:

Ed Pemberton (e.pemberton@sheffield.ac.uk)

Charline Sempéré (charline.sempere@sheffield.ac.uk)

Remi Edwards (remi.edwards@sheffield.ac.uk)

Patrick Kaczmarczyk (p.kaczmarczyk@sheffield.ac.uk)