Looking for inspiration on how to increase your employability during this undeniably difficult period? Read below for some quick, easy and free ways to spend your days at home productively and for the most part enjoyably. Great for those who are currently unemployed and ready to enter the job-hunting arena when lockdown rules are paused, also great for those who are employed but are looking into self-development and / or changing their career.
What happens when someone is trying to convey technical information in a “non-technical” way? For example, for my PhD I looked into, you know, how to clean water, remove stuff from it using this powder which looks like sand actually it’s sand. So, I made the powder as we do in the lab and then I used it to put some enzymes in, it’s like baking a raisin bun, very cool. And then I put it in coloured water and I saw it going, it was great! It does not sound very technical or professional. I do not sound like someone who knows what they are talking about.
Have you ever thought that being a researcher can help when looking for a job? There are so many similar aspects to the process followed during experiments and the process followed during job hunting. Many analogies can be drawn, expecially when things do not work out so well…
Have you ever wished there was someone to guide you through the rough patches of a PhD (or a research project in general)? Have you ever said “oh, I wish I knew that earlier!”? Coming from this side as someone who found out bits and bobs as I progressed and managed to get something other than research out of my PhD, I gathered some tips that some of you might find useful.
Why should researchers engage with outreach activities? How can we tackle issues arising during public engagement events? What can we learn through such activities and how can we use them to “boost” our CV?
Eleni is a chemical engineer that got trained to be a materials scientist. She is currently finishing her PhD in chemical and biological engineering, at the University of Sheffield, looking on how to design, prepare and test novel biocatalyst, focusing on water treatment. Her research involves colour transformations and she honestly did not think she would be so excited to see solutions changing colours. Besides her research, Eleni enjoys “spreading the science” and promoting equality in STEM through public engagement.
