Submitted by Administrator on Thu, 19/04/2018 - 10:11
The joint retreat for postdocs working in Cambridge plant sciences research brought together almost 70 participants at the Postdoc Centre in Eddington on the 18th April 2018.
The joint event was the first of its kind for postdocs and senior plant scientists in Cambridge and it gathered together participants from the Department of Plant Sciences, Sainsbury Lab (SLCU), NIAB and the Department of Chemistry. The aim of the day was to get inspiration and new ideas for possible career paths as well as to increase networking amongst the plant scientists. The event was organised by the Postdoc Committee of the three institutions, and the arrangements for the day were supported by CambPlants.
The morning focused on understanding the academic path as well as alternative career trajectories available to scientists, and contained talks from individuals who have made such transitions. The speakers were: Dr Edwige Moyroud from SLCU on careers in academia, Dr. Angela Bridges from GSK on careers in industry, Dr. Ross Mounce from Arcadia Fund on careers in research funding, and Dr. Alex Frank from Reddie & Grose on careers in patent law.
In the afternoon, the author and acclaimed speaker Sarah Blackford led an inspiring career development workshop, where the participants explored their skills and future career pathways. The workshop was followed by talks from the representatives of Plant Sciences, SLCU and NIAB introducing the research expertise and facilities of their institutions and upcoming training events available to the participants. During the day there were also several networking opportunities, such as a research speed dating to break the ice between the different institutions and a drinks reception to host informal discussions and networking to find possibilities for collaboration.
