This workshop is designed for young researchers in the first five years or so of academic employment. It provides advice and discussion on key aspects of building an academic career, such as balancing teaching and research, developing a strong publication track record, how to build research grant activity and success, etc. The first part of the workshop features a presentation by Prof. Nigel Healey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences Nottingham Trent University, UK discussing milestones for the first promotion including topics like balancing research and teaching or the value of services to the academic society. The second part of the workshop focuses on finding research grants and writing grant proposals. Prof. Ross Chapman, Head, Deakin Graduate School of Business, Deakin University will an overview of the various categories of research grants and provides tips and hints from his experiences.

1. Career Development Workshop
for Early Career Researchers:
Surviving your first five years
25th Annual ANZAM Conference
December 8, 2011
Professor Nigel Healey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head
of College of Business, Law and Social Sciences
Nottingham Trent University

2. Overview?
• Why become an academic? (lit. review)
• What to expect in your first academic post (methodology)
• Surviving your first five years (field work)
• How to get promoted (analysis)
• Conclusions (conclusions)

3. Why become an academic?
1. Because you sleepwalk – from talented, perpetual student
to junior academic
2. Because you choose to be an academic
– Excitement of curiosity-driven research (“academic freedom”)
– Vocational call of teaching
– Opportunity to work in a diverse intellectual milieu
– Chance to join a global community of scholars (academic vs
soccer)

4. Why not become an academic?
Estimates for global demand for higher education
300
250
200
Millions
150
100
50
0
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

5. Really, why not become an academic?

6. What to expect in your first academic post (1)
• As a new PhD, you are hired for your research potential
• You will have to teach (…the courses incumbents don’t want
to teach)
• Preparation for teaching
– Tutorials and seminars as a postgraduate student
– Possibly some formal teacher training
– Possibly …nothing
• Expect to be overwhelmed – you have crossed to the dark
side from elite student to worker bee

7. Monash guide for new academic staff
• How can I manage?
– Email / computer needs
– Office, keys, telephone
– Day to day information
– Course / unit materials
– Teaching policies, including assessment and support materials
– Printing and photocopying
– Disposing of confidential material
– Online & off campus teaching
– Equipment in teaching rooms
– Resources in my office
– Readings for my course
– Research activities
– Employment related matters

8. Deakin general information for new
academic staff
• A-Z index for staff • Academic probation - procedure
• Acronyms • Academic promotions
• Deakin computer and broadband • Career development
schemes for staff • Faculty academic mentoring
• Deakin Studies Online help guides program
• Key dates • Graduate Certificate of Higher
• Principles of teaching and learning Education
• Staff benefits information • Induction and Orientation
• Research supervisor training • Managing units
program • Mentoring Partnership Program
• Supporting students • Online teaching environment
• Teaching and Learning plans (Deakin Studies Online)
• Teaching tips • Academic professional development

9. What to expect in your first academic post (2)
• Research
– Your goal (dream) is to convert your doctoral research into A*
journal articles
– Your five year mission is to build a sustainable research agenda
and make publishing a habit
– Find a work pattern that works for you – everyone is different
– Protect your designated research time (a new challenge after life
as a research student)

10. What to expect in your first academic post (3)
• Teaching
– Your goal is to learn the craft and (in time) develop and teach the
courses that most engage you
– Accept your lot as a new faculty member – all experiences are
opportunities for development!
– Be disciplined in time management – teaching can take over your
life and it is only part of your job
– Use professional development opportunities to improve your
teaching – but remember time management
– Treat students as you used to want to be treated (Professors: “I
don’t have to do that any more”)

11. What to expect in your first academic post (4)
• Administration (aka service)
– Many universities use a 40:40:20 model (R:T:A)
– Some use teaching remission to make admin more enticing
– Avoid taking on heavy admin roles in your early years
• “ I’d love to, but I have all this prep and three papers from my PhD
under revise and resubmit”
• “I think this is a role I’d love to do when I am up for promotion to
Associate Prof., like Sean and Becky are”
– Resist diversion from your research and teaching priorities while
making everyone think you are really collegial (make up on the
social side)

12. Surviving your first five years
• Key tips
– Find a supportive peer group of other boot campers at your
university – you have more in common with a new psych lecturer
than a management professor
– Find a mentor
– Take up running or weights – addictive and obsessive and offsets
hours slumped over a PC
– If you have any friends left from before grad school, nurture
them
– Think carefully before picking another academic as your life
partner – Note: it gets harder not to as you get older

13. Getting promoted
• Most promotion schemes reflect 40:40:20 model
– Need demonstrable evidence of research output – ie, that you have
converted your PhD into a sustainable and productive research
agenda
– Need to show evidence of teaching capability (eg, student survey
results, peer review)
– Need to show evidence of willingness to gradually build up your
university service – Warning: being a “good egg” in the service
area will not compensate for weakness in research and teaching

14. Conclusions
• Hardly anyone regrets becoming an academic (although “these
are the good old days”)
• But universities are ancient and their HRM/HRD practices not
much better …although improving
• “How hard can Russian be, it’s spoken by 150m peasants?”
nigel.healey@ntu.ac.uk