The steps for building a research group or lab are vague and unclear. For people with a great idea, hoping to build a business on it, there are coaches, start-up programs, business information sessions, incubators, co-working spaces, mentors, s

Turning Your Research into Your Business

Jun 8th, 2022 7m 56s

Have you turned your PhD topic or experiences into a small business? How did you do it?I was an entrepreneur before it was cool. Before being an innovator or being agile was a thing. I was an entrepreneur when it was called owning your own bus

Six Steps to a More Competitive and Organised Grant Application

May 30th, 2022 7m 26s

What are your tips for being more competitive and organised when it comes to writing a grant? Here are 6 from me:Prewrite.Know your funding sources.Prepare your application based on those funding sources and their preferences.Say “no

Twenty Questions for Humans Who Are Studying a PhD

May 27th, 2022 16m 5s

We are constantly told to self-reflect. But if you’re not in the practice of it, reflection can be really hard. In his book 20 Questions for Humans, Craig Harper helps readers do just that – answer 20 questions that will help them self-reflect.

Why You Should Write a Good-bye Letter to Academia

May 24th, 2022 3m 3s

Are you thinking about leaving academia but finding it hard? Why not write a good-bye letter?The transition from one sector to another is difficult. So is a change in job or a change in a career. But when you’ve had your heart set on a career

Five Skills I Can Use to Develop My Career Beyond My PhD

May 17th, 2022 2m 46s

Five transferable skills for all PhD students:Problem solving.Project management.Written communication.Oral communication.Presentation skills.Be careful when identifying your transferable skills from your PhD – not all are creat

How to Get a Mentor

May 12th, 2022 4m 21s

So you’ve been told to find a mentor. Take these four steps:List the traits you’re looking for.Note who in your network has those traits.Meet with them.Confirm the relationshipLink to transcript: https://drrichardhuysmans.com/how-t

How to Select a Social Media Channel

May 2nd, 2022 4m 53s

As an academic, at some point you’ll need to take your research social. If you like pictures, use Instagram. If you like writing, use LinkedIn. If you like video, use YouTube and then share. If you want to connect with other academics, use Twit

Five Forgotten Transferable Skills

Apr 26th, 2022 3m 37s

How do you identify transferable skills? One way is a time in motion study or a skills audit. Or, you can google “transferable skills” and see what the internet tells you. Here are five skills - tenacity, collaboration, comprehension, qualitati

Six Things to Do to Increase Your Resilience

Apr 21st, 2022 8m 41s

PhD students have some of the poorest mental health of ANY professional – inside or outside research. Even worse, the turbulence associated with science and research careers does not make things easier. Thus, building resilience and copying str

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

Apr 12th, 2022 5m 15s

As researchers, it is easy take on everything. Writing, researching, promoting. The lot. However, doing it all is probably not the most effective use of your skills. In this blog I challenge you to take a closer look at the work you do and ask

If I Were a Vice-Chancellor

Apr 6th, 2022 12m 44s

With all of the trouble being faced by universities and researchers, I go thinking about the things I would do if I were a vice-chancellor for a day. I made a list of 11 items. The cover gender equity, PhD training and recruitment, staff develo

Should My PhD Supervisor Be a Mentor, Colleague or Boss?

Mar 29th, 2022 5m 11s

PhDs are large undertakings for both the student, and their supervisors. Yet, not much time is spent considering the type of supervisor a student might need or want. Furthermore, little thought is devoted to how this might change throughout the

Thirty-Eight Things to Help You Transition out of Academia

Mar 23rd, 2022 29m 40s

Leaving academia isn’t easy. Especially if that’s what you’d thought you’d do your whole life. So, although this post won’t help you deal with the emotional side of leaving, it does offer 38 practical things you can do to help make the transiti

Presentation Skills

Feb 16th, 2022 18m 9s

People can think you’re either “good” or “bad” at presenting.But I think the truth is that you can get better (or worse). And, through practice you can improve.In this podcast, I went through some of the things I do when preparing a talk. I c

Using Your Network to Establish Industry Connections

Feb 13th, 2022 6m 29s

Competitive research grants aren’t getting any easier. One way to address the problem is through finding and working with an industry partner. Imagine if you spent the same time building an industry connection as you did write a grant….? What w

Are You Addicted to Academic Life?

Feb 6th, 2022 4m 52s

In this podcast I go through 12 questions that might indicate you're addicted to academic work, and it's time to change your habits.Academics tend to portray themselves as working all of the time and in all places. However, that’s not sustaina

Building Your Career by Leaving Your Employer

Jan 30th, 2022 7m 37s

Different people will have their own ideals. What and how they want to build a career. But what I can say in all cases, making the opportunity (rather than waiting for it) will be a faster path to your success. And, in many instances leaving a

Improving Your Productivity

Jan 28th, 2022 46m 16s

Rather than working more hours, one of the best things you can do to ensure your PhD finishes on time is to improve your productivity. But, knowing how or where or when can be hard. In this Tuesday Talk, I ran through some of the things I d

Strategic Planning

Dec 1st, 2021 44m 22s

COVID has taught us so much. Including the value of a good plan. And the value of getting rid of old plans when they no longer suit us. One planning technique often named, but rarely implemented well is the strategic plan. If you’ve often wonde

What Is Coaching, and How you Can Use It?

Nov 26th, 2021 7m 50s

Most people have experienced coaching in some form or another in their life. From sports, to music, to art, and to life. People are coaching and being coached all of the time. However, most people assume coaching is telling – by an expert to a

When to Change Your Research Plan

Nov 19th, 2021 5m 33s

Four responses to things changing in research:Turn around and go home – Essential forget the goal for now.Wait it out – Do nothing.Take a different path – See if someone can help fill the gaps.Adjust your goal and therefore your rout

Writing Grants – Nov 2021

Nov 17th, 2021 50m 49s

Grants and grant writing is boring. I get it. So, we’re all looking for a way to make it better. More fun. Easier to get funded. I’m not sure I have any magic answers. But I do know we’ll cover some of the things that help make grant writing le

Lifting Your Project Management Game

Nov 12th, 2021 3m 20s

If you're finding your current project or planning approach is not effective. If you're finding you're not getting the stuff you want to do done, then you need to change something. Change what you do or change your plan. If you want to improve

Writing Faster and Better

Nov 5th, 2021 2m 35s

Four tips for writing faster and better:Summarise using sentences.Write as if no one is reading.Write, just write.Join a writing group.Link to transcript: https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/writing-faster-and-better-2/