About

Welcome to the web page for the 2nd Early & Mid Career Researcher (EMCR) Workshop organised by the Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA) on November 23rd 2016 at the Charles Perkins Center, University of Sydney.

Aims

The aim of this workshop is to present career options for astronomers in industrial, technical or commercial positions, and in other branches of academia. The event was focused on career development for our students and early-career researchers, as well as highlighting the benefits that PhD graduates can bring to industrial, technical or commercial roles. We will addressed questions such as:

• What skills do astronomers have that are valuable outside astronomy?
• What should PhD students and postdoc be doing now to broaden their skill set?
• Why should employers be excited to hire astronomy graduates?

Workshop Format

The morning will be split into two sessions:-

• Session 1: A selection of short talks
• Session 2: Three sets of parallel panel sessions

Participants and panellists will be split into three groups and attended a rotation of three panel sessions, allowing all participants to listen to all panelists. Panellists will open the discussion with a one-minute introductory sparkler talk and then field questions from the floor. After a networking lunch the afternoon is left free for unstructured discussions.

Feedback on the 2015 event was very positive and attendees came away with knowledge of the career options available and how to start pursuing those options.

Support and Funding

Funding for this workshop comes from the Hunstead Gift to the Sydney Institute for Astronomy and the University of Sydney School of Physics. The ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) is providing logistical support.

Last updated 03-Sept-2016.