The Early Career Researcher Podcast

This week, Charlie and Rosie are joined by new friends Jo and Ben, as we discuss the HUGE and multifaceted topic of neurodivertiy in academia. Jo, Ben, and Charlie reflect on our experiences of late diagnosis, managing the impact of our spicy brains on our academic lives, working relationships, and our lives outside of work, and then we give some advice and definitions on where to get support if you think you may need help on topics relating to this week's subject. Then we hear more about Ben and Jo's amazing work for the UK UCU (Universities and Colleges Union) specificaly relating to the links between casualisation and neurodiversity in academia. We hope you like our episode: give us a follow, subscribe, or write us a review! Links discussed in the show: UCU 'Survival Guide' for neurodiverse people: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13562/UCU-Casualisation-and-neurodiversity-guide/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_guide.pdf UCU Neurodiversity and Casualisation Manifesto: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13560/UCU-Anti-casualisation-and-Neurodiversity-Manifesto/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_Manifesto.pdf UCU 'Supporting Neurodiversity and Colleagues on Casualised Contracts': https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13558/Supporting-neurodiversity-and-colleagues-on-casualised-contracts/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_Supporting_staff.pdf National Health Service home page on 'Exploring Neurodiversity': https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/neurodiversity/explore/

Inspired by recent life events, Charlie and Rachael meet to discuss what it is like to leave a job (or a degree programme) in academia, and what ECRs should be thinking about when starting a new role. As we know well, leaving an academic post can be very stressful: it can involve a lot of uncertainty, self-doubt, and pressure. But there are also huge positives to starting in a new post, and we want to emphasise these and embrace the challenges! We talked about: how it can feel to be leaving a job and starting a new one (and how it feels when you don't have a new role to go to immediately); things you can do to make the transition easier; our reflections on what makes it starting a new job more enjoyable and easier. Discussed in the show: Jennifer Polk, From PhD to Life: https://fromphdtolife.com

In this episode, we welcome back Rosie, and witness the long-awaited return of one of our founders, Olivia! Like many people who are coming to the end of their time as PhD researchers, Olivia is now exploring the ways in which she can start publishing her research. One of these potential avenues, is to turn some of her research into an article for an academic journal, and so we thought it would be worth having a discussion about how that process works, from deciding which journal to publish with, understanding the effect that the host journal may have on the way the article is written, getting some insight into how the process of peer review works, and gaining all sorts of useful additional tips along the way. If you enjoy the episode and the show, then please do follow us on your podcast platforms, follow us on social media (@ecrpodcasters) and leave us a review! Links discussed in the show: Scopus journal metrics: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elsevier.com%2Fproducts%2Fscopus%2Fmetrics&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C8dc245c322fe486fa66708dde63588be%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638919839782327379%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=lMqI3IDajI0TI1HE%2FWntgx%2BCzdJ7rLAYWuye445Yrvo%3D&reserved=0 Web of Science Arts and Humanities Citation Index: https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/web-of-science/web-of-science-core-collection/arts-humanities-citation-index/

In this episode, Charlie is joined by special guest and academic history coach Nicholas Morton, Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University (UK). Nic lends his insight into the process of dealing with criticism in academia. We discuss: 1) the places in which we often encounter criticism (including peer review of our publications, book reviews, and Q+A at conferences), 2) our strategies for how to cope with this criticism (including how to judge whether criticisms are valid or not and then how to draw up action plans), and 3) how to actually give criticism to others. You can find more about Nic in the following places: Nic's book, the Mongol Storm: https://basicbooks.uk/titles/nicholas-morton-2/the-mongol-storm/9781399803588/ Instagram: @nicholasmorton123 Youtube: @MedievalNearEast ...and please don't forget to follow us on Bluesky: @ecrpodcasters.bsky.social

In this episode, Charlie is joined by our long-time friend of the show Laura, plus two new guests, Isla and Josh, as we talk about what it is like to attend your first large conference. Laura and Charlie have attended lots of large conferences together, but Josh and Isla were attending their first ever events as PhD researchers. We talked about 1) why you might want to attend large conferences; 2) how you can get involved in presenting and funding a large-conference trip; 3) things that can make us nervous about large conferences and 4) what our top pieces of advice would be to help maximise your experiences. For more information about the International Medieval Congress, where we recorded this episode, see: https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/ If anyone is interested in Laura's book, you can learn more here: https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/the-queenship-of-mathilda-of-flanders-c-1031-1083/

Following on from last time, when we discussed teaching in schools as a post-academic career option, this week, Charlie and Stephanie meet to discuss teaching opportunities for early career researchers in universities (spoiler alert: Rachael never made it!) Stephanie (recently appointed as a BBC New Generation Thinker: hooray!) is studying to be elected as a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (links below) and so we thought it was a good time to talk about: - What teaching opportunities exist for ECRs in Humanities. - Some advice on what to agree to, and what you might want to avoid. - Some advice on how to get started, and how to maximise the fun parts of teaching as an ECR. We hope you like it! Please leave us comments or a review as you like. Links mentioned in the show: New Generation Thinkers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/new-generation-thinkers-selected-bbc-radio-4 Advance HE (UK Higher Education Academy): https://www.advance-he.ac.uk Old Bailey Online: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoinghistoryinpublic.org%2F2025%2F06%2F19%2Fcourtroom-to-classroom-teaching-with-old-bailey-online%2F&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C4c4d7f824f1843f7aabf08ddafc8abeb%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638859998607650528%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fKfi7wIqR0iomT%2F54hanLuRYR2wdWhsAZSEFw8NpWwk%3D&reserved=0 Medieval Murder Maps: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialhistory.org.uk%2Fshs_exchange%2Fengaging-students-with-the-medieval-murder-map%2F&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C4c4d7f824f1843f7aabf08ddafc8abeb%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638859998607664087%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=tgttYrFdQSPlSccDPGHqopP81ZZhL20dgGHx5DKNQOU%3D&reserved=0

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by a very special guest, Catherine, as we talk about career paths in school teaching. This is a career path that for some, leads on quite naturally from academia, and which allows some academics to fulfil some of their biggest career ambitions. But what does school teaching actually entail, what is it like, and what are the good (and bad) reasons for choosing to pursue this career option? After (and indeed during) her career as a Classics researcher, our guest, Catherine, gained a variety of roles teaching in state-funded high schools and post-16 sixth form colleges. She explains her academic journey from PhD student to real-life teacher, and gives us insights into the nature and character of the job, the demands that it can place on teachers, the joys that it brings, and gives some advice on how to make up your mind about whether or not you would enjoy and and be good at school teaching. We also talk about possible routes into teaching, including qualifications and job opportunities in the UK system, without needing to study for an extra qualification before you begin. If you like the episode, please give us feedback and support us by following our show! Links mentioned in the episode: https://classicsforall.org.uk/ https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/teacher-training-adviser/sign_up/identity?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22434217582&gbraid=0AAAAAD_WOvqmdrc3rkXShx38Vh9i2L4ZE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmK_CBhCEARIsAMKwcD5M8NFpmzQemWzA3XhTgPopf3ZzXKWvWVbXUoftS1GhtEF4Pp0nwy4aAnz3EALw_wcB

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by our long-time friend of the show Ana, as we discuss one of the most nerve-wracking challenges in academia: how to do your best in academic job interviews. We discuss the likely format of interviews (online, in person, presentation elements, panel Q+A etc.), talk about some of the likely questions that are often asked of the candidates, and we recount our experiences of how you can best negotiate the nerves, try to stay calm, and show your interviewers all of your best qualities! If you enjoy the episode, please give us a 'like', and subscribe to get notifications of our future episodes. You can follow us on BlueSky @ecrpodcasters and you can get in touch by emailing ecrpodcasters@gmail.com Resources discussed in the show include: Jobs.ac.uk page on advice for job interviews: https://career-advice.jobs.ac.uk/jobseeking-and-interview-tips/academic-interview/ LSE website on possible job interview questions: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/careers/Assets/Documents/PhD/InterviewQuestions.pdf

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by our friend and very special guest, Eleanor Barraclough, as we explore the roles that media work can play in academic and academic-adjacent career paths. Eleanor shares and reflects on her (extensive) experiences in working with radio, TV, and print media, and we explore topics such as: the challenges of getting into media work; the benefits and sometimes also the drawbacks of working with media outlets while also following an academic career; and we ask what role media work has in an academic career in general. Eleanor (https://eleanorbarraclough.com) began her career in media by being appointed as a BBC New Generation Thinker in 2013, and since then, she has made content for BBC Radio 3 and radio 4, BBC channels including BBC Four, she’s written various trade articles and books – which ties in nicely about what we were talking about the other week with Lizzie Boyle - and she has been on LOTS of different History podcasts. She’s also just written a brand-new book on the Vikings, called Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Some links: New Generation Thinkers scheme: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/new-generation-thinkers-2025/ Eleanor's new book:https://eleanorbarraclough.com/activity/embers-of-the-hands-hidden-histories-of-the-viking-age-profile-2024/

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie (she's been promoted to an official co-host!) talk with Chris: a US-based academic who returned to University life after a successful career and with busy demands of family life. After an introduction from Chris about her journey and what she is up to now (working as an academic teacher and administrator in the US), Charlie and Rosie ask some key questions including: why Chris decided that it was time to return to academia; how this transition felt, how Chris surmounted the obstacles to progression (answer: get some good mentor figures!) and finally what advice Chris would give any anyone who is in a similar position, and thinking of rejoining the academic world. If you like the episode, please feel free to give us some feedback by leaving a short review wherever you get your podcasts from, and don't forget to follow us on social media: @ECRPodcasters

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by Elizabeth Boyle, author of the book, 'Fierce Appetites: Lessons from my Year of Untamed Thinking', which was published in 2022 and was nominated for multiple literary awards including the Irish Book Awards non-fiction book of the year in that year. Lizzie talks to us about the ways in which writing for non-academics has influenced her career (as an academic but also as an all-round writer), we discuss the various ways in which Early Career Academics can get experience of writing for non-academic audiences, and we weigh up the place of non-academic writing in the career paths of humanities ECRs. You can follow more from Lizzie by visiting her website and blog here:http://thecelticist.ie

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by special guest Ben Jones, Lecturer at the University of East Anglia and long-term representative of the University and Colleges Union (UCU). We embark on a detailed discussion of the financial crisis that has been affecting academia in the UK over the past few years (and which has hit the humanities hard). We discuss: the causes of the crisis, current responses by Universities and UK Government, and possible long-term solutions, and then, what Early Career Researchers can be doing to help navigate our own position in the midst of this mess! Please do follow us on social media (Twitter/X and BlueSky: @ECRPodcasters) and leave us a review after listening! Links to information mentioned in the show: University and Colleges Union: https://www.ucu.org.uk Article on UK academia in The Week: https://theweek.com/education/uk-universities-why-higher-education-is-in-crisis# Article on the crisis in the Guardian newspaper: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/11/the-guardian-view-on-campus-cuts-academics-pay-a-high-price-for-westminsters-mistakes

In this episode, Charlie is joined by our regular contributor Rosie (Brepols publishers), and our special guest Caroline Palmer (Boydell & Brewer publishers). We discuss challenges and changes seen in academic Humanities publishing over the past 10 years, and give advice on what this means for ECRs, as you seek to disseminate your work among intended readers by liaising with publishers (and hopefully getting book deals!) You can find more information about Rosie and Caroline's employers by finding them online at: https://www.brepols.net and https://boydellandbrewer.com

For our twentieth episode, Charlie and Rachael spend some time reflecting on a year of working on the ECR Podcast. We discuss our aims when we started, whether we think we've achieved them, what we've enjoyed most about podcasting on this topic, what we've found most difficult, and we talk about plans for what we would like to do next in our future episodes. We hope that this episode offers a fun tour of what we've already done and a teaser of what we're going to do next, and we also hope that it can provide some inspiration for anyone else who is thinking of starting their own podcasting project.

In our latest episode, Charlie and Rachael are joined by Lucy, our resident expert in Public Engagement for the Humanities! We begin by talking about what PE actually is, what PE initiatives can look like and what sort of activities count as public engagement. We give some tips on how to get involved in Public Engagement, what kinds of activities make for successful and not so successful activities, and we reflect on how our experiences of PE have influenced our academic careers.

In this episode, Charlie, Rachael and Steph convene to talk about writing academic book reviews. Whether you ave no idea what an academic book review is, or if you've thought about writing one but never had the chance, or if you've written several but without really being happy with the results, we have something for you! Join us as we discuss: 1) what academic book reviews are and why they exist, 2) how to get involved in writing them, 3) what makes a good or a bad book review, 4) our tips on writing helpful reviews, and 5) some guidance on how to make the decision to review, or not to review. Please feel free to leave us feedback via our Spotify account, on Twitter (@ecrpodcasters), BlueSky (@ecrpodcasters) or email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com and thank you for listening!

In this episode, Charlie is joined by Rosie and a new guest, Stephanie Brown, as we discuss the topic of Edited Volumes. After we start by outlining our varying levels of experience with the genre, we then spend time thinking about: 1) what these edited collections are for and why they exist; 2) how you might go about writing an individual chapter for an edited collection, and 3) how (and how not) to go about being the editor of a collection of essays: from original conception, through to chapter selection, liaison with publishers, dealing with authors, and how to finish the project on time.

In this episode, Charlie, Rachael, and Rosie (now official Friend Of The Show) discuss the process of anonymous peer review. We talk about 1) what anonymous peer review is for and how the process works (for monographs as well as journal articles and book-chapters), 2) how it can feel to receive peer review and what some of the challenges are for us as authors; and 3) how to GIVE peer review, for the maximum benefit of the original authors. We bring various perspectives, including Rachael as an ECR who has only a little experience of the process, to Charlie who has given and received plenty of good and bad peer review, and Rosie: an academic in her own right who has taken part in the process, but also as Publishing Manager at Brepols: a company which could not exist without peer review. Please do leave us your feedback, and follow us on X: @ecrpodcasters, Bluesky: @ecrpodcasters, and you can write to us at ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In this episode, Charlie and Rachael are joined by Dr Laura Varnham of Oxford University, as we talk about Imposter Syndrome. We walk through what Imposter Syndrome is, how to spot it, and how we can develop short and long-term strategies for beating it back into the abyss that is belongs in! We recognise that all of us are affected in different ways and that there are no catch-all solutions for boosting academic self-confidence, but we try to work through some ways that have helped us in the past, and may be of use to other ERCs. The episode fits alongside Laura's helpful blog on Imposter Syndrome which you can find here: https://drlauravarnam.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/practical-tips-for-dealing-with-imposter-syndrome-and-negative-thoughts/ For more info, follow Laura on Twitter/X here: https://x.com/lauravarnam or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauravarnam/?hl=en-gb Feel free to leave comments and feedback, and follow us on Twitter/X and on BlueSky, where you can find us under the tag @ecrpodcasters

In this special 'live' recording, Charlie, Rachael and Olivia were joined by our friends Laura and Rosie, as we engaged in a discussion on publishing academic work in the humanities. The episode was recorded 'live' at the Leeds International Medieval Congress in July (apologies for any issues with the recording quality!) The panel discuss issues such as how to publish your monograph, how to negotiate peer review, and how to liaise with publishers, before then opening up to our conference audience for a Q+A session. As noted by Olivia, the session was sponsored by the Institute of English studies, at the School of Advanced Study in London (www.iea.sas.ac.uk) and you can find out more about the Leeds IMC at: www.imc.leeds.ac.uk