A word from the Chair

Carly Rosewarne
Chair, EMCR Forum Executive
@microbialme

It’s been a busy few months for the EMCR Forum Executive, and particularly for me as Chair. It’s been an unexpected privilege for me to be able to dedicate some time towards advocating in the best interests of Australia’s early- and mid-career researchers. A notable highlight was a recent meeting with Sue Thomas in her new role as CEO of the Australian Research Council. We discussed the EMCR Forum submission to the ROPE consultation, which was collated from feedback we received from our members. Executive team member Liz New provided personal insights and highlighted some of the challenges faced by EMCRs who juggle research and teaching roles. This is an important consideration that the EMCR Forum is keen to explore in more detail, so please get in touch if you have a perspective to share. We look forward to continuing to work with Sue and her team at the ARC on issues important to EMCRs.

Our series of best practice guides entitled Kick-starting Collaboration was officially launched by Executive team members Drew Evans and Roisin McMahon at Science Meets Business in November. Industry-focused research is becoming increasingly important as a mechanism for developing and translating novel solutions to solve real-world problems. The aim of these guides is to provide EMCRs with practical advice on how to engage research partners from outside of their employment sector. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to bringing this to fruition, especially those EMCRs who provided case studies for us to include.

Planning for the EMCR Forum National Meeting, Science Pathways 2018, is well underway. It will be held in Brisbane on 23–24 April. Under the theme of Diversify your Thinking, we will explore a range of topics including ‘How to make science inclusive’ and ‘Strategies to secure funding from non-traditional sources’. I’m delighted to announce that Jenny Martin from the Griffith Research Institute of Drug Design will be delivering the Chuwen Memorial Keynote, named in honour of founding EMCR Forum executive member Dr Ben Chuwen. Another feature of Science Pathways will be the breakout groups, where delegates will spend time formulating solutions to issues that impact EMCRs. We aim to increase remote participation in the meeting by coordinating offsite breakout groups and exploring livestreaming options. We will also be providing travel awards to enable attendance of EMCRs at the event. More details about Science Pathways, including information on how to access these initiatives, will be provided to our members in future EMCR Forum e-updates.

Another event to add to your 2018 calendar will be Science at the Shine Dome in Canberra. This conference offers unique opportunities to get inspired by the best science in Australia and to engage with great minds across many different disciplines. We will let you know when registration opens and as more information becomes available. The Australian Academy of Science will also be offering travel awards to facilitate the attendance of EMCRs at the event. 

We encourage you to talk to your organisation and get them involved in these travel awards opportunities so they can support their EMCRs to attend these events.

Before I sign off, I wanted to bring your attention to a new initiative from the Australian Academy of Science. Under the direction of Communications and Outreach Director Melanie Bagg, the Academy is seeking to provide Australians with access to a source of credible scientific information in a format that is trusted and easily understood. Such efforts are essential in the fight against ‘fake news’ and to improve public awareness and appreciation of science. I encourage you to follow the Academy page on facebook and to visit the new public outreach website for further information.

To keep up to date with the latest announcements, sign up to become an EMCR Forum member—it’s free! Don’t forget to follow @EMCRForum on Twitter and check #SciPath18 for regular updates about Science Pathways.