Connecting EMCRs during COVID-19

The Academy’s Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Forum is currently hosting webinars and virtual catch-ups for EMCRs. These online opportunities aim to provide a sense of community and connectedness to EMCRs, as well as to provide tools to deal with the uncertainty created by COVID-19.

The first virtual event in mid-April was an opportunity for EMCRs to have an open discussion about the challenges and lessons learned during the transition to working from home. It was also an opportunity to share ideas, tips and must-haves to support researchers in dealing with the new ‘normal’:

• If you miss bouncing ideas with your colleagues at the office or lab, try organising a virtual office once or twice a week. Keep a live feed with people you usually work with in an effort to replicate an office environment.
• Get out of your pyjamas every morning to help you start your day.
• If possible, maintain a daily routine. Find something that works for you, and that helps you define the lines between ‘home life’ and ‘work life’. We understand that this might be challenging if you are a carer.
• Clear communication from supervisors about the steps you should be taking to transition to work from home, as well as access to practical advice, makes a huge difference.
• Employers must recognise that this is not business as usual and that productivity levels will change. Support and information from your organisation are key to help dealing with guilt from productivity loss.
• Be kind to yourself and those around you. The current circumstances are unprecedented, and we are all coping with change in different ways. 

EMCR representatives on National Committees for Science 

The Academy has 22 National Committees for Science that are broadly representative of Australian science and advise the Academy on matters relating to domestic and international discipline development. The National Committees have impressive diversity and coverage among their memberships and have recently established new positions for EMCR representatives through the Academy’s EMCR Forum. The EMCR Forum Representatives on National Committees is a pathway for EMCRs to be involved with the Academy more broadly, to improve links and representation of the EMCR community.

The EMCR Forum is run by and for early- and mid-career researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in Australia who are up to 15-years post-PhD, excluding career interruption. The EMCR Forum offers information, resources, opportunities  and contacts to help EMCRs develop a career in and around STEM. Whether you are a recent PhD graduate in university research, based within the private sector, or making your contribution in government, the EMCR Forum is here for you.

The EMCR Forum Representatives on National Committees are a formal link to the EMCR Forum Executive regarding input from an all-of-science EMCR perspective. Find out about the current EMCR Forum Representatives on National Committees.