We will be hosting an online series of informal conversations with former PhD candidates from the Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL), about their experiences navigating their careers following their PhDs.
Led by alumnus and current CISRUL assistant, Dr Elise Boyle Espinosa, we will explore topics including turning a PhD thesis into a monograph, the importance of research impact, and navigating postdoc applications. Events confirmed so far are listed below, and will be published with links to Microsoft Teams on our ‘Upcoming Events‘ page. Current CISRUL PhD students and staff are encouraged to attend, and are welcome to share this with anyone who may find these sessions useful!
10am Wednesday 15 April: Dr Joel Pierce on turning a PhD thesis into a monograph
Dr Joel Pierce is Administrator at Christ’s College, University of Aberdeen, and Associate Tutor at the Scottish Episcopal Institute. He will be joining us to discuss his career following the completion of his PhD in Divinity in 2021, in particular the decisions behind, and process of, turning his dissertation into a monograph, Rights, Virtue and Others in MacInture: Community After the Fall (Lexington Books, 2024).
We will begin with an informal interview about his experience, before opening up to Q&A. Please bring along your questions regarding academic publishing or anything about Joel’s career, which you can read about here.
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/373771981876831?p=oLfJAtt8QfhAqifkwW
Meeting ID: 373 771 981 876 831 / Passcode: uQ2BN9tk
11am Tuesday 5 May: Dr Eve Hayes de Kalaf and Dr Hanifi Bariş on research impact and teaching in UK academia
Alumnus Dr Eve Hayes de Kalaf, one of the first PhD students to graduate from CISRUL, is joining us to discuss her impressive career in academia thus far, which has included positions at the University of Edinburgh, University of Liverpool, and the School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London, where she is currently a lecturer. Throughout her career she has gained extensive insight into the importance of knowledge exchange and research impact, and navigating the challenges and inequities of studying and working in higher education, and is thus well placed to provide information and advice to current PhD students and early career scholars.
We will also be joined by long-term CISRUL member and former PhD candidate, Dr Hanifi Bariş, who since completing his Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at CISRUL (on experiments of council democracy) has gained considerable experience as a teaching fellow. Currently, he teaches in the School of Law, prior to which he held positions in the Department of Politics and International Relations. He will be discussing his career and his advice regarding teaching and other positions in academia.
We will begin with an informal overview and interview about their experience, after which we will open up to Q&A.
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/388749623079972?p=QpbkyB6n5SJqQFIPXM
Meeting ID: 388 749 623 079 972 / Passcode: TU3Xr7gU
10am Wednesday 20 May: Dr Valentin Clavé-Mercier and Dr A. Sophie Lauwers on navigating academic careers abroad and applying for postdocs
On 20 May we are joined by two graduates of CISRUL’s ‘Political Concepts in the World’ PhD project, Dr Valentin Clavé-Mercier, who is is a Lecturer in Political Studies at Complutense University of Madrid, where he was previously a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Researcher, and Dr A. Sophie Lauwers, an IASH-Alwaleed postdoctoral fellow for 2025-2026 at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities.
Both Valentin and Sophie have experience successfully translating their UK academic experience to secure academic positions abroad, and Sophie also has experience finding and crafting successful postdoctoral applications.
We will begin with an informal overview and interview about their experience, after which we will open up to Q&A. Please bring along your questions!
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/344265428068789?p=CGIjYzcjeGWIG69faf
Meeting ID: 344 265 428 068 789 / Passcode: yb7tn97V