The Early Career Researcher Podcast (Charlie Rozier)

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

Charlie and Rachael are joined by our guest contributor, Laura, as we discuss the topic of writing monographs. Discussion points include: 1) WHY we might want to write a humanities monograph; 2) how the publication process works; 3) how you can decide whether you have a good topic for a book, and 4) how to actually get your writing done. If you like the episode, you can follow the show on Spotify, follow us on Twitter/X and on BlueSky where we are listed as @ecrpodcasters, or email us at ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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 sixth episode, Charlie, Rachael and Olivia discuss how to apply for postdoctoral research positions in the UK and beyond. We discuss open-call funding schemes, as well as specific PDRA (post-doctoral research associate) job schemes, and we give our tips on how the system works, and how you can make the most of your applications. If you liked this episode, please give us feedback via Twitter/X https://twitter.com/ecrpodcasters (@ecrpodcasters), follow us on BlueSky (@ecrpodcasters.bsky.social) or email us: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com You can also follow along with our podcast blog, on our website, the Early Career Research Hub: https://ecrpodcasters.wixsite.com/ecrhub

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.

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 this episode, Charlie, Rachael and Olivia discuss a the tricky topic of ‘How to Start a New Research Project’. Whether you are starting out on researching for a new PhD, whether you’ve finished that and you’re now starting a new research job, or even if you are an experienced researcher trying to begin work on your fifth book, beginning the first phases of a project can be a daunting, and at times stressful, experience. In today’s podcast, we’re going to be sharing our experiences of this process. Our discussions include: How to identify your training needs for this new work, and how to find that specific training. How to plan your project and its various stages. How to manage your dynamics with your supervisors, and mentors. Lastly, perhaps most difficult: how to actually START and get stuck into it. Please leave us a review, leave us your feedback and follow our social media (Twitter/X: @ECRPodcasters)

Following on from our previous episode on Writing Conference Papers, Charlie and Olivia were joined by a new guest (Charlotte) to share our thoughts on attending academic conferences. We discussed: 1) what we like about conferences and what we get from attending them; 2) how to prepare before attending; 3) how to get the most out of the actual sessions; 4) the dreaded 'Networking', and 5) how to find downtime at conferences. Please leave us your feedback on our show via Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters, BlueSky @ecrpodcasters, or by emailing ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In this episode, Charlie and Olivia are joined by a new contributor, Ana, as we discuss something that nearly all ECRs worry about: how to improve your academic writing! Almost every humanities researcher is responsible for disseminating their research by writing about it. Whether you are trying to write your PhD thesis, writing a conference paper, writing a journal article, or hoping to one day write a book, developing good writing habits can have a huge impact on the success of your project. We discuss our experiences and share our tips on 'writing rituals', including: Environments: where and when do we write best? Preparation: what do we do before we write? How do we get started, and (more importantly) how do we know when to stop? You can follow us on Twitter/X @ECRPodcasters or get in touch by email if you have questions or comments: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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

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 the first of a series of episodes on academic publishing, Charlie is joined by Rosie Bonté (@Rosie Bonte on X/Twitter) from academic publishers Brepols (www.brepols.net). Rosie talks us through her journey from PhD research on Viking Scandinavia through to her appointment as Publishing Manager at Brepols, with advice on how to get into the publishing business. We also discuss some tips in academic publishing, and some advice on publishing procedures and customs. Rosie discusses the Norwegian publishing rankings, which you can find here: https://halmstad-university-library.helpscoutdocs.com/article/28-norwegian-list Please leave us your feedback and follow us on Twitter/X (@ecrpodcasters), on Bluesky (@ECRPodcasters) or email ecrpodcasters@gmail.com Thank you to Brepols publishers, for sponsoring Rosie's work towards this episode.

In this episode, Charlie, Olivia and Rachael take time to discuss teaching jobs in academia: we covered 1) the types of teaching-focused job opportunities that exist, 2) the skills and experiences you might need to apply for these jobs, and 3) what makes good and not so good applications (Charlie in particular, recommended Karen Kelsky's The Professor is In', which you can find with a quick online search. Please do give us feedback on our episodes, leave us reviews, and follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters, and on BlueSky 'ECRPodcasters', or email us with your feedback/questions: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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!

When is the best time for academics to have children? What challenges does having children pose for the life of an Early Career Researcher? What information do ECRs need to help them make decisions about their future family plans? Whether you are certain that you don’t want children, or whether you don't know exactly when and how to make it happen around your career, or whether you have children and you’re working it all out as you go along, the issues that we face as academics and parents can have a huge impact on our job satisfaction, and our overall happiness with our place in life. Join Charlie, with Ana (returning from episode four) and our new contributor, Laura, as we discuss our own experiences of having our own children in academia. Like the show? Leave us a review, follow us on X https://x.com/ecrpodcasters?s=20 and visit our Wix site for blogs and further information:https://ecrpodcasters.wixsite.com/ecrhub

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, Olivia and Rachael discussed the issues that we face as ERCs when we want to take holidays from our work. We felt like ECRs are under such huge pressure to produce work and keep up with the pace of the academic world, sometimes we can struggle to feel like we deserve a holiday, or sometimes we feel like we can't fully switch off when are are on one. So our podcast aims to provide a helpful guide to 'why holidays are important, and how to enjoy them'. We talked about 1) Why we take holidays; 2) How to leave your work in a good place to get the best out of your breaks; 3) How we try to relax when are we on holidays, and 4) How to get back into work at the end of a break. If you liked the podcast or if you would like to get in touch., then please follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters or you can email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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

In Episode 8, we discussed careers options outside of academia. With Rich, who works as a university careers advisor after finishing his PhD in 2020, we discussed: 1) some statistics on the numbers of PhDs who continue into academia; 2) reasons why ECRs might want to leave academia; and 3) some advice on how to decide what other careers might appeal. Links mentioned in the show: https://t.co/Au6T8QB7LD (Early Career Researcher website) https://www.linkedin.com (LinkedIn) https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ (Prospects carers for graduates) https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/02/17/the-employment-of-phd-graduates-in-the-uk-what-do-we-know/ (UK HEPI study) Follow us on Twitter/X and Bluesky: @ecrpodcasters Email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In our very first episode of the new pod, we explored one of the most important questions an early career research can ask, because it effectively starts your career: this question is: ‘Should I apply to do a PhD?’ Not everybody knows how the process works, so we discussed some basic questions relating to reasons for wanting to do and what it is actually like to do a PhD. If you enjoyed the podcast, please give us a review, and follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters You can also get in touch by email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com For more help and advice on making this decision, you may find it useful to read: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research https://thephdplace.com

Last time, we talked about the decision-making process: reasons for wanting to do a PhD, and offering up our experiences on what we felt it can been like to do a PhD (If you haven’t heard it, go back and listen to our different perspectives in Episode 1). In this episode, we discussed how to apply for a PhD, with questions like: - How does the actual process work, and what do I need to get started? - How do you choose the right host institution or PhD supervisor? - What are the funding options? We hope that you find our advice helpful, and please do get in touch with us if you have feedback or any further questions! - You can read our blog on: https://ecrpodcasters.wordpress.com - Follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters - email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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 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, Rachael and Charlie discuss their experiences of conference papers. With summer conference season coming up, we're busy writing our papers and thinking about how to get the best out of our experiences. Our discussion touches on topics including: what makes a good (or bad) conference paper, how to actually write a good paper (and how long it takes), and we also reflect on what are the best things about giving conference papers. Please feel free to give us feedback on Spotify, by following us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters and Bluesky (ecrpodcasters) or by emailing ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

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.