Postgraduate and early-career development day 2026
The Brighton Centre
A one-day series of professional workshop sessions for postgraduate and early-career colleagues designed to give a unique insight into the challenges and rewards of a life in academia. We bring together an esteemed group of academics, practitioners and journalists from across HE, the FCDO and the Conversation to guide you through a variety of topics and give you the skills and knowledge to enhance your professional lives. The workshops cover life as an independent researcher, publishing, grant and writing tips as well as careers outside of academia.
Draft programme
These sessions will take place in two parallel rooms from 10 am to 5 pm.
9.30 am - Arrival and registration
10.00 am - Welcome/overview of the day
10.15 – 11.30 am
Parallel session 1 (You will select a preferred option when you register)
a) Finishing your PhD and starting your career as an independent researcher
- Juanita Elias (University of Warwick),
- Dr Jamie J Hagen (University of Manchester)
OR
b) Life as an academic: Understanding teaching, supervision, and beyond
- Nick Caddick (Anglia Ruskin University)
- Nat Jester (University of Gloucestershire)
- Una McGahern (University of Newcastle)
11.30 – 11.40 am - Break/networking
11.40 – 1.10 pm
Parallel session 2 (You will select a preferred option when you register)
a) How to get a research grant or post-doctoral fellowship
- Jack Holland (University of Leeds)
- Amna Kaleem (University of Sheffield)
OR
a) Transforming your thesis or article into a book
- Helena Farrand Carrapico (Northumbria University)
- Margot Tudor (City St George's, University of London)
1.10 – 2.10 pm - Lunch
2.15 – 3.30 pm
Parallel session 3 (You will select a preferred option when you register)
a) Writing for a big, international, non-specialist audience with The Conversation
- Jonathan Este (Senior International Affairs Editor, The Conversation UK)
OR
b) Demystifying the lecturer job application, short-listing, and interview process
- Kyle Grayson (Newcastle University)
- Geoffrey Swenson (City St George’s, University of London)
3.30 – 3.40 pm - Break/networking
3.40 – 4.55 pm
Parallel session 4 (You will select a preferred option when you register)
a) Publishing in peer-reviewed journals: from preparation to acceptance
- Andy Hom (Editor, Review of International Studies)
- Andrew Mumford (Editor, European Journal of International Security)
OR
b) IR careers and academic engagement beyond academia
- Juliet Dryden (CEO of BISA)
- Nicholas Wright (European Research Group, FCDO)
5.00 -6.15 pm - Drinks reception
BISA members pay a reduced fee of £18pp to help cover some of the costs. Non-members are welcome to attend for a fee of £55pp. All places include refreshments and lunch. We recommend reading our ‘Become a member’ information to see if you could save money on this and future BISA events by becoming a member.
Registration will close on 19 May 2026 or when all places are filled. Should the event be over-subscribed BISA members will be given priority for places.