Researcher Training

Introduction – A ‘messy’ approach to researcher training

Research is messy business, often involving multiple complex and complicated processes. Additionally, every researcher brings a unique set of work and personal experiences to their research, handles a diverse research protocols, practices and timelines, and juggles multiple other issues in their personal lives.

Universities already offer plenty of excellent skills-based trainings for their early career and postgraduate researchers on how to conduct research. My workshops complement this training by focusing on the broader experience of being a researcher. They provide space to reflect on the less visible dimensions of doing research, including the intellectual, emotional and practical realities and pressures that shape how research ers think, work and develop over time.

Rather than focusing only on research outputs, my training aims to support the whole researcher. Alongside practical tools and practices, I encourage participants to reflect on their working habits, motivations, assumptions, self-concept and experiences so they can engage with their research as their most creative, confident and well-resourced selves.

My researcher training

My workshops cover components of the researcher experience that are less commonly discussed and for which there aren’t always clear ‘how-to’ guides. These include, among others:

• finding greater ease and balance joy throughout the research journey
• fostering greater academic confidence and joy in research
• learning to trust individual research intuition and work rhythms
• developing and claiming personal identity in/during research
• dealing with unexpected problems, mistakes and failure in research
• responding heathfully to the affective life of research, for example, work guilt, shame, demotivation, imposter experiences
• reframing negative experiences or feelings during the research journey

Working with different research communities

My workshops are designed for both postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and researchers more broadly, including postdoctoral and early career researchers.

However, while many of the themes explored (such as navigating uncertainty, developing sustainable ways of working, and communicating research) are shared across the life of a research career, the way they are experienced can vary across different stages. For this reason, I aim to meet each cohort where they are. Workshops can be tailored for specific audiences or institutional contexts, and I’m always happy to discuss how sessions might best support your researchers.

Alongside the workshops outlined here, I can also adapt existing sessions or develop bespoke training to meet the specific needs of your doctoral researchers or wider research community.

Bringing my training to your institution

If you’d like to engage me to deliver any of these workshops for postgraduate researchers or research staff at your institution, please get in touch either via this contact page or by emailing me at hello@jamiepei.com

I’d also be happy to meet you on a call to discuss any specific requirements for your researchers, and to develop or customise workshops to best suit their needs. Book a no-obligation call with me to discuss how we can work together.