The Right Trousers

The most important job in higher education has been entrusted to a 20 cm tall Plasticine character with only a passing acquaintance with reality, it has been revealed. Wallace, who shot to fame in a Grand Day Out, before tackling a psychotic penguin and a fearsome wererabbit, has been chosen for his ability to think on his feet 'and create really clever, if slightly mad, solutions to everyday problems,' a spokesman for BIS announced.

ECR Network: 'Imposter Syndrome' and 'Resilience'

Dr Caron Fraser Wood

The next two Early Career Researcher Network events this term will be run by Dr Caron Fraser Wood of Mindset Method, and will look at ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and how to develop resilience. We ran the imposter syndrome session last year, and it was oversubscribed and very well received. You can attend either of these or both, but do let me know whether you would like to come as places are strictly limited.

They’re free, open to all Kent staff, and refreshments, including lunch, will be provided. More detail on the sessions is below, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rampling and Wonnacott to Join ERC Scientific Council

Exciting news from the European Research Council. Not only have they secured the services of A list Hollywood legend Charlotte Rampling, but even more excitingly they've bagged former Bargain Hunt presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant, Tim Wonnacott.  This is most reassuring: with a partnership like that, the future success of European research is in safe hands.

Rampling

Wonnacott

Any resemblance to Prof Barbara Romanowicz and Prof Sir Chris Clark is, of course, entirely coincidental.

Romanowicz

Clark

Figures behind the Figures: Prof Adrian Podoleanu

Each term I feature a different Kent award winner in the Research Services newsletter, looking at their research and discussing their career path and funding track record. I thought it would be worth adding these to the Blog. The first to feature is Prof Adrian Podoleanu, Professor of Biomedical Optics in the School of Physical Sciences.

Prof Adrian Podoleanu

When I met Adrian Podoleanu in the Gulbenkian he had just come from saying goodbye to a group from NKT, a Danish company that is one of the world’s leading producers of optical equipment. Together they had secured a European Industrial Doctorate (EID) from the EC, which funds five doctoral students.

As well as the studentships, there are fringe benefits from such collaboration: NKT are providing Adrian with two £50k lasers to use. But then Adrian has always seen the benefit of working with others, and collaboration is at the heart of his success in getting funding. ‘Unless you take your research out there, you die,’ he said. ‘I speak to people all the time.’