Interviews

On science, ethics, and academic career: An exclusive interview with Daniël Lakens

Daniël Lakens is an Associate Professor in the Human-Technology interaction group at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His areas of expertise include meta-science, research methods and applied statistics. Daniël’s main lines of empirical research focus on conceptual thought, similarity, and meaning. He also focuses on how to design and interpret studies, applied (meta)-statistics, and reward structures in science. A large part of his work deals with developing methods for critically reviewing and optimally structuring  studies. In this exclusive interview to netECR, Lakens provides very important insights on science, ethics, and academic career.

Academia

All I want for Christmas is…

As Christmas draws closer by the day, we asked our members what was top of their academic Christmas list. There were some specific suggestions about research topics, with calls for more creative approaches, increased recognition of the value of qualitative and mixed methods research and the championing of more research looking at fluctuations in suicidal… Continue reading All I want for Christmas is…

Research, Uncategorized

The value of qualitative research methods in suicide prevention/suicidal behaviour research

By Isabela Troya. Suicide and suicidal behaviour are complex and multifactorial, influenced by a range of different determinants. Despite the complexity of suicidal behaviour, the approach taken within the field of suicidology in research has been mostly dominated by a single research design: quantitative methods. Hjelmeland and Knizek [1] have already documented the lack of… Continue reading The value of qualitative research methods in suicide prevention/suicidal behaviour research

Interviews

Interview: Career advice from Heidi Hjelmeland

Professor Heidi Hjelmeland currently works at the Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. What are your research interests? They have changed quite a lot over the years. I started off my career as a mainstream quantitative, risk factor researcher but realised quickly that this won’t get me far in terms of… Continue reading Interview: Career advice from Heidi Hjelmeland

Academia

Working Together to Prevent Suicide: The Value of Getting to Know Your ECR Peers

By Kirsten Russell. The 10th of September 2018 was World Suicide Prevention Day and marked a year since the official launch of the NetECR blog. The theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”. This theme resonates with the ideology underpinning NetECR in that we believe that we are… Continue reading Working Together to Prevent Suicide: The Value of Getting to Know Your ECR Peers

Academia

You can’t pour from an empty cup: self-care suggestions for ECRs

By Donna Littlewood and Emma Nielsen. Over the past year ‘work/life balance’ and ‘self-care’ has been a regular feature on our Twitter timelines. Sometimes discussion is instigated in response to a blog from The Guardian’s ‘academics anonymous’ series, at other times it has been in response to research which has shone a light on the… Continue reading You can’t pour from an empty cup: self-care suggestions for ECRs

Academia

Is prioritising sleep the first step in academic self-care? Tips for getting a good night’s sleep during postgraduate study

By Kirsten Russell. Undertaking a PhD provides an invaluable opportunity to train and develop as an independent researcher. However, PhDs can also be challenging and it is easy to abandon academic self-care in the face of heavy workloads and imminent deadlines. Sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice, with many seeing it as a… Continue reading Is prioritising sleep the first step in academic self-care? Tips for getting a good night’s sleep during postgraduate study

Suicide Prevention

The importance of starting a conversation about suicide: Advice for supporting postgraduate peers

By Kirsten Russell. Suicide continues to be a major public health concern worldwide, and is one of the leading causes of death in young people aged 15-24 (World Health Organisation, 2014). University students represent a particularly high risk group for the development of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. A survey conducted by NUS in 2013 highlighted… Continue reading The importance of starting a conversation about suicide: Advice for supporting postgraduate peers

Lived Experience

Who are the ‘Experts by Experience’ in Mental Health Research? – A personal reflection

By Laura Hemming. This blog is about my journey and identity as a researcher in an organisation that emphasises the importance of placing lived experience at the heart of mental health research. My journey as a researcher began a little over a year and a half ago when I was employed by the McPin Foundation… Continue reading Who are the ‘Experts by Experience’ in Mental Health Research? – A personal reflection

Academia

One of these is not like the others: Imposter syndrome within early career researchers

By A. Jess Williams. Recently, a senior professor has taken to saying to me “calm down, things go wrong, nothing’s perfect”. Sounds grand, right? But to my way of thinking, this is telling me that I’ve done something wrong or that people think I’ve made a mistake - that’s frustrating for anyone, but my sneaky… Continue reading One of these is not like the others: Imposter syndrome within early career researchers