Student Forum and Post-doc Day 2020

Written by Erin Kunisch (PhD member) and Hanna Kauko (post-doc member)

This year, our PhD day started with an exercise on how to better manage stress in our everyday lives, with Anne R. Grini, a local yoga and meditation teacher. We worked on how to create mindfulness and maintain energy throughout our day.

We then had an engaging seminar with Jan Erik Frantsvåg and Lars Figenshou (UiT senior adviser and UiT senior academic librarian, respectively) on how to best navigate ourselves and our work  in the ‘new world’ of open science. We discussed open access publishing, the steps UiT has put in place for open access publishing, and what open data and science mean as we move forward in publishing our research.

Sunday afternoon hike with some PhD Day participants (picture taken by Michael Streicher)

Following lunch, we had another short and energetic yoga-like power break with Anne; and then convened with the ARCTOS post-docs on a scientific career seminar by Kenneth Ruud (UiT prorector). While this seminar discussed how to build a successful career in academic science, we also learned more about working within research groups and effective team building.

We finished the day with a PhD group meeting to further chat with one another, discuss thoughts for future PhD days, and also chose the ARCTOS PhD representatives for 2020-21. A big thank you and congratulations to Martí Amargant Arumí and Eric Jorda Molina on being our next PhD representatives! Fingers crossed for some amazing Catalan-influenced pot-luck meals for next year’s PhD day! (no pressure 😉)

Participants of the PhD Day (picture taken by Estelle Coguiec)

This year, for the first time, also the post docs had the chance to gather and network before the actual ARCTOS days started on Tuesday 10.3.2020. We arrived on Sommarøya on Monday morning and started with an online presentation by Jon Iddeng from Forskerforbundet (The Norwegian Association of Researchers). The topic of this presentation was the post doc as a position, the regulations and challenges around it. The presentation was received as informative and interesting, and clarified both the role of the unions and the post doc position in Norway. In addition, we had the chance to discuss and give feedback to the presenter on the union policies.

After lunch, we joined forces with the PhD days and after a short yoga break, had a scientific career seminar with UiT prorector Kenneth Ruud. He talked about strategic choices when building one’s career, such as finding your own niche, and about leadership in science. It was regarded positive that the presentation made visible the different steps when working within and building research groups, i.e. the academic career.

Presentation by Kenneth Ruud (picture taken by Hanna Kauko)

At the end of the day, we post docs gathered together and besides talking together in the spirit of peer support about the prospects and concerns, also chose the post doc representatives for the coming year. Congratulations and thank you to Libby Jones, Sofia Aniceto (until September) and Ben Lange (from September)!