‘Preparing for the academic job market’ webinar summary and recording
jobs.ac.uk collaborated with Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham, Senior Lecturer at King’s College London, to bring you a webinar on ‘Preparing for the academic job market’.
Embarking on a career in academia can be both exciting and challenging. Whether you’re an undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD researcher, postdoctoral researcher or transitioning from industry into academia, this webinar will provide actionable insights and guidance tailored to your career stage.
Overview
Building a strong academic portfolio
Transitioning from non-academic roles
Navigating the evolving academic landscape
Dr Bahijja’s Career
Her academic journey started in 2003 in University of East Anglia (UEA) studying Pharmacy, followed by a master’s and pre-registration year at hospital and Southwark Clinical Commission Group.
Bahijja then returned to UAE to complete her PhD, working on developing carrier systems.
After a period of travel and acting, Bahijja started her post doc at University College London, in collaboration with mechanical engineer and the school of pharmacy, exploring the pharmaceutical applications of a device.
She then founded a social enterprise called Steam and Collective, which aimed to engage the public with STEM research through public art.
In 2020 she started her ‘Monday Science’ podcast and more recently founded a steam agency called ‘Scientifically Speaking’.
Then Bahijja went on secondment at the European Medicines Agency, where she was a quality national expert under the Geriatric Medicines strategy.
Afterwards, she joined King’s College London, initially as a senior postdoc for three months and then was promoted to Senior Lecturer.
Currently she is on secondment at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Nigeria.
The academic job market
What is academia?
‘Academia refers to the collective environment of higher education encompassing students, faculty and institutions involved in the knowledge in the pursuit of knowledge, research and teaching.’
Bahijja gives an overview of the UK education system, the different pathways to higher or tertiary education.
The UK’s universities are divided into different categories, such as ancient universities, Russel Groups, Redbrick universities, private universities, etc.
Understanding the different types of universities and their focus in your country or the countries you’re interested in going in helps you to strategize where you apply for jobs.
Further, understanding the structure of academia is essential to career progression, knowing where you want to go and the path to get there.
Under the umbrella of university is the governance and leadership, roles like Chancellor and Vice Chancellor.
Underneath are the different faculties, which are led by a Dean.
Then there are schools/departments, in certain universities departments can have schools under them. This includes Heads of Schools, Lecturers, Teaching Fellows.
Supporting these levels are the administrative and professional services roles. For example, IT services, library services, research office, administrators.
Career Paths
Starting at the point of having your PhD.
Research only path – research associate – research fellow – senior research fellow – principal researcher – professor.
Teaching only path – teaching associate – teaching fellow – senior teaching fellow – principal teaching fellow – professor.
Combination research and teaching path – research or teaching associate – lecturer – senior lecturer – professor.
Bahijja notes that academia is flexible, you can move around on these paths as demonstrated by her own career.
If you don’t have a PhD but do have clinical or professional experience, there are pathways for that. Bringing your real-world knowledge to the students and research.
How the academic job market has changed
A common question Bahijja gets asked is ‘how has the job market changed post COVID-19?’
Technological advancements in research and teaching. Also, working interdisciplinary and more international.
Within teaching, there has been changes in the form of digital and hybrid teaching proficiently, AI integration, research-informed teaching, and future skills integration to name a few.
Within research, international and interdisciplinary collaboration, AI, research impact and influence, and innovation.
Building a strong academic portfolio
Bahijja summarises the key components of an academic portfolio when coming from an academic background.
In order, research, teaching/education, leadership and academic service, knowledge exchange and public engagement, and professional development and certifications.
Under research, you want to focus on the impact of that research, your expertise and contributions. Some good things to list in this section are publications, speaking engagements, grants or funding received, and any research awards.
For teaching, include your teaching philosophy and experience, pastoral experience, curriculum development, student feedback and any teaching awards.
In the leader and academic service section highlight committee membership, mentorship or supervisory responsibilities, and ways in which you have supported professional development.
Follow this with knowledge exchange, detail media and public engagements, policy contributions and innovations in industry.
Finally, highlight any professional development, whether in the form of training, short courses, workshops, and awards.
Consider these key components and be aware of where your experience lies and where you may need to gain more experience.
Bahijja’s top tips for an academic portfolio are –
- Keep your portfolio updated.
Bahijja updates her own portfolio every 2-3 months, going through the performance indicators for the role above hers as that is where she wants to progress. This is a great way to keep track of you are doing now and what do you want to do next, and what are you doing to achieve that.
2. Be clear on your focus, whether research or teaching.
This is so when you are looking at the performance indicators, you can highlight the right parts as needed.
Transitioning from non-academic roles
Creating your academic portfolio from someone coming from outside academic is similar to those within academia but there are some differences.
Instead of research, it will be your industry experience. A summary of your work experience, project-based research and innovation, data analysis, research potential and applied knowledge.
Under teaching, you should highlight any workshops or training you delivered, public speaking or lecturing experience, and if you create educational content.
The rest of the portfolio is the same as with an academic background, showcasing leadership experience, knowledge exchange and professional development.
The key thing for those who are changing their careers is to show academic adaptability and transferable skills.
Bahijja’s top tips for a portfolio coming from a non-academic background are –
- Translate your non-academic experience into academic language.
- Address any ‘lacks’ in your portfolio
- Gain research, teaching and academic experience
- Showcase public engagement and knowledge exchange
Navigating the evolving academic landscape
Regarding positive changes, as previously highlighted technology advancements and increased digitalisation.
Personalised learning is a significant development, educators are thinking about how to create a personalised learning experience for students.
A rise in micro-credentials, Bahijja reflects on the time during the COVID pandemic where universities were offering micro-courses for free. Sites like Coresea.org and LinkedIn Learning have becoming more popular to build up portfolios without having to do 3–4-year courses.
Further, delivering culturally relevant curriculums. For example, the decolonisation of the of the curriculum.
On the challenging side of the academic landscape, redundancies and budget cuts are a significant aspect.
Queen Mary University of London provides an informative article detailing the ‘shrinking’ of HE in the UK.
Bahijja highlights while these difficulties are something to be aware of, they are not something to be scared of.
Top tips for navigating the evolving academic landscape are –
- Embrace change and continuous learning
- Adapt to the increasing competition for academic jobs
- Leverage technology effectively
- Develop a collaborative and international mindset
- Be yourself!
Key Takeaways
- Build a strong, personalised and well-rounded academic portfolio.
You can be any kind of academic you want; this is why it is important to personalise your portfolio and showcase your interests and the route you want to take.
2. Craft a tailored application.
Whether, research or teaching, make it clear from the application your focus.
3. Network, seek mentorship and stay resilient.
To find out more on how to be resilient in HE see our webinar by Dr Suzanne Ross.
4. Be yourself.
Q&A
How to get teaching experience.
Are micro credentials recognized as valid on job applications?
What is pastoral care regarding students?
Is it possible to jump from PhD to lecture assistant without a post doc?
Can you introduce the resources available on jobs.ac.uk?
Is it possible to apply for postdoc roles with a professional doctorate?
Is there a limit on the number of post-docs you should do?
How can I transfer the skills to make up for the lack of publication?
Any advice for someone who has only recently obtained a masters distinction but has 20 years of experience in their field?
Connect with Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham
Follow Bahijja on social media, connect with her on LinkedIn, find out more about her research and sign up to her newsletter.
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Additional Resources
Vitae Researcher Development Framework
Identifying transferable skills
Meet the Host
Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham
Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham is an award-winning pharmacist, Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Pharmaceutics at King’s College London, Founder and Academic Lead of King’s College London Fight the Fakes and Pharmacy Working Group Lead for the African Diaspora Malaria Initiative. She leads her research group ‘The Raimi-Abraham Group’ where her primary research focus is on addressing pharmaceutical challenges in infectious diseases.
Dr Raimi-Abraham is the FIPWiSE (International Pharmaceutical Federation Women in Science and Education) Chair, served as an APS Board Member (2021 – 2024) and a Scientific Advisor to Daye.
Dr Raimi-Abraham is the first graduate of the University of East Anglia School of Pharmacy to be awarded a PhD, the 2018 recipient of the Outstanding Woman in STEM Precious Award and the 2022 Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Great Britain (APS) Emerging Scientist Award.
Before her current position at King’s, Dr Raimi-Abraham held positions at University College London (UCL) as an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) postdoctoral researcher position and at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a seconded Quality National Expert.
Dr Raimi-Abraham’s passion projects include her start-up Scientifically Speaking and Monday Science (selected in the top 25 Best UK Science Podcast by FeedSpot and recently listed on Amazon Music’s Best Podcast of Week), a podcast which discusses the latest in Science, Health and Technology.
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