Workshop for PhD Students considering a Career in Academia
Thursday, 12 December, 2024
On Thursday December 5th 2024, all PhD students in the College of Engineering & Architecture were warmly invited to a short workshop which aimed to provide practical advice to those considering an academic career. The following contributors kindly agreed to share their knowledge and experience on the day:
Tara Hughes is the UCD Careers Network, Career & Skills Consultant, specifically for Graduate Researchers. Prior to this she worked with UCD Postdocs and newly appointed Asst Profs. Tara gave an overview of her service and supports and shared some of her insights into how to approach, plan and action a postdoc application.
Prof Eoin O’Neill is Director of the UCD Earth Institute and a Professor in Environmental Policy. Of particular relevance to this Workshop, Eoin is the module coordinator of a 10 credit doctoral level module called From PhD to Research Career (ENVP50010) which was briefly introduced on the day.
Dr Sara Esteves is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, which they joined shortly after defending their PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology in early 2023. They have been working with microalgae for 10 years and were recently awarded a Government of Ireland Fellowship connecting their research interests on bioprospecting microalgae, circular bio economy and human health.
Dr. Raghu Krishna Moorthy is affiliated to the School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering as Postdoctoral Research Fellow. His current research area is modelling of biological transport and biofilm engineering for biomedical and water treatment applications. He is also actively involved in student mentorship (academia) over the past five years through a virtual global initiative, The Social Scientist, that caters to one-to-one interactions with various aspirants on career development.
Dr Ravindar Rajendran is a seasoned researcher with over nine years of expertise in Coastal and Ocean Engineering, specialising in wave impact studies through experimental and numerical modelling. An IIT Madras alumnus, he has collaborated with leading institutions like UCL and Leibniz University Hannover and received prestigious research grants. An award-winning scholar with extensive publications, Dr Ravi’s journey offers invaluable insights for aspiring academics.
Dr Usman Safder received a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea, and has 5+ years of industrial experience. Currently working as a Post-Doc Research Fellow in the School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, investigating the development of approaches to enable demand response in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and innovative technologies in WWTPs via resource recovery and energy systems integration. He has authored over 35 papers and serves as a reviewer for over 25 academic journals.