Researcher Academy
The University of Nottingham retired its blog service in December 2025.
The following is a list of preserved posts from the Researcher Academy blog.
- 10 reasons to do a postgraduate placement
- 3 reasons not to go on an overseas institutional visit
- A breath of fresh air
- A Different Type of Culture Shock: reflections from the Research Culture Conference
- A dream come true
- A fulfilling lifetime opportunity full of unimaginable experiences
- A journey of innovation and learning: welcoming Chandhini to Vesiculab
- A passion for cybersecurity
- A Perfect Match: my PPN placement experience
- A Thousand Year Old Market Goes Online
- A unique opportunity to access knowledge and university talent
- A wealth of talented and confident individuals
- Ale as old as time: barley and the yeast
- An ‘Agile’ Placement
- An incredible pool of talent
- An insight into life as a civil servant (on an UKRI Policy Internship)
- An introvert’s reflections on conference attendance
- Attending a conference boosted the confidence I have in my research
- Attending an online conference
- Behind the scenes at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
- Beyond the lab: getting a holistic experience of a science business
- Black PhD Collective: the first nationwide network for Black PhD students of any discipline
- Brewing up new sources of energy
- Bucket list item – check!
- Building a sustainable future
- Building my reputation with Rob Brown
- Building platforms, skills and confidence
- Building skills at the Institute of Quarrying
- Carbon transparency and cost accuracy
- Challenging one’s comfort zones
- Change
- Chemistry’s data black hole: how much knowledge are we losing?
- Cherishing opportunities for reflection
- Coffee, Cake and Crystal Maze
- Cold Calls, Hot Topics: My Summer of Social Change
- Communicating the power of makeup
- Community building to champion Open Research
- Considering virtual conferences as an aid, not a hindrance
- Create. Connect. Collaborate.
- Curiosity and nostalgia: My placement in the restaurant business
- Delivering a fresh, unbiased business project review
- Developing research and professional skills in Transylvania
- Digital innovation at an online conference
- Discovering the value of good company culture
- Discovering yourself through doing a placement
- Embracing alternative academia
- Embracing opportunities
- Entrepreneurial Spirit: Actively seek out changes rather than waiting to adapt
- Evaluation of business support programmes? No problem!
- Exploring Citizen Science with the National Biodiversity Network (Part 1)
- Exploring Citizen Science with the National Biodiversity Network (Part 2)
- Exploring Citizen Science with the National Biodiversity Network (Part 3)
- Exploring the epic legacy: a journey into the Ancient Greek world
- Far more talent than we counted on
- Five simple tips for joint health
- Free Beer! (OK, not really…)
- From failure to triumph: revitalizing a placement through innovative planning and collaborative efforts
- From Museums to Theme Parks – Architecture in practice
- From Visionary Words to a World Envisioned
- Gaining confidence through two placement experiences
- Gaining new experiences through a placement in health and wellbeing
- Getting a solid start to my career
- Getting engaged with policy
- Getting involved in the learning community
- Getting the competitive edge: how a postgraduate placement could enhance your business
- Getting well-placed for career progression
- Giving Back to Society
- Growing in the midst of life’s challenges
- Hitting the right notes
- Hosting a placement: “grab the chance with both hands”!
- Hosting a postgraduate placement added creative value to our team
- How 1623 changed everything
- How a Postgraduate Placement added value to our business – insights from Vigence
- How a postgraduate researcher helped us focus on the next step for our business
- How I combined my interest in social media with a placement!
- How I found new clarity in my studies
- How postgraduate placements helped us to manage increased interest in our business
- How PPN helped grow my eCommerce consultancy
- How to turn experience into insight
- If you don’t know what a metamaterial is…
- If you get the chance, get involved!
- “If you want to do this job right…”
- Improving my employability with a postgraduate placement
- In the lab: putting a potential career to the test
- Interning at the Buxton International Festival
- “It was like it was meant to be” – My marketing placement
- It’s not where I work, but who I work with that matters
- Keeping postgraduate talent within the county
- Leaving the lab: reflecting on how science is important in politics
- Life and learning: Navigating the PhD journey as a mature student
- Life Beyond the PhD
- Lights, Camera, Halo: A Blockbuster Experience at Halo Solutions
- Lurk, listen, click: making connections at the Research Culture Conference
- Making ideas work
- Making space for more than one passion
- Making the most of attending a conference
- Making time out of no-time
- Managing my time my way
- Managing Risk and Reaping the Rewards
- My experience as a Brilliant Club tutor
- My experience of the Researcher Academy’s Innovation and KE training programme
- My first in-person conference in four years
- My first project endeavour at Ecophon UK
- My Journey with Vortex Systems Ltd: gaining real-world experience in the UK
- My light bulb moment
- My motivation and ambition was set on fire
- My Packaging Placement Unwrapped
- My placement for a cutting-edge research project with Biodiversify and ClimateHorizon
- My placement was instrumental to the success of my PhD and my career
- My placement with the Digital Nottingham project
- My postgraduate placement: an international student’s perspective
- My postgraduate placement: another challenge but a great opportunity
- My postgraduate placement experience
- My research visit to Sweden exceeded all my expectations
- My trip to Ven, Sweden
- My UKRI Policy Internship with the Royal Society
- Navigating start-up waters: my journey with Persomic
- New Chair of Research Staff Group: Leading a Positive Culture of Change
- New development opportunities for health professionals thanks to remote working
- New ‘Productivity through Innovation’ programme promises dividends for postgraduates and businesses in the East Midlands
- No average days: the appeal of being a commercial copywriter
- One of the best things that has happened to me!
- One of the highlights of my PhD studies this far
- Over-prepare and then go with the flow!
- Patience is a Virtue
- ‘Petunia’s friends’ – a wonderful renunion for plant researchers
- Placement student helps craft brewery to launch new pub
- Placement students enhance confidence & collegiality among peers
- Placements changing perspectives for hose and fittings business
- Placements: “not a rite of passage but an opportunity for personal growth and enjoyment”
- Postgraduate Placements: a win-win proposition
- Postgraduate Placements and SMEs
- Postgraduate Placements (PPN) – Nottingham’s best kept secret
- Punishment starts when prison ends
- Rakey’s placement blog: a journey of growth and discovery
- Realising that I am an expert
- Recognising the breadth of opportunities open to me post-PhD
- Recognition and Responsibility
- Reflecting on responsible research and innovation: placing people, practice and projects in the picture
- Saving the World, One House at a Time
- Scoping a Digital Growth Strategy for Nottingham City
- Shifting Perspectives
- Sitting is the new smoking: a researcher’s guide to a less sedentary lifestyle
- Small companies, big challenges, unlimited opportunities
- Smoothing our ride to success
- Starting out with a start-up
- Strategies to get the most out of an online conference
- Supporting my peers and gaining career experience at the same time
- The case against a career plan
- The first time I presented at an international conference
- The Graduate School’s 1000th postgraduate placement: a landmark for students and business
- The importance of taking the initiative
- The right placement is just around the corner
- The Three Minute Gamble
- The UoN DTP PhD – the lives behind the acronyms 10 years later!
- The Wonderful World of Placements
- “Too many cooks? Never.” Reflections on engaging with diverse stakeholders
- Top tips if you are thinking of attending a virtual conference
- Transitioning to the realities of the world after university
- Understanding a circular economy from a global perspective
- Unleashing the Power of Digital Marketing: My Journey with Loopwheels
- Vision, value and buy-in: the benefits of hosting a PPN placement student
- Visit to University of Guadalajara
- What I learnt from presenting collaborative research at an international conference
- What if you caught Covid during an international conference?
- Work-place experience: Why you need it and how to get it
- Working in the Health and Fitness Industry during Lockdown
- Working out what my future might look like
- Working with future innovators
- Your next opportunity might be next door