LISS DTP Newsletter
May 2024
CONTENTS:
- LISS DTP Summer Symposium Date
- Building effective relationships with policymakers’ workshop
- The Decolonial Researcher Course
- 2024 LISS ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship competition
- Reactionary Critiques and the Liberal International Order: Reflecting on the failures and promise of International Thought
- NCRM Annual Lecture 2024
- National Learning Disabilities & Autism 2024 Conference.
- LISS DTP Parent/Carer Group announcements
- LSE Festival: Power and Politics
- PhD Placements in the UK Government’s Open Innovation Team
Summer is nearly here!
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1. LISS DTP Summer Research Symposium
It’s nearly here! All LISS DTP PhD students are expected to attend if possible!
June 6th Schedule:
9:30AM: meet at the KCL Strand Campus Great Hall for registration and refreshments.
10:00 AM: Opening Remarks
10:15 AM: Selected Research Presentations
12:00 PM: Lunch
13:00 PM: Lightning Presentation Round
14:00 PM: Keynote Speaker – Professor Samuel Agyei-Mensah
14:45: Closing Remarks
15:00 – 18:00: Move onto the Terrace Café for Social portion with refreshments, nibbles and prizes!
I am starting to populate the webpage with relevant information.
Please register your attendance here
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2. Building effective relationships with policymakers’ workshop
The Queen Mary Doctoral College invites you to join our ‘Building effective relationships with policymakers’ workshop on 30 May, 13:00-16:00 (Mile End campus – booking link).
This workshop will help you refine your understanding of how policymakers work, their priorities and how to work with them effectively. The session will help you to build skills for negotiating, influencing and mediating in order to make the most of the engagement opportunities you create and have access to. It will support you to build your confidence in the key interpersonal skills necessary for academic policy engagement. This will including learning the fundamentals of effective relationships with policymakers, as well as how to pitch evidence to different audiences.
By the end of the session, you will:
– Understand what are the features of effective relationships with policymakers.
– Understand some of the drivers that influence policymaker behaviour.
– Experiment with different ways to pitch your research evidence to policymakers.
– Consider the factors that contribute to effective influencing and negotiating.
Prior to taking part in this training we recommend that participants have preliminary understanding of academic-policy engagement, including routes for engagement and impact with national and local government, parliament and the third sector. To help you to maximise this your learning outcomes from this session we would like you to answer some preparatory questions in advance using the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/78TGK26
If you have any questions about this training, please contact the Doctoral College (doctoralcollege@qmul.ac.uk).
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3. The Decolonial Researcher Course
This course will offer an in-depth exploration of decolonising academia by asking: What are the possibilities when it comes to decolonial research?
This one-day course will be split into four sections:
- Examining the decolonial critique of academia. This will involve exploring some of the main themes found within decolonial scholarship and activism with a specific focus on the decolonial critique of social science research.
- Exploring some of the key predecessors of decolonial research which have had a significant impact on current thinking about decolonial research. More specifically, consideration will be given to the relationship between feminist research, Indigenous research, and decolonial research.
- Considering various strategies which have been suggested to decolonise research. This will involve discussing some of the practical strategies that may be used when trying to produce decolonial research.
- Offering a critique of decolonial research. This will involve recognising the limitations of decolonial research which make it an imperfect approach to conducting research.
The course will be delivered in an interactive workshop format which will involve a mixture of lecture-style teaching, interactive large-group discussions, and small-group conversations.
This course is aimed at doctoral researchers and others with a keen interest in the topic.
By the end of the course participants will:
- Be well-versed in the decolonial critique of academia, particularly in relation to social science research.
- Be able to identify the core principles and strategies which constitute decolonial research.
- Be prepared to offer a lucid critique of decolonial research.
The course will take place at the University of Manchester between 10am-5pm
Website and registration:
4. 2024 LISS ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship competition
Further details: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-pdf/
Application deadline: 16.00 on 16 May 2024
LISS DTP invites applications for ESRC-funded Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDFs) to commence from 1st October 2024 to be held at King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, or Imperial College London. These fellowships are aimed at aimed at providing a career development opportunity for those in the immediately postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.
Fellowships will provide funding for up to one year full-time, or up to two years part-time to cover the fellow’s salary plus up to £10,000 for all other costs (e.g., travel, conference attendance, training, fieldwork, mentoring time, etc.).
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5. Reactionary Critiques and the Liberal International Order: Reflecting on the failures and promise of International Thought
LISS Funded RCIR Workshop Announcement: “Reactionary Critiques and the Liberal International Order: Reflecting on the failures and promise of International Thought” is scheduled for June 16th, 2024, at CEEISA-ISA Rijeka, Croatia.
King’s Research Centre in International Relations is thrilled to announce an upcoming workshop titled “Reactionary Critiques and the Liberal International Order: Reflecting on the Failures and Promise of International Thought,” scheduled for June 16th, 2024, at CEEISA-ISA Rijeka, Croatia.
Members of the “Reactionary Internationale” – Putin, Xi, Erdogan, Khamenei, Bolsonaro, Trump, and Modi – are actively challenging the liberal international order and remaking international norms. Organised by LISS DTP-funded PhD students Matti Spåra and Rhiannon Emm, together with Dr Nicholas Michelsen and Dr Pablo de Orellana from the Department of War Studies Research Centre in International Relations (RCIR), this workshop will delve into how these reactionaries draw from established traditions of international theory, such as Realism, Decolonial and Global IR, as well as innovating and transgressing the IR disciplinary mainstream. We investigate how they have developed populist styles of communication for reaching global publics, and how everyday spaces are central to their critiques. This workshop will bring together leading IR scholars to explore the epistemological, methodological, and political implications of reactionary critique. The workshop seeks to advance the evolution of IR scholarship by examining this “darker side of critique” and invites participants to critically assess the limitations and possibilities of IR scholarship.
The RCIR-led workshop will explore various themes, including the theoretical foundations of reactionary critiques, case studies examining critiques presented by influential actors such as Putin, the implications of reactionary thought for global order, and its impact on international relations theory.
Furthermore, the RCIR is excited to announce that there will be an event later in the year to discuss the findings and insights from the workshop.
Stay tuned for more updates and details regarding the workshop and the subsequent event on Reactionary Critiques and the Liberal International Order.
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6. NCRM Annual Lecture 2024
Join NCRM for its 2024 annual lecture on Tuesday, 21 May. This prestigious event will bring together researchers from across the UK to discuss some of the latest advances in research methods.
Our keynote speaker for the evening will be Professor Noortje Marres of the University of Warwick, who will explore the new challenges that AI poses to the sciences of society.
The free lecture, which is part of NCRM’s 20th anniversary celebrations, takes place in the magnificent surroundings of The Royal Society in central London. It will also be streamed online.
Researchers from any discipline and sector are welcome to attend. More details about the programme and speakers are available below.
The lecture
In her presentation, Professor Marres will discuss the debates surrounding the use of AI in social research and argue that the new tools challenge the ability of the social sciences to engage with contexts and communities in society.
Professor Marres will present a new set of methods and strategies that social researchers across disciplines have developed to address these challenges: situational mapping.
Drawing on recent research, she will show how this approach can be used to explore the ways that AI affects particular people and places.
Professor Marres will explain how interdisciplinary methods can enable researchers to negotiate conflicting requirements that automation and participation place on social research.
The lecture, After the Automation of Methods: the Case for Situational Analytics, will conclude with reflections on the consequences of the rise of generative AI for relations between social science and society.
The full abstract for the lecture and more details about our speakers are available below.
Registration
The lecture is free to attend, but registration is required.
Register for the NCRM Annual Lecture 2024
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7. National Learning Disabilities & Autism 2024 Conference
Thursday, 06 June 2024, Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre
Event Overview
This event is a unique opportunity to bring together a diverse community of professionals, educators, families, individuals with lived experiences and all other stakeholders with a collective commitment to induce change, enact improvements, and enrich lives.
Delegates will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with learning disabilities and autistic people and the support needed to empower them to fully embrace their abilities and fulfil potential. The conference agenda will feature a series of plenary presentations, delivered by expert speakers with both professional and personal experience. Interactive panels will encourage greater engagement and discussion, whilst informal networking sessions will foster knowledge sharing and the opportunity to connect with fellow attendees.
The uptake for the Supporting Autistic People and People with a Learning Disability conference has been excellent. If you are interested why not book or hold your places by registering your interest.
The conference can be viewed HERE
Register your interest HERE
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8.LISS DTP Parent/Carer Group announcements
Time-Saving Tech Workshop
Description: The LISS-DTP sported Parents/Carers Group will host a series of 5 online workshops to introduce participants to research-focused time-saving software such as Zotero, NVivo, and mind-mapping tools. Each session will be part demonstration (~1 hour) and part Q&A / troubleshooting (~30 minutes).
Dates: Third Thursday of each month, March – July 2024.
Participants: Maximum of 12 participants. Preference to be given to LISS-DTP students who are parents/carers.
Please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWNbzpKSXhOK2PhJizSgDYPErYWlFb_Qde1iPJjgsoXKxPog/viewform
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9. LSE Festival: Power and Politics
The LSE Festival which is taking place from Monday 10 to Saturday 15 June 2024, will explore how power and politics shape our world. It is free and open to all, and tickets will be released next Monday 13 May. There are some really interesting sessions so would recommend looking at their online programme: LSE Festival
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10. PhD Placements in the UK Government’s Open Innovation Team
The UK government’s Open Innovation Team have opened applications for their PhD Placement Programme 2025 (closing date: 14th June 2024, 11:59pm).
We’d like to strongly encourage PhD students from LISS DTP to apply. Please use this link to our website which contains information about the team, the placement, and how to apply.
Placements are full-time for a three-month period. Students may choose to work remotely and/or in person at our Westminster office. During the placement, students will:
- make significant contributions to the policy work the team carries out;
- help plan and deliver our events, bringing together academic experts and policymakers to work through policy problems;
- assess and synthesise expert evidence and research, and learn how to present this for policymaking audiences.
All the PhD placement work aims to build student’s skills and provide them with an insight to what it’s like to work on policy and in government. They have hosted more than 150 students since 2016, with more than 30 former students going on to work in policy jobs.
If you’d like to meet someone to find out more about the team and our programme, Daniel Shipsides would be happy to arrange a Teams meeting at some point over the next couple of weeks. Please let him know some slots that you’re available and we can get something booked in.
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This newsletter is available on the LISS DTP website at: LISS DTP Monthly Newsletter – LISS-DTP
Items for next newsletter: The LISS DTP team want to do more to help students disseminate information about events/activities they want to share with the rest of the cohort. If you have any items – Information and/or good news – to be included in our monthly newsletter, please send them to liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk for the attention of Cairn Macfarland by the last day of the month to be included in the next newsletter. Be sure to include all details and we’ll include it in our next monthly circular! Newsletters will be sent in the first full working week of every month!