A core objective of our Centre is career development and capacity building for Mid and Early Career Researchers (MECRs).
Our support includes mentoring, skills training and paper development opportunities through regular Papers in Progress meetings.
This support is open to Digit-funded MECRs, including:
- Doctoral students
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Those transitioning to become independent researchers
- Career progression for mid-career staff balancing teaching and research portfolios
PhD students working with Digit Researchers and Associates are also eligible to join our Digit Doctoral Network.
Meetings and resources
Papers in Progress meetings
Papers in Progress (PIP) meetings provide an opportunity for early and mid-career academics members of the Digit community to present early versions or ideas for papers in a friendly and constructive environment.
- ‘The impact of AI on job destruction and creation at firm level: evidence from a survey of UK business leaders’ Dr. Wil Hunt, University of Sussex
- ‘Why are people uncivil in using work-email?’ Dr. Emma Russell, University of Sussex
- ‘Coworking spaces, cities and COVID-19: growth, crisis and recovery’ Dr. Harry Pitts, University of Exeter
- ‘Digital remix culture and online identities in a time of crisis’ Dr. Francesca Sobande, Cardiff University
- ‘How Walmart thinks about the development, adoption and implementation of emerging supply chain technologies, and the impact on work’ Nikki Stopford, University of Sussex
- ‘Varieties of employment service digitalisation’ Dr. David Robertshaw, Leeds University
- ‘Researching digital futures at work in the financial services industry’ Dr. Esme Terry, Leeds University
- ‘Privatising social protection under platform capitalism: evidence from the U.K. parcel courier sector’ Dr. Steve Rolf, University of Sussex
- ‘Technology-management nexus and healthcare performance: an empirical investigation’ Dr. Manhal Ali, Leeds University
- ‘Understanding the informal and cultural institutions propelling the gig economy’ Dr. Ayo Idowu, University of Sussex
- ‘Conflicting narratives and critical perspectives on the future of retail work’ Abbie Winton, Digit Doctoral Network member, University of Manchester
- ‘New measures of tech talent – evidence from the global AI Index’ Prof. Astrid Krenz, University of Sussex
- ‘Legal AI: decoding the future of law’ Bhumika Billa, Digit Doctoral Network member, University of Cambridge
- ‘Gender pay reporting and the contradictions of transparency in Britain’s finance sector’ Rachel Verdin, University of Sussex
- ‘Digital acceleration, digital transformation, or hyped buzzwords? Changes in UK employers’ digital practices during the COVID-19 pandemic’ Felix Schulz, Leeds University
- ‘Disability, neurodiversity, and remote e-working: Promoting the creation of an inclusive workplace’ Dr. Christine Grant, University of Coventry
- ‘Creative work – a “hotspot” for digital skills? Identifying digital skill developments in the UK creative online freelance industry’ Dr. Fabian Stephany, University of Oxford
- ‘The care necessities – developing inclusive digital technologies for Scotland’s post pandemic social care’ Dr. Kendra Briken, University of Strathclyde
- ‘How the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the enactment of academics’ work/non-work boundaries’ Mariana Consoni, Digit Doctoral Network member, University of Aberdeen
- ‘Employed by the crowd: challenges and opportunities of subscription crowdfunding for the creative industry’ Dr. Krystallia Moysidou, University of Sussex
- ‘The digitalisation of work among disadvantaged social groups in India: the widening precarity gap’ Dr. Sudipa Sarkar, University of Sussex
- ‘Concentrated Technology Adoption and Complementary Skills Investments’ Aniket Baksy, University of Sussex
Events, training and summer schools
We provide a range of training and mentoring events and opportunities.
Our Ask the Expert online drop-in clinics are an opportunity for MECRs to exchange and connect with senior researchers at Digit.
Sessions have included:
- ‘Addressing paper revisions’ by Prof. Chris Forde
- ‘Applying for ERC starter grants’ by Prof. Brendan Burchell
- ‘Advice on specialism areas: supply chain, operations and risk management, sustainability, blockchain and emerging intervention in supply chain, innovation analytics’ by Prof. Nachiappan Subramanian
- ‘Advice on specialisms: media, communications and cultural studies, and work in IT and cultural industries’ by Prof. David Hesmondhalgh
- ‘Advice on specialism areas: sociology, tourism, quality of life, work-care arrangements’ by Prof. Claire Wallace
- ‘Advice on labour economics and quantitative methods’ by Prof. Richard Dickens
We provide regular training for our MECR community.
Our MECRs are also able to attend training sessions provided by others, including the University of Sussex Research Support Office.
These training sessions have included:
- ‘Impact training’ with Mark Reed, Fast Track Impact and Saskia Gent, Insights for Impact
- ‘Meet the editors’
- ‘Writing blogs’
- ‘Achieving Impact in Today’s Policy Landscape: An Introduction’
- ‘Achieving impact via consultations’
- ‘How to peer review manuscripts for journals’
- ‘Pitch perfect: public speaking, networking and engaging’
- ‘MECRs blog writing workshops’
- ‘How to publish books workshop’ with Paul Stevens, Bristol University Press
- ‘Boosting Your Productivity: Time Management for Busy Researchers’
- ‘Understanding and Managing Imposter Syndrome’
Digit has collaborated with established organisations and conferences to hold very successful summer schools.
These include:
10th Marie Jahoda Winter School of Sociology: “Research and Activism”
In January 2021, Digit collaborated in this online event for PhD students from around the world, addressing the interrelationship between scientific and political activism in the 21st century and under the conditions of the digital age.
Early Career Workshop with the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics
In July 2022, Digit collaborated with Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) on the Early Career Workshop that preceded their annual conference in Amsterdam. Twenty students from around the world attended, and Co-Director Prof. Jackie O’Reilly gave the guest keynote, followed by a presentation from Digit Research Fellow, Dr. Steve Rolf.
Digital Transformation: Technical progress and its impact on workers
In June 2023, Digit and WZB Berlin Social Science Centre held a summer school in Berlin, which was open to PhD students and early career researchers (including from the Digit community), focusing on new methods of digital sociology and labour; boundaries of the concept of employment relationship in digitalised workplaces; and worker agency and organisational (mis-)behaviour.
Doctoral Symposium of British Academy of Management
In September 2023, Digit collaborated on the Doctoral Symposium of the British Academy of Management (BAM) 2023 Annual Conference in Brighton, UK. Approximately 130 doctoral students attended. The day was opened by Digit Co-Director Prof. Jackie O’Reilly and included multiple tracks for career development.
Early Career Workshop with the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics
In June 2024, Digit will collaborate with the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) on the Early Career Workshop that will precede their annual conference in Limerick, Ireland.
External resources
The following resources provide useful guidance and insight on research and impact.
University of Sussex
- Range of resources on impact from the University of Sussex Research, Quality and Impact team
- Working with the media
- Blogs and opinion articles
Fast Track Impact
UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit
The Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) in the UK Parliament provide access to recordings of online training sessions. Videos of each session, with training slides and other useful resources and links, are available on the Parliament website. Each session is approximately 30 minutes long, presented by the KEU (with some expert guest speakers), and focused on practical information and advice. The sessions available are:
- Parliament for Researchers – how to engage with the UK Parliament
- Parliament for Early Career Researchers – how to engage with the UK Parliament
- Parliament for PhD students – how to engage with the UK Parliament
- Parliament for Knowledge Mobilisers – how to support your institution’s engagement with the UK Parliament
- Parliament for Researchers – how to work with select committees
- Parliament for Researchers – how to write for a Parliamentary audience
Resources for Doctoral Students
- SeNSS– Sussex
- White Rose– Leeds
Resources for Post-Doc Researchers
Resources for Mid-Career Researchers
Methods Workshops
Peer Review Training
The Digit Doctoral Network (DDN) is a network of PhD students who are supervised by our Digit Co-Directors or Digit Co-Investigators. The aim of the DDN is to create a community of doctoral researchers amongst the participating Digit institutions that can connect as a team and exchange knowledge and experiences.
Through the network, doctoral researchers receive resources, are invited to attend Digit meetings and Digit Debates, and can present at the Digit Papers in Progress series.
Activities of the DDN have included meetings, an email group, and a book club.