Following the completion of the previous Becoming a Successful Postdoc residential in May 2025 we asked attendees to share their thoughts and feedback on the session. Below you will find some comments and images they shared. Please note the course was then known as Making the Most of Your Postdoc and has since changed name although the content remains the same:
Myriam Uhrhan: Attending the Making the Most of Your Postdoc residential workshop was an incredibly valuable experience. Over three days, Anna and Ines guided us through a wide range of topics, including career pathways, timelines, what makes a successful postdoc, and practical tools like narrative CVs, time management strategies, and personal action plans. The sessions brought much-needed clarity and stru
cture to my current postdoc role, while highlighting ways to proactively build my skillset and explore opportunities—both within and beyond academia. A real highlight was connecting with a diverse group of fellow postdocs from various disciplines; the informal evening activities (particularly the long hours of Heads Up) and spontaneous hikes to beautiful viewpoints helped foster genuine connections with some truly awesome people. Being away from my usual environment allowed me to fully immerse myself, reflect, and gain fresh perspectives without everyday distractions.
Eimear Rutherford: I thoroughly enjoyed the Making the Most of Your Postdoc retreat at Shendish Manor. Over three intensive days, we received a wealth of guidance and insight that has been invaluable in helping me map out my career path and identify the steps needed to reach my goals. Gaining clarity on these next steps—and learning about the support available through ECRI—has given me the push I needed to put my plans into action. The funding and CV workshops, along with the sessions on increasing visibility, were particular highlights. However, the true standout of the retreat was connecting with 15 fantastic postdocs from diverse fields and building a supportive network for advice, encouragement, and future collaboration.
Eftychios Manoli: The retreat ‘Making the Most of Your Postdoc’ was very helpful, instructive, and w
ell-designed. Anna and Ines did a great job organizing the sessions and various activities, providing help and support throughout the course. They created a safe and encouraging environment for us to share experiences and reflect. The retreat helped me discover both the drive and the strategies necessary to navigate the difficulties of postdoctoral work, which I had struggled to find beforehand. Being outside Imperial College and close to nature also gave a unique feeling to the event, and the choice of venue was fantastic—well-suited to reinforce the whole experience and foster increased communication, collaboration, and openness. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity to participate. Thank you to the organisers for your tremendous energy, passion, and effort in making this a successful event! This is a very valuable and truly a ‘must-attend’ course for every early-stage postdoc.
Harry Chown: ‘Making the Most of Your Postdoc’ was an engaging 3-day residential trip from the ECRI on professional development. The course provided a space for us to develop our skills to enhance our current job and to excel in the next stage of our careers. We were provided with a holistic view of what being a post-doc means and how we can improve, as individuals, as part of a research group, as part of the University and as a member of the scientific community. A lot of time was spent in active discussion of specific areas where improvement can be made for post-docs: time-management, CV building, fellowships, industry job applications, managing expectations…the list goes on! By generating a judgement-free space, we were able to explore ideas as a group. This often led to a feeling of reassurance, that we are not alone on this journey and that one of our peers out there has either experienced the same as you or knows a way to overcome an obstacle you are facing. Largely in part to this open community spirit, beautiful surroundings and separation from the usual working day, we were able to form a strong bond as a group. Personal highlight included the super-secret team building activity on the first day. It was a fun way to get to know people, as the description suggests, I can’t give much more away than that. I cannot express how amazing and genuinely life-changing I feel those 3-days were for me. The staff who ran and organised the event were fantastic, and I highly recommend attending.
Laura Deelan: The Making the Most of Your Postdoc event was a 3-day course in which we delved into what a postdoc entails, what future careers in and outside of academia look like, how to find the things that you may want to work on and many other things! Personally, I feel like I got a much better grasp on what a postdoc is or should be – it comes in so many shapes and forms! The fact that we had many participants across different departments and campuses at different stages made it a super interesting experience as you can see how postdocs from different backgrounds have come thus far. This has helped me immensely with tackling my imposter syndrome! Because both Anna and Ines made it such a safe and open environment, we all had the opportunity to open up and communicate in which areas we can help each other and where we could benefit from help! It is incredibly nice to have learnt the expertise of the other participants and I will not hesitate to contact them if when needed. My personal highlight was the face-to-face setting, and getting to know people on a level that online would not be achievable. The fact that it was three days also made it possible for us to take the time to snap out of our usual environment, and really think about our future! Lastly, it is super nice to have concrete and useful links for every aspect we covered in the course – as the internet can be an overwhelming space of information!
Read Becoming a Successful Postdoc – Previous Attendees Feedback in full
The day concluded with a talk by Professor Gary Frost, Head of theSection, who highlighted the importance of data integrity. His discussion emphasised the importance of setting best practices in data sharing and management, particularly in fostering transparency and collaboration across research groups. The discussion was also opened to all attendees to brainstorm ideas and share their insights in a cooperative manner.