Five McMaster faculty members complete U21 Mid-Career Researcher Programme

U21 Mid-Career Researcher Programme: Reset, Re-imagine, Reframe, held between October-November in partnership with Common Purpose, engaged participants across the U21’s global membership to share knowledge, perspectives and ideas as an opportunity to refocus and reset; to adopt the right mindset and identify the skills and attributes required to adapt and thrive within a creative and collaborative research culture.  

Among the participants 5 McMaster faculty members completed the program and 2 of them earned a Micro-Credential.  “I don’t think I gave myself time to pause long enough to acknowledge I was firmly in the “mid-career” stage of my career until I began the U21 Mid-Career Researcher Programme. It’s so easy to keep one’s head down and keep doing what has always been the norm, but the opportunity to realize and articulate this new stage was incredibly valuable. Through a series of online exercises and small group discussions with researchers at a similar career point from all over the world, I quickly began to recognize where I was in my career and what sort of aspirations I can now begin to build on. Especially useful was their emphasis on collaboration beyond my discipline, as they encouraged us to look further afield to seek alternate perspectives, practices, and outputs. Since completing the programme, I have already reached out to researchers far and wide and am starting to work on collaborative projects and grant applications. I can’t wait to see what comes of this!” stated Dr. Jessica Van Horssen, Associate Professor from History department.   

“Mid-career researchers often face unique challenges (e.g., managing graduate students or balancing professional and personal life), which tend not to be explicitly addressed through other venues. I found the program helpful in creating a sense of community for those of us trying to manage these issues. I also enjoyed meeting researchers from different fields, faculties, and countries which allowed me to learn more about what faculty life looks like in a range of institutional settings.” emphasized Dr. Meena Andiappan, Associate Professor, Human Resources & Management.  

Other participants included Dr. Drew Higgins, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering;  Dr. Kathryn Mattison, Associate Professor, Greek & Roman Studies; and Dr. Zoe Li , Associate Professor, Civil Engineering.