I’m happy that after a lot of work we are finally able to officially launch our project Unfolding Research.
Unfolding Research aims to discover and curate a set of easily accessible problem-solving strategies tailored to the needs of PhD students and early-career researchers.
These strategies are the result of a long process of interviews and focus groups over the last (almost) two years. We talked to experienced academics across disciplines, people who left academia after their PhD, and many of our friends and colleagues in the PhD community.
The aim of all these conversations was to identify and distil some proven and reliable techniques and working habits that researchers can rely on in their everyday work.
From the start, our priority was to make Unfolding Research as relevant to the everyday research practice as possible. The strategies, consequently, serve as short reminders of successful habits that well-recognised researchers rely on in their daily work.
Because we realise that everyone has different preferences and needs, our aim is not to provide just another list of generic advice. Instead, by offering practical insights and showing alternative ways of doing things, we encourage you to experiment and reflect on your research approach, and translate your goals into action.
Subdivided into (what is now) 19 different areas, the strategies can both be used to address specific problems as they occur and to improve your overall working patterns. The website provides more information on what these areas cover.
Most importantly, our workshops offer the opportunity to explore the Unfolding Research tool box with others. By discussing the strategies, we want to encourage you to look beyond your established routines, experiment with different academic techniques and stimulate creative thinking.
It should be clear by now, but if you think that your PhD cohort or institution could benefit from one of our workshops, let us know. We’re excited to share our ideas.
Fabian Bohnenberger 