NECTAR Mini-Series: End of Year Skills Tune-Up

Build confidence and clarity in your research career with four practical, bite-sized sessions.

Start the new year strong with a series of four practical, bite-sized sessions designed to support Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in planning for 2026.

This online series will help you sharpen key skills in Networking, Finding funding opportunities, Communicating your research and Promoting your research profile.

Each online session runs for approximately 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. The final session will be an in-person networking lunch, running for one hour.

Session 1: What Helps Me Communicate My Research

Date: Monday 24 November
Time: 12:30pm
Location: Online (Zoom link provided upon registration)

Learn how to share your research in ways that resonate.

Join Karina Judd, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and fellow Early Career Researcher, as she shares practical techniques for storytelling, speaking with clarity, tailoring your message and what has worked for her when communicating research.

Session 2: Effectively Promoting Yourself Leveraging Research Portal+

Date: Wednesday 26 November
Time: 12:30pm
Location: Online (Zoom link provided upon registration)

Make the most of ANU’s Research Portal+ to showcase your work.

Join Alex Dullow, Research Portal+ Administrator to learn how to update your profile, highlight key outputs, and increase your visibility within and beyond the university.

Session 3: Funding Your Future: Strategies for ECR Success

Date: Monday 1 December
Time: 12:30pm
Location: Online (Zoom link provided upon registration)

Securing independent research funding is a key milestone as an ECR and can accelerate career advancement both within and beyond academia.

Join Dr. Charlie Morgan, Research Development Strategist at the Research School of Biology, for a quick practical session that will help you create a personalised research funding strategy. Explore pathways and winning approaches to focus your efforts on applying to funding opportunities that support your career development and research ambitions. We’ll cover options ranging from small seed grants to major national (e.g. ARC DECRA and upcoming schemes) to international fellowships. 

Session 4: Networking at ANU (In-Person + Lunch)

Date: Wednesday 3 December
Time: 12:30pm
Location: In-Person (Location provided upon registration)
Includes: Complimentary lunch

Connect with peers across disciplines in a relaxed, in-person setting.

Join Kelsey Scarlett, Coordinator of the Network for Early Career Teachers, Academics and Researchers, to practise your skills in introducing yourself. Bring along your notes from sessions 1–3 to receive peer feedback and strengthen your research communication.

If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor's Personal Emergency Evacuation plan, please contact nectar@anu.edu.au.