Currently, things are starting to move in academia. Academic careers are no longer merely about publishing and H-indeces, but also about your vision on how you can contribute to science, and to society. This enables you to take leadership on your career, to go for your own mission and vision. Writing a narrative CV, for example, requires that you can make this vision explicit. Who are you as a scientist? Having a sense of ‘what really matters to you’ can be useful in this context, and in many other contexts like a PhD project or finding your career path. The workshop Scientific Identity can help you to find out.
In two afternoon-sessions, preceded by a short online personal conversation, you can discover more about “What makes you tick, being a scientist?”. You are offered:
- background knowledge on scientific identity,
- a platform for thought-sharing with colleague-scientists, and
- guidance by a professional coach with a background in science and education.
This gives you a platform:
- to talk with like-minded people about the things that really matter,
- and translate it into several specific steps to take along in your day-to-day work.
RESULT
What matters to you in your work as a scientist? How can you make this more clear, more visible, and strengthen it? How can you remain authentic? Which settings enable you to flourish? How to find your balance between research and teaching? Do you dive in the fundamental depths, or do you bring your science to society?
You will:
- Obtain more insight in your own questions, like…
o What makes me tick, being a scientist?
o Where do I get my energy from?
- How do these relate to the things that really matter to me?
- Exchange views with other scientists about this.
Leading to:
- A more clear view of what really matters to you. Why are you good at what you are doing?
- Insight into one or more aspects in your work as a scientist
o That you like to strengthen or keep,
o In order to get more energy out of your work
Set-up
Before the workshop
Prior to the workshop you have a personal conversation with the trainer, individually for every participant, online, ½ hour. We explore what you want to learn in the workshop. This enables you to further define your question. It enables me as a trainer to make every workshop tailor-fit to the personal needs of the participants.
Session 1
The first session starts with a conversation among the participants, “what does science and being a scientist mean to you?”. This is followed by an introduction on identity, showing basic psychological concepts of (professional) identity, and how they play a role in your work. We can discuss the role of these concepts in relation to your own questions.
Art
In this workshop we use art. Art, especially abstract art, works for many people as a catalyst for a more integral view. Art resonates, art can be a way to explain without words, to talk more lightly about heavy stuff, and develop new insights for you.
Artworks are used in the second session. In between the two sessions you have time to find an artwork that fits with your goal. This may sound vague now, but will become clear in the first session. This artwork can for example symbolize what you like to express, explore or remember.
Session 2
The second session is spent on your own developmental questions. Based on works of art, you discuss this in small groups. There is time for peer-sparring, as well as coaching and guidance by the trainer. Groups may be formed with peers, but also with people in various stages of their career, which can broaden your view. The multi-cultural community of the UT makes it possible to have interesting discussions about universal values in different cultural settings in science and society. Although some personal questions are more suitable for individual coaching, peer-sparring with other scientists has proven to be a fruitful way to open up new ideas and insights.