GoKawiilIt can be hard for early-career researchers to break into conversations at conferences.Credit: Noko LTD/Getty
For some academics, conference networking can be energizing — offering a chance to connect, learn from others and explore new ideas. But for others, the prospect of ‘schmoozing’ at a reception crowded with senior scientists and other established figures can feel daunting.
Networking is not always easy, especially in spaces in which everyone else seems confident and as if they already know each other.
For early-career researchers in particular, approaching senior academics often feels intimidating, exposing feelings of uncertainty or ‘imposter syndrome’ — the idea that your success is somehow undeserved. When walking into a room where you know no one, it’s common to feel out of place, to struggle to break into a conversation or to worry about saying the wrong thing.
Next time you join a conference lunch, coffee break or post-event drinks, perhaps with some trepidation, try to remember that networking can take many forms, and you might not be a stranger to it after all.
If you’ve ever asked a colleague or mentor for advice, collaborated on a paper, contributed to a research group or chatted to a speaker after a seminar, you have networked. Networking also happens constantly during meetings, in research groups and committees and when chatting informally with peers.
In my role as a careers coach working with senior academics around the world, I advise clients to see networking as a means to boost their professional visibility and to showcase their credibility, expertise and contributions to their field.
Caroline Dunne is an academic careers coach working across the United Kingdom and Australia.Credit: Hester Barnes Photography and Film
Networking supports career development in tangible ways. It makes you known beyond your immediate laboratory or department and throws your name into the ring for collaborations, funding opportunities and new roles. It can also open up ‘sliding‑doors moments’ — points at which two professional paths present themselves and your decision shapes the direction of your career.
In academic careers, networks provide protection and support during periods of uncertainty, and momentum when doors open unexpectedly. If you are not known to a wider network, it’s likely your name won’t come up spontaneously for jobs and other opportunities, and you won’t be considered.
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