As we begin the new year (and decade), it is always good to reflect a little on the events of the year that has just passed. For me, 2019 has been a good one and there is a lot to be pleased about. But what have I learnt?

The biggest event of 2019 has been receiving a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship, which has subsequently led to being appointed as a Lecturer in Thermal Power at City. For me, I think this marks an important step on the career ladder. Not only does this give me my own meaty research question to get my teeth into, but it marks moving from the precarious fixed-term postdoc contract to a permanent academic position and this is certainly something to celebrate. Alongside my fellowship, I have, for the first time, led an MSc module, began my first role as a co-investigator on a European research project, and been able to attend a few international conferences.

So, from the events of the past year, I think these are the things I have learnt.

Being a lecturer isn’t so much different to being a postdoc

I consider myself to have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get involved in many aspects of an academic role from Day 1 of my postdoc, including conducting research, preparing articles, writing proposals and getting involved in teaching. And I am pretty sure that gaining this breadth of experience is one of the reasons I find myself where I am now. So, in all honesty, I am not sure a lot has changed since being appointed as a Lecturer. Research continues, teaching continues, and the writing of research grants continues. To be honest, the main thing that has changed is a change of seating arrangement, which nicely feeds into my next point…

Having an office is great (but it can get a little lonely)

The transition from being in an open shared space to your own office feels like a small triumph. And now it’s really nice to actually be able to see some daylight from my window, and have a space to hold meetings and discussions in with students - without feeling like you’re invading the peace of others. It took a little while to get used to being in a more isolating space, but hey – it just means more reason to head out for a coffee break and a chat!

There is a blogger within me trying to get out (maybe?)

Who knew? I initially setup this website and blog with the goal of having a space where I can present myself and my research to wider audience than I currently do. However, over the past few months, I think I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the experience of putting some of my thoughts down on paper that extend beyond communicating research. Long may this continue into the new decade.

I can’t avoid the lure of a conference

It seems that every year I say to myself that maybe this year I will travel a little less. Then, the year progresses, and I find myself having committed to more rather than less. Yes, conferences are great – you get to catch-up with others in your field, make some new connections, and maybe just explore somewhere new. But when you add up the time and money spent on getting to and participating in some of these events, not the mention the carbon footprint, one does question their true value. So, 2020 has come around, and how is my calendar looking? Well, rather busy - my only saving grace being that the main two conferences I had in mind are both in the UK. OK, so maybe 2021…

The more you put into teaching, the more you get out

I would be lying if I said I started a PhD, and since continued on the academic path, because I wanted to teach. My priority has always been research. However, over the past year I can honestly say I have begun to enjoy teaching more and more. I do often recall certain academics I encountered during my own undergraduate degree, and I now recognise how my own experiences back then have influenced who I am today. Therefore, as lecturers we are in an exciting position to really help the future generation of engineers grow, and the more I am coming to recognise that this is perhaps the main role of a university. I write this as I start to revisit my notes for my upcoming course, and look forward to the new semester kicking off.

So, there you have it – a few thoughts on 2019. Now, let’s see what 2020 brings.