Toes, Coat-tails and Shoulders: Collaboration, co-authorship and career opportunities from an ECR perspective

Toes, Coat-tails and Shoulders: Collaboration, co-authorship and career opportunities from an ECR perspective

Entree into the wider academic research community can be a challenge to recently graduated PhDs who are yet to secure ongoing or permanent employment in academia. This paper will share my experience of fostering collegial relationships with senior researchers which have in turn opened up an array of opportunities in employment, publishing, research and grant acquisition which would not have been possible alone. Having established a positive profile through strong performance in teaching contracts, opportunities for co-authored publications have become available. The reciprocal nature of this co-authorship meant that as an ECR I gained experience and guidance in navigating the processes of publication and also had support in further developing ideas. This collaboration then resulted in contact with other senior academics and the opportunity to join a research team as part of the USQ Open Educational Practice grants project. While approaching more well established academics with similar research interests may feel like you are stepping on toes or riding on coat-tails, the experiences and exposure gained allow ECRs to stand shoulder to shoulder with leaders in their field, gaining opportunities and experiences that would otherwise not be possible until later in one’s career.

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