Podcast – Make Your Mark: Elevating Your Academic Visibility

Dr Emma Yhnell:

This special podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at the British Neuroscience Association's Festival of Neuroscience in Liverpool in April 2025.

Voice Over:

The Dementia Researcher Podcast, talking careers, research, conference highlights, and so much more.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Thank you. Welcome everybody to a really special live recording of the Dementia Researcher Podcast. We are recording live at the British Neuroscience Association's Festival of Neuroscience in Liverpool, and today's episode is all about making your mark and elevating your academic visibility. And we are audio and video recording this, which is very exciting.

So today we're going to be talking about building your academic profile, how to do that in a really authentic way, and what that might mean for you as a researcher.

I'm your host, I'm Dr. Emma Yhnell, currently at Cardiff University. It's a pleasure to be your host today and to have these three awesome guests with me. They've each got their own experience of navigating in this space. So we've got Dr. Ian Harrison over here. We have got Professor Fiona Ducotterd, who is in the middle, and then Dr. Ekta Patel over there on the right. So please do join me in welcoming them to the stage.

And we know, I think, this is probably a view shared by the panel, academic success isn't just about what you know. Often, it can sometimes be about who you know, as well. So today we're going to be talking about raising your visibility, how that can open doors for you to new projects, maybe new positions, new opportunities. So without further ado, would you like to introduce yourselves just briefly?

So over to you, Ian.

Dr Ian Harrison:

Sure. Thank you very much. So my name's Ian Harrison. I'm a principal research fellow at UCL, and I started my group at UCL about five or six years ago now after post-op. Thank you.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Thank you, Ian. [inaudible 00:02:30] for a nice introduction. I'm Fiona Ducotterd, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Institute at UCL, which is part of three institutes doing small molecule drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases funded by a charity within three universities, Oxford, Cambridge, and UCL.

I spent most of my career, after my PhD, in Pharma. I did a short postdoc in Japan, and then I went to work for GSK in China. Then I moved back to the UK to work for ASI, both as bench scientists. And then I moved my lab when ASI closed their UK, the majority of their UK site, I moved to the US, and then I went into more business development and collaboration, and then the Head of Alliance Management at Vertex. And then I came back to the UK to run this institute after having a small-time consulting for small [inaudible 00:03:22].

So I've worked a lot in industry, more than academia, but what I've learned from moving around a lot is how important it is to have really strong networks. I'm really looking forward to this discussion. So thanks so much for having me and I'll hang it over to Ekta.

Dr Ekta Patel:

Hi, everyone. So I'm Met Ekta from Medicines Discovery Catapult, and I'm a flagship managing neuroscience, specifically looking after the psychiatric consortium. I've got over eight years experience in drug discovery, both in academia and industry. And outside of my work life, I am also on the HRA Research Ethics Committee for Greater Manchester.

So very keen to make sure that for clinical trials and stuff, we have a lot of lived experience and involvement in those [inaudible 00:04:12].

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Amazing, thank you all. Told you it was a good panel.

And so, for those of you in the room, those of you who are listening as well, we wanted to start off by thinking about academic visibility. It's probably something that matters more than ever in the world that we live in. There are so many ways that you can make yourselves more visible. Sometimes I think that can be a bit overwhelming, as well, right? So do you have any particular top-tips, first steps that people might be able to take?

Ekta, let's start with you over there.

Dr Ekta Patel:

I guess, yeah, it can be quite overwhelming, especially to put yourselves out there. I would probably say start small, if that feels more comfortable to you. Maybe do things, if for example, you're the type of person that likes to think about things, and not just do a panel discussion like this where you're on the spot, then maybe you could do things like contribute into blocks and things like that, where you have time to really think about what you're putting out there but then still have your name against it. So I'd probably say something like that would be a good way to start.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Yeah, I could... Do you want me to...

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Yeah, please do.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Yeah, I think for me, everyone thinks that I'm super sociable, and I am. That's true, and it's very natural for me. But actually, when I first started moving internationally, I was completely alone in a situation where I had to survive in life, as well as work. And I think that that made me start to talk to people. So what I would say is talk to people.

I think what you said about starting small, everyone has their own story, and we're all very different. And what makes science innovative is having lots of different people and minds at the table, and that happens in your own career as much as others. So I would say don't be afraid to start a conversation. If you see someone wearing the conference badge, have a chat, ask them where they're from, what they're doing, and these networks grow really quickly without you really going outside of your normal day-to-day comfort zone of being polite. And that's really helped me over my career, just getting to know the humans behind the science. And I would say do that as much as you can.

Dr Ian Harrison:

Yeah, I would say for me, it's been practise is a lot of this. It seems like starting off with these small steps, but practise meets perfect to get used to this engagement, get used to networking at these conferences, and stuff, and it can take a while to perfect it and find your own feet in how you are going to increase your profile, but, yeah.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

How I think the people behind the sites are so important. We've all got personal stories and they can really help connect with other people as well, because we all love neuroscience, being at the British Neuroscience Associations Festival, but we've all got our personal stories, too, haven't we?

So there are lots of myths and worries and concerns that people might have about self-promotion. Even when I read this question, I thought self-promotion, it feels a bit icky, doesn't it, sometimes? Or it can be. And I think there are lots of cultural aspects to this, too. So do you think there are any common myths or worries that early career researchers might have or anyone has, really, about self-promotion? Ian, let's start with you.

Dr Ian Harrison:

Yeah, I think one of the things, especially in academia, you get... The higher you can go up the career track, you always have to get used to this world of self-promotion. Nobody's going to be promoting you and your research for you. Maybe it might be different in the industry, I don't know. But with us, if I'm not going out and sharing my science, or promoting the research that we're doing, nobody else is going to do that. So I think that's one of the myths that I would say, that get used to it.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Yeah, probably add to that, say yeah, it's two ways it can feel awkward, and maybe seem like you're boasting if you do have a level of confidence, but it could be the opposite as well where it feels like maybe you don't feel as confident in doing that. And so it's a little bit of that imposter syndrome thing. But I think I commonly to reframe it to be more around visibility with purpose, as opposed to self-promotion.

So for example, if you have a new paper that's out, rather than just going to LinkedIn and posting the paper, maybe post two or three really fascinating or key facts from that paper. So then what you're then doing is shared learning. So then it's no longer seeming you are posting, "I've got a paper," but you're then disseminating that information to your network, and so you are at the same time building some credibility, as well as visibility.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Yeah, I completely agree. I think self-promotion is a term I don't really using because I think we're all trained to be humble about what we do. And I think that's important, too because it's part of connecting with others is just being yourself. But there's nothing wrong with saying what you've done well or what you're good at. And I think that's something we almost need to change the narrative of.

Exactly as you say, that I think when you're brought up... I mean, I'm brought up in the north of England. I often have been in tough, big career moves. And I remember when I moved to America, and I was quite senior in my role at the time, and someone asked me about an elevator pitch, and I was like, "What's that?" Because people are trained now to have a one-minute spiel of how you introduce yourself in a conversation. And I think I was a senior director at this point, and I have no idea what one was, and I thought, "I've got this far without an elevator pitch."

But then actually what I realised was when I was in a room with other people, and I was making the tea, people automatically assumed who I was rather than just treating everyone the same in the room. And I think you have to come into a room with presence, and be like, "This is what I'm here to do, and this is what I'm going to do." And have... Don't be sorry. Like you said Ian, no one is going to talk about you better than you can talk about yourself in reality. People will talk you up or talk you down, but realistically, you're just a human being. So I think being able to go in a room and be able to say what you're good at is what we all need to work on.

And it's not easy, I don't think for any of us. We still have days that we're like, "Got to just get in there and be brave even though I'm not feeling it." So I think we all feel the same, and that's remembering everyone in the room is a human, too.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Yeah, elevator pitches are really hard, aren't they? They're very short, snappy presentations. [inaudible 00:10:47] lift pitches though, do we? Sure, we've got international [inaudible 00:10:51]. Yeah.

So I want to pick up really on some of the things it said around confidence and imposter syndrome, and how people might be able to, I was going to say get over it. I don't know if it's ever possible to completely get over it, but really put yourself out there, because ultimately, it's risky, isn't it? And I think exploring some of the reasons why many people might be a bit adverse to put themselves out there, and we know it's disproportionately impacts certain groups of people, as well.

And so, do any of you have any kind of top tips on how people might be able to get started? I know Fiona, you want to kick off, because you said, you know, sometimes you don't feel it either. And I think that's so important in terms of recognising that, as well.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Oh, for sure. And I think the one thing I would say is we all feel imposter syndrome. It is a natural human feeling when you're in a place outside your comfort zone. But I think, you know...

Dr Emma Yhnell:

What does that mean, the imposter syndrome?

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

So you feel like you don't necessarily, you're not as good as the people around you or someone knows more than you. But actually, I've worked in drug discovery my entire career, and there's always people who know more than me in every part of the work we do, because I'm not a medicinal chemist. I'm not a clinician, I'm a research scientist, and I understand how to build the pieces.

And I think, when you... We talked about this yesterday in the job application section as well, think about what you do bring, and not what you don't. And I think that's something we all have to use as a strategy. It's not about what you don't bring to the table, it's what you do bring to the table. And everyone has a unique perspective and a unique skill set that makes the diversity of the group better, because people who've done different things bring different ideas, and that is how we're going to solve difficult diseases. So I think it's all about the inclusion, and diversity is part of that process of where you are differentiating yourself, but also seeing where you fit in the bigger picture is important in a positive way. But it's not easy, and I think it's something, but yeah. Ekta, what do you...

Dr Ekta Patel:

Yeah, no, I think... No, I agree completely with everything that you've said there. I think, as you said, it can affect certain groups more than others, but I think what you've said is pretty much what I would... Yeah, there's nothing really more to add to that.

Dr Ian Harrison:

Yeah, I was just going to add about these top tips and being... Not knowing... Thinking that everyone else around you knows more than you do. When you are a PhD student, you know the most about that topic. And that, for me, that gave me a level of confidence that, "I know the most about this topic. I'm presenting my data. I'm presenting my poster." So you should feel as if you can present that with confidence, knowing that people are asking for your opinion on what you think of your data and your science. But yeah.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Amazing. Thank you. So I'm really interested in how people might be able to do this practically. So we've explored some of the why questions today, and no one else is going to do this for you. This is really important.

And Ekta, I'm going to come to you to talk a little bit about how people might be able to do this, acknowledging that we can communicate in all sorts of different ways. Some people might be very comfortable in public speaking, other people might not be, some people might prefer writing, and I am going to mention social media, and it has [inaudible 00:14:27], can't we? So you have any particular things you want to mention on how people might be able to [inaudible 00:14:36]?

Dr Ekta Patel:

So I can definitely touch on the social media and that aspect. And there's loads of platforms out there that I'm sure you're all aware. In particular, I personally only use LinkedIn. And I think a point I'd like to make is that there are loads of platforms out there, and you could have a presence on all of them, but I think what's worked really well for me is to just focus on one or maybe two of those, but to really interact with the people on there to really build your brand in those one or two platforms, to really get out there.

I think sometimes you can get lost or almost diluted out if you are on every single platform when you're just liking the odd post on there or just posting now and then. So I think that's one piece of advice I give is to maybe pick one or two areas of social media or types of social media, and to really go hard on those.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

[inaudible 00:15:38].

Dr Ian Harrison:

Oh, I was just going to say be varied in the content that you are putting out there. So you were saying like with posting a paper, I personally get so much more from if people post a paper and then they give a tweet or Reel afterwards, saying, "In five Tweets, this is what we discovered in that paper." And so much... And then, that opens up engagement and it opens up the conversation with the authors and stuff. So being varied in the type of stuff that you're putting out there, as well. It's a big thing.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

Yeah. I would say as well, outside of using technical platforms, in your role, wherever you work, thee things that happen within the university or the organisation that you can attend, butt you might go and listen to a talk and just talk to someone in the social part afterwards, and learn that they're working on something that's aligned with what you are doing. Or you volunteer to take on a job that is outside of your normal day-to-day that gives you a bit of visibility in the broader organisation or the broader university that helps you impact, but it also builds your confidence.

The other thing I would say that's really been valuable for me, when I was... I mean, even now, is being in those voluntary leadership roles in societies like the British Neuroscience Association, also in the Alzheimer's Association in the US and the Society for Neuroscience. I've done a lot where even from being very early in my career, I was on committees for them, where I got to experience how meetings are run, how groups interconnect, how to work with people who are in completely different function to me.

And those things helped me develop, but they also gave me the confidence to speak to people outside of my general scientific comfort zone. And I think that helps, as well.

And I think there's lots of opportunities that I think take them all. You never know where the next collaboration or the next scientific idea is coming from, or even just the next friendship with someone who's having a baby at the same time as you or going through a really tough time with a supervisor. All those things are things that will help you, in some way, that I think it's worth putting yourself out there and learning from everything around you, because being a well-rounded academic or industry leader comes from those different types of matrix experience that build your repertoire of capabilities. So, use them all.

Dr Ian Harrison:

I was just going to add with the voluntary leadership positions that you're talking about, those things that kind of... I found them invaluable, because you meet so many people that could then be on a grant funding panel that you are applying to. There's so many, but you would've known them already. They are familiar with your work, and it then becomes a... It's a building on a relationship rather than it being scary group of people that you don't really know that you'll meet that I to engage it, well, now.

Dr Ekta Patel:

If I could also add that this isn't about you having to do extra work. Rule purpose, the stuff that you're already doing onto different platforms or for blogs, or for, if you are brave enough for panels or shotgun talks and things like that, so don't feel like you have to do something new and that it's additional work. You can repurpose things that you're already doing.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Absolutely. I think that's really important. And I'm going to give our live audience the heads up, we're going to come to you with some Q and A in a minute, and so if you do have any questions, bit of time to formulate them for us.

So I really just [inaudible 00:19:04] in this visibility versus networking, as well, we touched on a bit there, but I think asking ourselves why we're doing things. So we touched on this earlier, it's probably not much, but just churning stuff out for the sake of it.

So this section's on why. So I [inaudible 00:19:19] that, you know, you're going to a dinner to meet people or do you think that why question is important, as well as how we do it as that?

Ekta, let's start with you.

Dr Ekta Patel:

Yeah, I think so. I think networking with intention is really important. So don't just network for the sake of it, really have a bit of an understanding as to... For example, as Emma said, if you're going to a dinner, do a bit of research. Who are you going to be sat on the table with, if you can find out? And then I will try and figure out what you'd like to take from those individuals or what could you bring to the conversation. I think that's really important. So networking with intention, I'd probably say is a big thing.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

I think there's two types of networking. There's one where it's just building your confidence in talking to others. So I think that there's also... I completely agree that, specifically, if you're looking for a certain role or you're interested in a certain area, try and get to know the people in that. But also just knowing, getting used to talking to people of more senior to you or more junior to you is really important, because there's new ideas coming from all levels. And I think that the more you talk to others and communicate with others, the more you learn about the way they operate, the way that you can work together. And I think that's been really helpful for me is just being outside of my comfort zone.

In Japan and in China, US... US as actually the hardest because I wasn't as obviously foreign, and so no one helped me. In Japan and China, people helped me find where to a cake or how to go to the bank, or whereas, in America I was completely blended in. No one told me anything. It took me five years for a colleague to invite me to dinner. But in the other countries, people adopted me immediately and looked after me.

So I think there is a lot of different ways of doing things, but I would say that unintentional networking is extremely valuable, in my experience, and I've learned a lot from the people I've got to know just organically through that process. What about you, Ian?

Dr Ian Harrison:

Yeah, and I would add to that. So when, with networking opportunities, it's exponential. So if there's a certain, an academic that you want to meet, then ask your friends if they've... Your PhD students or your peer group if they know the prof or they know a certain academic that they want to talk to. Because being introduced to people is a lot easier than just walking up to people at a conference, or just starting a conversation. But everyone at these conferences is here for the same reason. We're all here to network, we're all here to make these connections and to expand our own network.

Dr Ekta Patel:

Just quickly, just to add to that as well, just from a conversation we were having yesterday as well, that sometimes you don't see the result of that networking straight away. You are playing the long game sometimes. I think we just need to remember that sometimes.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Yeah, and it could be really hard to judge, can't it, as well? Things pop up, but you maybe even have them accepted, too, right?

I'm going to come to our lovely live audience just to see if anybody has any questions. Yes, thank you. So questions all bad, based on the experience of our panel, what they might be looking for in CVs for the job applications. Ekta, please kick us off.

Dr Ekta Patel:

So, having not been a direct hiring manager, but been part of a hiring team, I think it's a little bit of everything, really. Sometimes it really does help if the CVs come via recommendation from someone else, because also you already know somebody, you know that it's a credible person or credible referral, so that's something that we look for.

I think also just how well that person has put themselves out there for different opportunities, because it could be that they're applying to something a little bit different, a little bit outside of their box or experience, and sometimes that shows. It's nice that they're going out of their way to do something a little bit different and go out of their comfort zone. That really says a lot about somebody.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

I always look at the individual in terms of the fit for the role, and obviously, I want to know that they can do the science that we're trying to do and they can work in a team. But I don't look at any details in specifically, social media presence. What I look for is someone who is well-rounded in terms of her experience, and is they've got experience beyond their lab-based work that they've gone out and tried to find, that's obviously a bonus.

But I do think that, I think partly, I want to know as well how much they've thought about the role that they're applying for and why they're the fit for that role and why they're interested in the group. So when I've hired in industry and in academia, I really want someone who has thought through why they want to be part of the team, why they're the best person for the job.

And I think that's part about self-promotion as well, isn't it? Or being confident in what you bring, because I never look if they've got every experience. I've hired people actually in the past where they've had none of the things that were in the original job description, because when they got in, they have an interesting background, so we decided to bring them in for an interview, and then they knocked us out. They were like, "Wow, this is amazing." So we brought them in because they brought something different. So I think your differentiation from others, what you bring is important. What about you? What do you [inaudible 00:24:42]?

Dr Ian Harrison:

Yeah, no, I'd add to that. Definitely what you were saying about looking for well-rounded CV, and looking for, particularly, in academia when we are looking at paper metrics and all the rest of it, but showing that you've done some work and you've contributed, but also having smaller roles in collaborative papers and stuff. For me, that shows me that people want to work with you. You are achieving in not just raw specific field, but yeah.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Okay. I'm going to be mean and ask you all just to get one sentence that people could take away. You can use a colon, that will be okay. And a piece of advice about visibility, one piece of advice for [inaudible 00:25:30].

Dr Ian Harrison:

Wow. Okay.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

I know.

Dr Ian Harrison:

I would say start now. Start early, and engage in anything you can at conferences like this, because it's going to be worth its weight in gold.

Professor Fiona Ducotterd:

I would say be yourself and make friends and be interested in others, because you learn a lot from the friendships you have and the scientific relationships you have with people who are extremely different in the way they think to you, and they make you a better, more rounded individual. So definitely, I agree with Ian. That's a long sentence, sorry. But be yourself, be yourself, and make the most of everyone around you, because this is an amazing field where there's a lot to learn.

Dr Ekta Patel:

I would probably say to stay curious and to accept as many opportunities that do come your way, and as scary as they might seem at first.

Dr Emma Yhnell:

Amazing. Brilliant. Well, we have, sadly, come to the end of our time. I just want to invite you to join me in thanking our brilliant guest panel. Dr. Ian Harrison, Professor Fiona Ducotterd, and Dr. Ekta Patel. And of course, I say thank you to you, our live audience as well, for joining us. I thank you all so much.

And finally, I need to tell you that for more support resources and lots more career support, do take a look at dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk.

But for now, I've been Dr. Emma Yhnell, and you've been watching the Dementia Researcher Podcast, recorded live at the great BNA's Festival of Neuroscience. Thank you all so much.

Voice Over:

The Dementia Researcher Podcast was brought to you by University College London, with generous funding from the UK National Institute for Health Research, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Association, and Race Against Dementia. Please subscribe, leave us a review, and register on our website for full access to all our great resources. Dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk.