Our blogs cover a whole range of topics, to help early career dementia researchers (ECRs). Our contributors share information about their research, from social care to basic science, share advice from their own experiences, careers tips, what they learned from recent training events and conferences and much more. We have a small team of ECR staff bloggers who write each month, on a whole range of topics and every year we add more people who discuss their experiences of studying at particular places or on different topics. In addition to our staff bloggers, we welcome one-off contributions, and curate and link to content from other great sources, including our charity partners, the LSE Impact Blog, Nature Careers and where ever great support can be found.
To help find what you're looking for, you can browse through the articles, or use the filters on the right to find blogs by a particular person, or on a particular topic.
We are always on the lookout for new contributors, so if you would like to write for us, just head to the forum to drop us a line, or email dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk
All of our blogs (since April 2020) come with narrations from the writer. You can listen while you read along on our website, or enjoy our blogs on the move via your podcast app. You can subscribe to our narrated blogs in your podcasts app, look for Dementia Researcher Blogs, or visit one of these platforms, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify and Goodpods.
Blog – Singing and dancing with people with dementia
Blog from Clarissa Giebel, discussing new dementia care services and how researchers can support service evaluation, and don't always have to lead the development of interventions.
Blog – Alzheimer’s Research UK Scotland Network: Growing Dementia Research in Glasgow
New blog from Dr Fiona Kerr, and Dr Lorraine Work sharing news from the recent ARUK Scotland network meeting.
Blog – Consenting study participants in dementia research
New blog from Anna Volkmer - tips and hints and guidance (and how to use them) for anyone attempting to produce an information or consent form for their study.
Blog – ARUK North-West Network ECR Day
New blog from Jo Sharpe - sharing news from the recent Alzheimer's Research UK Network day in Manchester.
Blog – The Reading University ARUK Dementia Research Day 2019
New blog from Anne-Marie Greenaway - sharing her key take-aways from the recent Alzheimer's Research UK Network day in Reading.
Blog – International collaboration: Managing primary progressive aphasia
New blog from Anna Volkmer - An international collaboration: Spreading the word on speech and language therapy approaches to managing primary progressive aphasia.
Blog – Health inequalities in dementia care – Knowledge Exchange
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, sharing feedback from a recent knowledge exchange trip between Maastricht & Liverpool addressing health inequalities in dementia care
Blog – Co-Production Week #CoProWeek
Blog by Ester Bellavia, PhD student from Newcastle, discussing #CoProWeek and how share uses co-production in her own dementia research.
Blog – Qualitative research methods in dementia: how does conversation analysis help?
Monthly blog from Anna Volkmer, from University College London, discussing her research, work and getting through her PhD.
Blog – Don’t just see, observe.
Dr Josie Fullerton shares her insights from behind the scenes of the ARUK grant review board, with helpful tips for writing your next grant application.
Blog – Thoughts on the The Australian Dementia Forum (ADF)
Blog from first time contributor Katherine Lawler, Lecturer in Dementia Studies at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Australia. Sharing her thoughts and news from the recent annual Australian Dementia Forum (ADF) meeting.
Blog – Shaping young onset dementia support by involving the public
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, discussing her work at the NIHR CLAHRC in the North West, engaging people with Young-onset Dementia and sharing the outputs of earlier research.
Blog – Preparing for conference attendance – right from the start of a project!
Blog from Anna Volkmer, from University College London, discussing her conference and talk preparations.
Blog – Scientist Media Training
Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez shares her experience and tips from her recent ESRC funded media training with Inside Edge Media.
Blog – PhD Student Reflections on the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference 2019
Blog from Katie Gambier-Ross reflecting on last weeks Alzheimer's Society Conference at the Kia Oval in London.
Blog – Interviewing people with dementia
Blog by Sarah Griffiths discussing her experience of qualitative research interviews with people living with dementia. Sharing advise and tips for others who may need to do the same.
Blog – Mental capacity & consent in dementia research
Blog by Victoria Shepherd from Cardiff University discussing dementia research and the exclusion of people with cognitive impairment
Blog – My experiences of applying for my fellowship.
Anna Volkmer, discussing her experience of successfully applying for a fellowship from the NIHR - sharing tips that could help you get NIHR Funding
Guest Blog – Retaining research study participants
New Blog from Anna Volkmer, talking about her experience of finding and retaining dementia research study participants.
Blog – People with dementia are still able to engage in daily tasks – so let’s stop doing everything for them
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, exploring the fine balance between caring, helping, empowering and disempowering people with living with dementia.
Blog – Dissemination: Building up to a podcast
Anna Volkmer, talks about her experience of podcasting with Dementia Researcher. How could podcasting help you reach more people?
Blog – Early career reflections on writing grant applications
New Blog from Dr Holly Walton, sharing tips from what she leaned from the UCL ThinkWrite grant writing workshop for Early Career Researchers.
Blog – National Dementia Strategies across Europe – who has one?
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, what can countries learn from each other? Discussing National Dementia Strategies from across Europe
Blog – Why to say YES to podcasts
New Blog from Yvette Vermeer, talking about her experience of podcasting with the NIHR Dementia Researcher website. Would you like to talk about your work?
Blog – The Thesis: Sitting on the edge of the precipice looking into the abyss
New Blog from Anna Volkmer, sharing a few tips and hints that seemed small but have really helped her on route through her PhD.
Blog – Social activities are key to a good quality of life
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, discussing Social Prescribing - It’s not only tablets that can make you feel better
Blog – Presenting to clinicians versus academics
New Blog from Anna Volkmer, discusses how her presentation style has developed, and provides her tips and advice for impactful presentations
Blog – When will we know more about dementia?
New Blog from Anna Volkmer, Reflecting on what we do and don't know as we start 2019, and what more can and should be done.
Blog – ICFTD 2018 in Sydney
New Blog from Anna Volkmer, Cutting to the good stuff - 10 great things about this years ICFTD Conference from Sydney, Australia
Blog – Leaping Across the Pond
Guest Blog from Dr Robert Andrew, Post-doctoral Researcher at The University of Chicago - sharing his story of how he went from UK to the USA, with advise for others who may want to follow.
Blog – Alzheimer Europe 2018 – a conference for all
Dr Timothy Rittman shares news from the Alzheimer's Europe Conference in Barcelona
Blog – Co-producing young onset dementia research together
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, discussing her patient and public involvement in reviewing YOD memory clinic services
Blog – Posterior Cortical Atrophy Public Engagement
Blog from Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez discussing her patient and public involvement with people living with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA)
Blog – Doing PPI on my PhD project
PPI with people with language led dementia: the barriers & the facilitators
Blog – Inside the DClinPsy: Snippets From An Assistant Psychologist’s Group
New blog contributor Nadine Mirza with advice for new psychologists
Blog – My experience of being a nice committee member
Dr Anna Volkmer shares her experience working with NICE to develop new guidelines on decision making and mental capacity.
Blog – The Start of PhD Year Two
Blog from Katie Gambier-Ross reflecting on the last few months and life as she embarks on her 2nd year Dementia PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh
Blog – Let’s not forget care over cure
Blog from Dr Clarissa Giebel, discussing her work and the importance of dementia care research and helping people with dementia to remain independent for longer
Blog – Support for people with language led dementia
Blog from Anna Volkmer, sharing exciting news on her work and publication on support for people with language led dementia
Blog – UCL ARUK Network Scientific Meeting
Did you miss the Alzheimer’s Research UK North-West Network early-careers research event? No worries, we have you covered.
Blog – Pencils at the ready: exploring the arts and health archives at the Wellcome Library
Blog from Siobhan O’Connor exploring co-designing technology with people with dementia
Blog – Feel the Fear…
Dr Deborah Morgan blogs about her experience of being invited to present a TED talk on her research into loneliness.
Blog – Life in the Doldrums (getting the wind back in your sails).
Allyson Rogers writes about how she found her research stagnating in the doldrums and how she got the wind back into her sails.
Blog – Things I wish I had known before I became a clinician and an academic
Blog from Anna Volkmer, sharing her experiences with the benefit of hindsight and sharing tips for early career researchers
Blog – Working and studying in the UK as a clinical academic
Sharing experiences of one person who made the leap to working and studying the UK - Could the UK be your next move?
Blog – Creating a Dementia Friendly Society – Get them young
In this blog Dr Nicolas Farina explores what it means to be 'dementia' friendly, and looks to the future and a dementia friendly society
Blog – Using co-design methods to co-create technology with people with dementia and their carers
Over the last few years there has been an explosion of technology in healthcare. Ever since personal computing evolved in the 1980’s, followed by the Internet (or World Wide Web), patients and families can access health information faster than ever before and connect with others worldwide for advice and support. Mobile devices and later on...
Blog – Inside the ARUK grant review board
Three guest blogs from Early Career Researchers, on their visit as an observer at the recent ARUK Grant Review Board

