Career Days 2025
UiB Career days for early-stage researchers from 8.-10. April 2025! UiB Ferd offer career development activities, seminars and talks related to various aspects of reflecting and preparing for the next career step.
Main content
The overarching theme for Career Days 2025 is careers after a Ph.D. or postdoc.
Most academics are good at managing uncertainty and short-term planning. We talk about resilience and coping strategies as we prepare for the next career step. However, it is possible to take action and put yourself in the driver's seat in your career development. During Career Days, you will have the chance to listen to renowned professors and researchers talk about the skills you possess with a Ph.D. There will also be workshops on career learning where you will learn how to reflect on career anchors and your strengths, and how to build a solid portfolio.
Most academics will experience the importance of external funding, and reading successful funding applications is one of the best ways to understand what funders appreciate. Reading sessions of funded projects are one of our most popular seminars.
There is no single right answer, so Career Days will offer career learning for many types of career paths. Check out the full program and register now!
The venue 'NG5' is located in the UiB læringsarena on the ground floor in Nygårdsgaten 5: About the seminar rooms | UiB Learning Arena | UiB
Program (small changes might occure - follow for updates)
Learn from renowned professors and researchers about the skills you possess with a Ph.D. Participate in workshops on career learning, reflect on your strengths, and build a solid portfolio. Discover the importance of external funding through reading sessions of successful applications. Career Days offers career learning for various paths.
8. April
Storsalen NG5: Moderator:
Head of section, Section for working environment and organizational development, Ingve Bergheim
09:00-09:15 - Opening by Rector Margareth Hagen
09:15-09:25 Greetings from Group B board member, Ida-Elise Seppola Asplund!
🌟 Curious about the latest buzz in the university board? What's happening in the university board and what's important going forward?
📢 Exciting AI Course for researchers at UiB! 📢
(UiB research administration are welcome to participate)
09:30 -11:30 (followed by complementary lunch) - workshop "Practical Use of AI for researchers" - Senior Research Adviser, course holder for early-stage researchers on academic career and member of UiB AI core team, Cecilie Nordbotten.
Highlights:
- AI in research and fun statistics
- How to use Copilot for daily work
- Prompt like a pro
- Hands-on work and small group discussions
Course language: English
👉👉👉 Register for free morning snack and lunch!
Moderator: Head of section for research, Birgit Falch
12:00-14:00 - 🎤 Live Academic Interview with Professor Laura Saetveit Miles. She will interview Associate Professor Marijn Visscher 🎤
Ever wondered what sets an academic interview apart from a regular job interview? Join us as Professor Laura Saetveit Miles interviews a newly appointed colleague live on stage! Discover the secrets to acing an academic interview and what the scientific committee is really looking for.
Language: English
👉👉👉 Register for free lunch!
Søndre Almenning 1 NG5:
09:30-11:30 - Pitching workshop (followed by complimentary lunch). In this workshop you will work on your presentations skills. If you also register for the afternoon career fair - you have a perfect match for your new aquired pitching skills!
Pitching workshop with experienced research and communication experts, head of UiB service development at UiB, Elisabeth Nesheim, and HR expert Ole Christian Laukli.
👉👉👉 Register for free lunch!
Language: English
12:00-15:30 - Proposal reading sessions with introductions by UiB grant holders.
👉👉👉 Pre-registration is required.
Language: English
16:00-18:00 - Career Fair - company presentations, free food & mingling
Participating Companies:
You will also meet Phd on Track, Tekna, The Norwegian Research Association, NTL
Bring your CV for some hands-on feedback from our career expert, Anette Gjertsen.
Special Announcement: Are you a postdoc looking to connect with peers? Join us at 16:00 for the launch of the UiB Postdoc Association!
Dr. Johanna Stadlbauer from the Postdoc Office at Graz University (Yes- the one with the vibrant LinkedIn) will join digitally to speak about the needs of postdocs!
👉👉👉 Register for free food!
9. April
Babel Stuen - HF library:
📢 Join the Conversation on Academic Language! 📢
09:00-10:00 - What language are you researching in? University library invites to a debate. A conversation about professional language and career development. How does learning and publishing in a language other than your mother tongue affect you and your research? Can language choices you make affect your career?
Who:
Why: Understand the impact of language choices on your career and research
Language: Norwegian (Opportunities for multilingual engagement)
👉👉👉 Register for free breakfast!
Søndre Almenning 1 NG5:
09:30-12:30 - “How to make the most of the postdoc and navigate your career”, by Monika Janfelt
A workshop on career development for postdocs only. NB! Only 25 seats! Fully signed! Register for the waiting list!
Language: English
Aktiv rom 2, Thormøhlens gate 55 (Marineholmen):
10:15-12:00 - Proposal reading session with introductions by FRIPRO grant holder.
👉👉👉 Pre-registration is required.
Language: English
Alrekstad NG5:
🌟 Join Us for an Inspiring Session on Self-Care 🌟
12:30-14:00 - Psycologist at BHT Andreas Hillestad Schei teach us how to finalize your project and feeling good about yourself along the way.
👉👉👉 Register for free lunch!
14:00-14:30 - Why should you consider a research stay abroad and where can you find funding to do it? 🌍✨
In this short info-session we will talk about how a research stay abroad can be good for your career, give you advice on where to get funding to go abroad, and some other tips and resources for getting international experience.
Presenter: Margrethe Bakstad Søvik from Division of Research and Innovation.
Language: English
10. April
Søndre Almenning 1 NG5:
09:00-09:30 - Why should you consider a research stay abroad and where can you find funding to do it? 🌍✨
In this short info-session we will talk about how a research stay abroad can be good for your career, give you advice on where to get funding to go abroad, and some other tips and resources for getting international experience.
Presenter: Dr. Margrethe Bakstad Søvik from department of research and Innovation.
Language: English
Søndre Almenning 1 NG5:
09:30-12:00 - From Research to Academic StartUp
Curious about how to bring your research to life outside academia? This event provides a chance to explore just that. Through inspiring talks, hands-on activities, and networking, you’ll get a taste of what it takes to turn research into successful startups or commercial ventures.
Agenda
• Introducing VIS & TILT: VIS’ brand-new entrepreneurship program for researchers. Tailored to provide researchers with entrepreneurial skills, expert advisory services and access to capital and networks.
• Funding opportunities and UiB’s resources for research-based innovation projects - with Lilit Mailyan, Division of Research and Innovation
• Inspirational talks showcasing the journey from academia to start-up:
o Bengt Erik Haug – KinSea Lead Discovery
o Lalit Shirish Rane – Há Biotech
o Erling Hugo Jensen – Dig Technologies
Case work: Train your entrepreneurial mindset with real-life cases (and some just for fun). Or maybe you would like to share your own idea? Here is your chance!
👉👉👉 Register for some early morning snack and lunch!
Language: English
Søndre Almenning 1 NG5:
12:30-14:00 - PhD - the SuperNinjas of knowledge (if you want to mingle and have free lunch, please register)
In honour of the academic and transferable skills of PhDs, Head of Department of Information Science and Media Studies Marija Slavkovik & Research Adviser Knut Risnes at the same department wrote a heartfelt praise to the skills of early-stage researchers and PhD in particular in Khrono, the university paper. We all need to hear this story again, and we take the debate on what comes after a PhD?
Participants in the following panel:
✨ Let's celebrate the SuperNinjas of Knowledge! ✨
Language: English
Nordre Allmenning 3
10:30-12:00 - Proposal reading session.
👉👉👉 Pre-registration is required.
13:30-15:30 - Proposal reading session - DROP IN (no pre-registration required)
Proposal Reading Sessions 8.-10. April
Apply for grants, they say. Get funding and stay in academia, they say. But what does a grant application even look like? In these low key sessions successful grant holders have generously shared their funding applications, so that you can familiarize yourself with the proposal genre and the differences between some of the grants that target early career scientists. Some sessions will have introductions by former grant winners at UiB, but first and foremost this is a chance to sit down in peace and quiet to skim through different types of funding proposals.
Preregistration is required - Limited seats - register now!
8. April 12:00-13:30 Proposal reading session with introduction Bergithe Oftedal (Grant winning researcher) - Søndre Allmenning 1 NG5
8. April 14:00-15:30 Proposal reading sessions with introduction MSCA-PF (Pierre Bigot) - Søndre Allmenning 1 NG5
9. April 10:15-12:00 Proposal reading session with introduction NFR FRIPRO (Franziska Görtler) - Aktivt rom 2, Thormøhlens gate 55
10. April 10:30-12:00 Proposal reading session (read only) - Nordre Allmenning 3, NG5
10. April 13:30-15:30 Proposal reading session - Drop-in. Nordre Allmenning 3, NG5
NB! All sessions have the same proposals available. Only the times, places and introductions are different.
Get up to date on early career funding opportunities
If you would like to prepare for the reading sessions or explore funding opportunities in general, we recommend the e-course Navigating the Research Funding Landscape, developed by Corina Guder at the Division of Research and Innovation at UiB.
Take the course on My UiB: https://mitt.uib.no/enroll/63BXPX
