Becoming a world-ready researcher at Macquarie University

As a third-year PhD candidate in the Linguistics Department at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, I recently had the awe-inspiring opportunity to travel to Europe as a visiting researcher at Hamburg University. I presented my research at two international conferences and delivered a seminar. Here, I reflect on a fantastic professional development experience that has enriched my PhD studies and will undoubtedly shape me as an early career researcher.

The Postgraduate Research Fund opportunity at Macquarie University

Higher Degree Research (HDR) students at Macquarie University can apply for an internal grant, the Postgraduate Research Fund (PGRF). PGRF is a generous and competitive award aimed at teaching HDR students grant writing skills whilst allowing us to build an international platform to disseminate our research and promote academic collaboration.

In my application, I had to explain how my planned research visit would enhance my doctoral thesis and align with the University’s strategic objectives. One of Macquarie’s objectives is “to prepare world-ready HDR candidates”. The concept of being ‘world-ready’ deeply resonates with me, and I believe that the best way to embody a world-ready HDR candidate is through connection and collaboration.

Therefore, my goal was to become an internationalised researcher, as Macquarie University envisions for its graduate students, by learning from and with colleagues in Europe. When my grant application was successful, I sought every opportunity to provide an international platform for my research and make new connections for future collaborations. My journey offered me a wealth of opportunities to achiveve that goal.

Conference attendance

The first stop on my journey was Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where I attended the conference of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA). The conference topic was ‘Transnational families and media practices: methods, ethics and critical approaches’. At this interdisciplinary conference with attendees from around the globe, I presented the results of my study about ‘Using technology in transnational bilingual parenting’ in a dedicated PhD workshop and during the main conference. In Rotterdam, I connected with fellow PhD students from different corners of the world and met senior academics who contributed to my critical thinking about ethnographic work.

One of the conference highlights was the opportunity to learn from Dr Tanya Ahlin, a lecturer at the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science, who shared her vision as an anthropologist about ethical challenges when studying transnational families and presented her new book, ‘Calling Family: Digital Technologies and the Making of Transnational Care Collectives’.

Visiting network partners

From Rotterdam I travelled to Hamburg in Germany, where I had the privilege to be a visiting researcher at Hamburg University as a guest of world-renowned Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ingrid Gogolin. During my stay in Hamburg, I also had the pleasure of representing Macquarie at the Next Generation Literacies (NGL) Network Conference. The NGL network promotes international collaboration in the field of literacy and multilingualism and is a program jointly organised by Fudan, Macquarie, and Hamburg universities.

As Language on the Move readers will know, the theme of the NGL network conference was ‘Social Participation in Linguistically Diverse Societies.’ The exciting program showcased global research on multilingualism and social participation in diverse settings. For me, one of the highlights of the conference was the keynote speech by Professor Piller, where she beautifully explained the legacies of the NGL network.

Also, I had the honour of presenting my study on the same panel as my associate supervisor, Dr Hanna Torsh, who shared her study ‘Ten years on Revisiting family language policy’. Another high point was Associate Professor Tenedero’s reflections on being a network member and how the mentorship program shaped her as an early career researcher. In her reflections at the end of the two-day conference, she proposed the metaphor of research-water. Tenedero clearly explained that ‘water, like research, can look and taste different depending on where I am, who I do it with, and what my purpose is. But, the purpose is always to serve life’. Personally, I also parted this conference and closed my time in Hamburg full of renewed life and new refreshing ideas for the last stretch of my PhD journey.

Seminar presentation

The last stop on my itinerary was London, where I had the privilege of conducting a seminar at the Centre for Applied Linguistics in UCL hosted by Associate Professor Perez-Milans. In this seminar, I had another opportunity to share my findings with an engaged audience and to receive valuable feedback. In London, I also continued to make connections as a Macquarie representative and think about the next steps of my career as a novice researcher.

Building lasting academic connections

For me, the PGRF experience meant building academic relationships that will surely last a lifetime. Being part of Macquarie University, the Language on the Move team, and the Next Generation Literacies network opened the doors to travel to Europe, connect, and build bridges for prospective international collaborations, that is to be ‘world-ready’ and better prepared for the future. As I reflect on how to be successful in academia, one needs to acknowledge that it is always part of something larger and that collaboration forms the foundation for a solid academic career. My PGRF journey has filled me with incredible memories and lessons about connection and collaboration that will accompany me for the remainder of my journey as a PhD student and into my postdoctoral career beyond.