A magnetic journey: from core to space

IAGA has recently decided to fund an outreach project "A magnetic journey: from core to space" which would be led by IAGA scientist Dr. Katia Pinheiro. This project would be in the form of a documentary that connects all the different divisions of the association along with short movies focussing on early career researchers (ECR).

The objective is to transmit scientific knowledge to the general public about the Earth's magnetic field. The story will unfold the various sources of the geomagnetic field, how they change over time and how these affect us all. In addition, the academic life in this field will also be showcased. The ECR short movies will feature them talking about their career and their professional life routine.  

The project would prove to be helpful in building scientific connections across the divisions and attract more students to take up a career in magnetism of the earth and other planetary bodies. The shooting starts during the 6th IAGA Summer School in Niemegk from 7th to 11th July 2023 which would be followed by the IUGG General Assembly. 

The movies would be free for viewing and distributing (CC-BY license) on our social media channels by the end of the year, so keep a look out! For more such outreach projects, check out our YouTube channel or the 'Outreach Projects' blog series.

If you are interested in joining or volunteering for the cast or the crew, contact us!

The train from PhD to PostDoc #1

In this new series, we are asking postdocs who have recently received their PhDs on the whens and hows of the process.

Our interviewee for today's blog is Dr. Shivangi Sharan, a postdoc at Imperial College London, UK. She did her PhD from the Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes, France. She works on the magnetic fields of planetary bodies. In her current position, she is working with the JUICE mission J-MAG instrument team.

When is the right time to start looking for a postdoc?

I don't think there's a right time. It all depends on when you want to do it. Many people prefer to take a break between their PhD and postdoc while some want to start it right after. You also need to see if you want to continue in academics or if you would like to shift to industry. This usually you understand by the last year of your PhD.

Assuming you want to start right after, how to obtain a postdoc position?

You can start networking from whenever but mostly, a few months before your PhD ends would be a good time to start looking and applying for positions and fellowships. Same goes if you want to switch to industry. On the other hand, keep a look out for potential positions even if their advertised start date is earlier. Most positions depend on the candidate and are flexible with the joining date. What is important is for you to be interested in the topic. Your interview will mostly be about the challenges you have tackled in your PhD and if you seem keen enough for these next challenges in your postdoc.

"Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com

What changes come between PhD and postdoc?

PhD is all about learning the skill you will use later on. And postdoc is all about applying the skill you learnt. It also depends a lot on your supervisor and institute. Some supervisors take a lot of involvement in your work while others let you work independently. In both cases, regular meetings about your objectives and goals are important so you know you are headed in the direction of the planned course of action. Discussing your non-academic life is equally important in order to ensure there is no stress. Communication is key in almost all aspects of life!

Let us know your questions in the comments you want answers to in the next blog of the series!

IUGG 2023 Excursions

The 28th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) is taking place from 11th to 20th July in Berlin, Germany. All 8 associations under the union have individual and joint scientific and outreach sessions. However, apart from science discussions, you can also enjoy informal discussions. There are 11 field trip options that will be organised by IUGG. You can register for them along with your conference registration or add it later.

There are 5 full day trips to Freiberg (12th July), Goslar (12th July), Potsdam (13th July), Bad Muskau (18th July) and Morsleben (19th July).

There are half day tours available as well. This includes 2 Berlin city tours on 13th and 14th July and 2 Berlin historical centre tours on 17th and 18th July. There are two additional tours to Friedrichshagen (12th July) and Ökowerk Teufelssee (13th July).

All information about the places and the tours can be found here.

If you want to promote any upcoming sessions or events at IUGG 2023 on our channels, please get in touch with the IAGA social media team.