Overview

Early Career Researcher Pathways, Tensions, and Stories investigates the employability of doctoral graduates, specifically those from the Humanities, Arts and Social Science (HASS) disciplines. This study is in response to the continuing resistance and concern about the value of HASS research and researchers compared to STEM, and the precarious and tenuous career pathways that they face. There is an apparent contradiction between the call for interdisciplinary research to solve complex problems and the exclusion of HASS research from funding cycles and research priorities. By providing a deeper understanding of real-life experiences through eight case studies of HASS graduates, Early Career Research Pathways explores how researchers past experiences inform their developing researcher identities and career futures. Researchers’ share deeply individual stories that describe their experiences as doctoral students in Australian universities, as new graduates transitioning to employment, and early career researchers pursuing new pathways. Topics such as enabling social impact through research, the mental and financial health of the early career researcher, various lived-experiences such as COVID-19 and the relative merits of collaboration, cooperation and competition are discussed. Their stories often raising conflicting and still unresolved questions and concerns. For those thinking about enrolling, this research gives an appreciation of the transformative power of doctoral studies. For those beginning the early career researcher phase there is a chance to use others’ experiences to make sense of their own employment trajectories, whilst those delivering doctoral studies and employing graduates may be prompted to consider how to more fully harness the potential and capacity of this precious workforce.

Full Product Details

Author:   Susan Gasson (James Cook University, Australia)
Publisher:   Emerald Publishing Limited
Imprint:   Emerald Publishing Limited
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 19.80cm
Weight:   0.288kg
ISBN:  

9781835490921

ISBN 10:   1835490921
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   05 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction; Susan Gasson Chapter 2. The enduring and evolving doctorate; Susan Gasson Chapter 3. Finding your place in the academy and industry; Susan Gasson and Mark Piccini Chapter 4. Using professional credentials in pursuit of research pathways; Susan Gasson and Wade Kelly Chapter 5. Engagement in open and closed research cultures; Susan Gasson and Stevanus Wisnu Wijaya Chapter 6. Building collaborative researcher capacity; Susan Gasson, Laura Challman Anderson, and Christine Bruce Chapter 7. Finding time to manage workload and maintain wellbeing; Susan Gasson and Lauren Shaw Chapter 8. Physical and virtual research spaces; Susan Gasson Chapter 9. Afterword; Susan Gasson Epilogue: Where are they now?; Susan Gasson

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Author Information

Susan Gasson is currently Adjunct Senior Lecturer, The Calrns Institute, James Cook University, Australia.

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