How can early career researchers master communication in multicultural settings?
Thanks to the British Council’s ‘Researcher Connect’ programme, over 60 young researchers from Spain and Portugal participated in a transformative 2-week online course. Some even won travel grants to visit UK research councils. Today, we catch up with Gonzalo Reguera from Navarra, Spain, to hear about his journey.
'I had the incredible opportunity to spend several weeks at the prestigious School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University. Guided by Professor Ruth McAreavey, Head of Sociology, I honed my skills in presenting and discussing my research with UK academics and fellow researchers. Networking with other researchers was a game-changer, sparking new ideas and forging strong professional connections. The feedback and insights I received were invaluable, greatly enhancing my thesis.
Being in such a vibrant environment, I have been fortunate to participate in many events. I have given a seminar on the core elements of my research and have been invited to events organised by Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) and the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE).
Outside the academic world, I have set up a good connection with Peter Hetherington, a journalist from The Guardian, with whom I have been able to reflect on challenges shared by the UK and Spain. I am looking forward to materialising all the ideas generated for collaborations, be it publications, meetings to broaden the dissemination of our work or new visits to colleagues from other UK universities. This visit has been a turning point for my academic career. I am incredibly grateful to the British Council for helping to make this visit possible.’