Starting at the University

Induction guidance and resources for contract research staff

Induction events

Your school and/or faculty will often provide support and induction sessions - contact your Associate Head of Research and Innovation (AHRI) or Associate Dean of Research and Innovation (ADRI) to find out about what you can access locally.

Central Research and Innovation specific induction sessions are delivered 3 times a year. (usually October, January and May). This is where you can find out about the support available from the Department of Research and Innovation and be signposted to a wealth of resources and information to support you to get started with your research or innovation activity at Portsmouth. To find out about the next session, and to book a place, please go to Docebo and into the Research and Innovation section in the course catalogue.

In addition, you can access University-wide induction information and events, along with the Department of Research and Innovation staff development pages, which offer further training opportunities.

Find a mentor

Having at least one workplace mentor to support you as you start and progress through your career is hugely valuable. Regardless of your experience, expertise or discipline, there will be someone within the university who can provide you with support, advice and signposting that can really help you to plan for your career development. A mentor doesn't always have to be someone from within your subject expertise - it can be really useful to engage with an individual from a different school or faculty. External mentors are also extremely useful. Finding a mentor can be done informally yourself or you can speak to your line manager, AHRI or ADRI to request one.

A wealth of resources and guidance to support you as a mentee or mentor are available online.

Create and maintain your Pure research profile

Pure is the University's research information system, allowing recording and storing of information regarding the research and innovation activity of our staff and students and all those engaged in any R and I activity are actively encouraged to ensure they have an up-to-date Pure Profile. It is crucial that you have a Pure profile set up.

Read our comprehensive guide to how you can set up and update your profile.

Health and wellbeing

Looking after your own health and wellbeing is a crucial part of your working life. There are a number of ways you can access support and advice on health, wellbeing and resilience at work.

Wellbeing and resilience - a series of 4, short (5-7 min) webinars that offer practical strategies to help you with:

  1. Understanding and boosting your resilience
  2. Setting Boundaries: Understanding guilt and shame
  3. Making choices: Prioritising your workload
  4. Implementing Boundaries: How to say ‘Yes’ and how to say ‘No’

Resources and support available through HR

Managing Wellbeing for Leaders and Managers - training session

Other support and useful resources