WEBVTT

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So beyond my
research, I've taken

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on a number of responsibilities
over the years:

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internal responsibilities
at my university

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and external responsibilities,
particularly once

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I became an academic.

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So internal
responsibilities include

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being on the ethics
committee, being

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what's called a
Programme Convener, so

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overseeing the administration
of certain degree courses,

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and then, for example, external
to my university,

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I'm currently a board
member at a journal

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called 'Biology Letters'.

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I'm on the editorial board
of Animal Biotelemetry.

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For a good number of
years until recently,

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I was a co-opted member of the
animal section of the Society

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for Experimental Biology.

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I've experienced a number
of challenges, and benefits,

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taking on these various roles.

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There are many, many benefits:

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getting to know other
people, networking, getting

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to understand how
processes work,

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for example, working
for grant funding bodies,

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and assessing other
people's grants,

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and suddenly having
to judge them

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is a real eye-opener for
how to write a good grant.

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There are challenges as well

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and in a sense, those
challenges become benefits,

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because you gain
experience in how

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to deal with those challenges.

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These challenges normally boil
down to interpersonal ones.

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So how do you come to
a consensus with people

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you may disagree
with about things?

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How far do you push
challenging them?

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Are you prepared to
have a different opinion

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to the majority?

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And also things like,
how do you ensure

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that good ideas,
generated at a meeting,

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are actually followed through?

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The advice I'd give to
new researchers regarding

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such roles is: have
the confidence

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to take them on if you
get the opportunity.

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You don't have to
take on everything.

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Don't say yes to everything,
because then you can

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be burdened with an awful lot.

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But don't say no to everything.

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Try something out.

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Don't assume you need
to have had experience

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before you take on a role,
because otherwise, you'd

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never take on the role.

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And have confidence that
you do have something

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to offer, something to
give to that position.