The Impacts of COVID-19 on the Field Research of PhD Candidates and Postdocs
Feb 18, 2021
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Environmental Peacebuilding Association Disasters and Resilience Interest Group and International Association of Impact Assessment Disasters and Conflict Section
online
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The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of normal life. This disruption has been significant for:
- PhD candidates, who need the field research to complete the requirements for their degree, and
- Postdoctoral Researchers (Postdocs), who are often hired on the basis of conducting field research.
For both groups, an inability to do field research disruptions personal and professional plans and can create financial hardship. As well, significantly modifying or not doing field research affects the scale and scope of learning which would occur if the research had taken place. As most field research is participatory, changing how field research is done, or not doing it at all, can disengage participants from having a say in the question being researched, and removing or reducing their voice in decisions based on the research.
Field researchers, like many affected by the pandemic, are adapting and developing different and new ways to conduct research. Sharing these adaptations would improve the overall environment for field research. At the same time, broadening the understanding how institutions are adjusting field research requirements, particularly with respect to funding, is important to anticipate and manage the professional and financial impacts of COVID on field research plans and programs.
At this juncture, it is useful to share learning on how field research by PhD candidates and Postdocs has, could or will need to adapt to COVID, and how institutional arrangements (including academic requirements and funding mechanisms) have, should or could change as well. To facilitate the learning process, a webinar on Field Research during the Pandemic: Challenges and Solutions from the Perspective of PhD Candidates and Postdoctoral Researchers, is being organized.
Objectives
The objectives of the webinar are to
- Better understand how PhD candidates and Postdocs have been affected by COVID-19-related challenges to field research,
- Share knowledge, experiences in adapting field research work to the limitations posed by the pandemic, and,
- Gather and share how institutions and programs (including funding mechanisms) are adapting (or not) to the need to adapt field research to the conditions imposed by the pandemic.
Date: February 18, 2021
Time: 10:00am EST (US and Canada)
Webinar Duration- 60 minutes, with extra time to 75 minutes if needed.
Register here.
Webinar Structure
The webinar will be structured around the following elements (based on a minimum 60 minute and maximum 75-minute duration):
- Opening Comments – 2 minutes.
- Introduction to the webinar topic by the moderator - 4 minutes.
- Presentations by two PhD candidates and two Postdocs on their experiences with field research and COVID-19 – 20 minutes (5 minutes each).
- Summation of key points by the moderator – 4 minutes.
- Moderated discussion – 25 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes available if needed.
- Closing by the moderator, summarizing the key points and thanking the organizers- 5 minutes.
Selection of Moderator and Speakers
The moderator will be selected by the webinar sponsor. The speakers will be selected through outreach via the EnPax Young Professionals Interest Group and the IAIA Disasters and Crises Section.
Documentation
The webinars would be recorded with the recordings used to summarize the challenges and adaptations covered. These would be circulated to the webinar participants.
A web-based survey will be conducted after the webinar to collect feedback and identify topics for future webinars. These results will be shared with participants and used in decisions on webinar management and moderation.
The recorded webinar is available below or on Youtube.