Name: Syeda Ramin Jannat
Department: Materials
Email: r.jannat21@imperial.ac.uk

Student Programme Partner: Professional Progression 

My Research: I am using state-of-the-art cryo-microscopy techniques to study early-stage degradation in lithium-ion batteries, with the aim of contributing to legislative electrification demands of the UK.

Why I applied for this particular SPP role: As a PhD Researcher, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of communication in various ways, whether it be presenting current findings to research groups or teaching undergraduate students about challenging new concepts. Nurturing this skill is therefore crucial to succeed in any avenue of life, especially to open new doors for career prospects, which is what drove me to apply for this role. I look forward to encouraging more academics to pursue networking as a means to showcase their research brand, seek collaboration opportunities and learn about career trajectories, both in and out of academia.

Why I think professional development training is important: The nature of a PhD (and further research) typically involves zooming into one particular research niche, which often results in academics feeling blissfully unaware of the skills needed to succeed in a workplace. The Graduate School does a great job of ‘filling in’ these gaps by offering courses to postgraduates to develop softer, more transferrable skills, such as understanding your strengths and weaknesses and improving time management. These attributes will ultimately yield more confident PhDs, post-docs and those with master’s degrees, who have the resources to become an all-rounded, multi-faceted team-player in a workplace.