Dr Mark Empey

 

In your experience, what have been the benefits of holding an NUI award?

The NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowship gave me huge opportunities to develop my profile and publish my research. Not only does the award afford you the time to pursue research that excites you, it is also well known and highly regarded in academia and the business world.

 

What advice would you give to prospective Post-Doctoral fellowship applicants?

Positive mental attitude! Always apply even if you think the odds of success are low - someone ultimately has to win it. Think hard about your choice of mentor. My mentor was (and continues to be!) incredibly supportive of my research. Also, treat your project application like a book proposal so that if you are unsuccessful you still have something tangible. The straightforward NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowship application forces you to think critically about your work and what is feasible as a project. It's a good exercise.

What would you consider to be your major achievements to date?

I was interviewed by BBC radio about my research and worked on a major project funded by the European Research Council on the back of my NUI award. During my fellowship I completed one book while the fruits of a second will be published in 2019.

In short, I would not be where I am today without the NUI postdoctoral award. Having held other fellowships in the past, I found the NUI to be particularly supportive and easy to deal with. If successful, cherish every minute of your award.

In 2018, one NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities will be offered to NUI graduates in all branches of the Humanities. The value of the Fellowship will be €80,000 (€40,000 a year for two years) and the competition closing date is Friday 20 April 2018.