Entering a Career as an ECR in an Increasingly Shifting Academic Landscape: The Value of Different Forms of Capital

Previous research has indicated that many PhD students undertake a PhD degree with the goal of pursuing a career in academia. Due to the competitive nature of the post-PhD job market, many of these students feel the necessity to undertake extra work outside of their degrees to increase their chances of securing employment via increasing their overall academic profile. Examples of this work include publishing in academic journals, as well as gaining teaching experience in higher education settings. The PhD journey in and of itself can be an all-encompassing lived experience, placing the doctoral student under high levels of stress, as well as negatively impacting their work/life balance and overall wellbeing. As such, any additional work taken on by the student can further add to this burden. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an environment of economic instability in the field of higher education, which has worsened the competitive academic employment landscape. Using Bourdieu's theory of practice, in this chapter I will detail my own experiences in the field of higher education. This will include (a) my experiences as a PhD student attempting to develop my academic profile to be a competitive candidate in the post-PhD job market, and (b) as an early career researcher navigating this job market throughout the pandemic. Of particular interest is the concept of capital and how the value of various types of capital have shifted throughout the pandemic, and subsequently how my experiences of this within the field of higher education have influenced my overall academic identity. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World: The Challenges of Establishing Academic Identities During Times of Crisis

This book adopts collaborative autoethnography as its methodology, and presents the collective witnessing of experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic within the higher education sector. Through the presentation of staff and student experiences and what was learnt from them, the authors examine the global phenomenon that is the COVID-19 pandemic through the purposeful exploration of their own experiences. This book presents an overall argument about the state of higher education in the middle of the pandemic and highlights academic issues and region-specific challenges. The reflections presented in this book offer insights for other staff and students, as well as academic policy-makers, regarding the pandemic experiences of those within academia. It also offers practical suggestions as to how we as a global community can move forward post-pandemic. © The Editor(s)(if applicable)and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

CODA The Challenges of Establishing Academic Identities During Times of Crisis

This section of the book synthesises authors' contributions by reflecting on the key themes identified in the various stories told within the chapters. It briefly describes the impact that marginalisation, parenthood, mental health, and virtual participation had on the formation of academic identity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The section ends with the editors' thoughts on what was achieved in this volume, in addition to the challenges that lie ahead. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Preface: Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World

Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World explores how the academic identities of students and staff were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter outlines the main motivation for writing this book and provides a brief overview of the chapters that follow. This book was initiated to allow the chapter authors to narrate their emotional journeys during a time of significant upheaval. We believe that stories matter;individual experiences matter. The stories in this book are of trauma, grief, and loss, but also highlight moments of resilience and growth. As the editors, we encourage the reader to explore these stories with us. In this book, you will discover stories which either resonate with, or differ significantly from, your own experience. As you read these stories, then, we encourage you to reflect on your own journey during the COVID-19 pandemic—you may be surprised at the response this reflection evokes. In this way, we can all bear collective witness to the often-times idiosyncratic ways in which the pandemic has affected us all. It is only through this collective witnessing that we can learn to move forward into a post-pandemic society. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.