This report provides an overview of the key activities undertaken in establishing the Australian Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and Environment (SHAPE) Early and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Network during the period of January through December, 2023.

About the Network

The Australian SHAPE EMCR Network formed in November 2021, and is Australia’s first network supporting EMCRs working in the social sciences, humanities & creative arts within and beyond academia. The Network was formed with the full support of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) and the Academy of the Social Sciences Australia (ASSA) in response to the well-documented challenges in the sector faced by EMCRs.

The Network’s Executive

The executive committee draws its strength from a wide range of EMCRs working across multiple SHAPE disciplines in Australia. Read about the exec members here. In 2023, we added three additional roles to the exec: Policy Officer, Officer for Insecure Employment, and a Diversity Officer. We also welcomed new members to the executive: Dr. Sabina Andron, Dr. Emily Fitzgerald, Dr. Eugenia Flynn, Dr. Jeffrey Kim, Dr. Anna Kosovac, Dr. Hannah Murray, Dr. Yuvisthi Naidoo, and Dr. Natasha Szuhan.

Message from the Chair & Deputy Chair

“With the foundations, governance, and structure of the SHAPE Futures Network now strongly in place, in 2023 we got to work. Some of the highlights included our advocacy efforts for EMCRs working in SHAPE disciplines with policy submissions, we connected with our members and completed a national survey to identify and communicate back to the public the critical challenges in the sector, we established our quarterly newsletter and held our first national event in Melbourne. I look forward to building on this momentum in 2024.” – A/Prof Melissa Day, Chairperson of the SHAPE Futures EMCR Network, The University of Queensland

“In 2023, we participated in national conversations on behalf of our members advocating for improvements to national research grant processes and research measurement. Our submission to the Universities Accord called for national investment in SHAPE disciplines and recognition of their invaluable contribution to Australian society. Our focus on building connections to organisations that share SHAPE Future’s values and objectives will continue to strengthen our voice and our reach through collaborative advocacy into the future.” – Dr Sarah Midford, Deputy Chairperson of the SHAPE Futures EMCR Network, La Trobe University

What are our Mission & Objectives?

In establishing the network in 2021-22, a first step was to develop the terms of reference and governance structure, as well as our code of conduct. Our mission and objectives are summarised by three key themes:

1. Advocate: Provide a unified, representative, amplified voice of EMCRs.
2. Connect: Build diverse networks that are connected through activities.
3. Build Opportunities & Support: to meet the specific needs of EMCRs.

What did we Achieve in 2023?

1. Established a member base of almost 500 EMCRs.
2. Completed a nationally representative survey of SHAPE EMCRs, with the results submitted & under peer review, and presented at the DASSH conference in Perth.
3. Wrote an Australian Universities Accord policy submission to advocate for SHAPE EMCRs, as well as contributed to submissions by ASSA & AAH.
4. Represented SHAPE EMCRs on several round tables and consultations with ASSA, DASSH, ARC, ACOLA, Accord, Research Assessment Review.
5. Connected with DASSH, Australian Council of Graduate Research, the EMCR Forum, SAGE Athena Swan, Universities Australia.
6. Held our first Annual Convention with distinguished speakers: Prof. Christina Twomey, Prof. Susan Dodds, & Ryan Winn.
7. Delivered a joint SHAPE-Australian Academy of Science’s (AAS) EMCR Forum webinar during Science Pathways week.
8. Expanded our executive with new members and new roles.
9. Built our social media presence with 5 news items on our website, including a paper in the Campus Morning Mail, & an interview with Drs. Tao & Jerrems.
10. We commenced our quarterly newsletter for members.
11. Changing of the guard with the inaugural members having served a full term.

We advanced our Featured EMCR Series

This series features the stories of Australian EMCRs working in SHAPE disciplines.

Financial Report 2023

The establishment and ongoing operation of this network was supported by a grant from ASSA and AAH, as well as by in-kind contributions by the executive committee. Funds were used for:

1. Essential Mailchimp Account for up to 1,500 members, $40/month = $480
2. Website hosting and backups with VentralIP, $192 p.a.
3. Website tech support from Julie Gibbns at Brandiwork, $396 for 4-hours
4. Research assistant to analyse survey responses, $61.98/hr x 65 = $4,028
5. Annual convention costs, including exec member flights ($600) and catering ($1,114)

TOTAL: $6,801

View the Annual Report here.