Geography FACULTY OF Environment

1. Geography FACULTY OF Environment Living with Difference in Europe: making communities out of strangers in an era of super mobility and super diversity ProfessorGill Valentine: g.valentine@leeds.ac.uk

2. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • Outline of Presentation • ERC Advanced Investigator competition • The characteristics of my own award • Some tips based on my experience • My career profile as PI: why my bid was successful

3. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • The ERC Advanced Investigator Competition • Parts: B1 & B2 • B1: The PI must have a track record of significant research achievement (especially in last 10 years) • international recognition (pubs, translation, invites, prizes) • ability to inspire younger researchers/teams • establish new interdisciplinary approaches/change fields

4. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • The ERC Advanced Investigator Competition • B2: quality of the proposed research • promote advances in the frontiers of knowledge • new methods and techniques (including ‘unconventional’) • at the interface of disciplines; high risk; potential impact • Assessment: 2 stages – • i) quality threshold (B1 -graded by panel); • ii) B2 -external evaluation (8 reports), no interview

5. Project C: Spaces of Conflict (start date: 01/02/10, 36mths) Project C: Spaces of Conflict (start date: 01/02/10, 36mths) Project C: Spaces of Conflict (start date: 01/02/10, 36mths) Geography FACULTY OF Environment Programme Design RQ: How do we develop the capacity to live with difference in an age of supermobility and superdiversity?(€2.2.M over 4 years) • Project A • Mapping Social Diversity • Opportunities for encounters • Analysis of census data to identify areas of ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ diversity. • International survey to explore opportunities & types of encounter, & experiences of ‘difference’. • Project B • Lived Experience of Difference • Transmission of attitudes • Informants sampled from A. • Multi-method case studies with individuals to explore when, where and how attitudes develop over time. • Project C • Spaces of Conflict • Competing values and rights claims • Identify examples of existing or emerging tensions and conflicts in research sites. • Analyse media reports of tensions & interview key informants. • Focus groups & video diaries with members of the conflicting groups. • Project D Meaningful Contact • Generating social change • Identify key e.gs of micro-publics. • Multi-method case studies (innovative audio-video). • Recommendations tested through focus groups. • Project E • Spatial Experimentation • Creating meaningful contact • To be developed in response to projects A-D.

6. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • Characteristics of my Research Design • All projects are inter-linked to answer one over-arching RQ • Leeds colleagues: early career research; interdisciplinary input • New staff: 6 PDRAs; 2 Ph.D. students; administrator • Methodological innovation (quantitative & qualitative) • Comparative research: West v East Europe • Advance theorisation • Provide an integrated evidence base to inform European policy • Budget/resources

7. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • Tips: • Section B1: • Don’t count yourself out: science v social science model (h-index) • Do your homework to chose the right panel • Recruit an assistant to help with your career archaeology • Impact of work: draw on colleagues’ advice • It’s not too late to develop professional standing • Be aware the assessors have a PC to check h-indices • Update your web page • EPSS: On-line submission

8. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • Tips: • Section B2: • Focus on a European challenge • Include relevant interdisciplinary literatures • You don’t need an international co-applicant • Trust the ERC guidelines and take risks with research design • Include methodological detail; show it is thought through • Involve ECRs & PhDs to demonstrate capacity building • Research environment: your institution needs to prepare material • Budget issues & start-date

9. Geography FACULTY OF Environment A tale of two professors… So why was my ERC bid successful? • Unsuccessful ESRC Centre and LT programme bid • £2.2 million research income • 14 grants • 3 unsuccessful applications 08/09 • 22 PhD students • Has time-consuming international & mature Ph.D. students • 152 publications • Openly talks about rejected paper • Spends time being a ‘good citizen’ in Leeds. • 24 international visits • Record 36 hour ‘day’ • Takes multiple holidays

10. Geography FACULTY OF Environment • Build on or learn from ‘failures’ • Being a successful researcher doesn’t mean you can’t also be a good citizen of your institution & discipline • If you don’t play, you don’t win! • So Just Do It! • (and good luck!!)