Why should I join the society?

Members of the MDHRSA committee are often asked the questions why should I join the committee? And, what will I get out of it?

A current member of the committee has summarised their reasoning for getting involved, and have listed all the many things they have been involved in and what they have gained from the experiences.

This should inspire you to come along and sit in on the committee meetings, and get involved in everything we do. See our How to get involved page for how to do just that!

Why join the MDHRSA

"I was sceptical about becoming involved with the society before I joined, as I am a laboratory scientist and spend the majority of my working day doing things in and around this environment. From afar the society seemed like a distraction from this. However, I thought I´d give it a go, as I feel lucky to work in an environment where I have lots of opportunities/training freely available and I wanted to take advantage of this.

Through going to a few meetings I realised that the researchers on the committee were friendly and like-minded people. I also understood that tasks instigated by the MDHRSA were voluntarily and there were no obligations.

A year down the line I have greatly improved my CV and expectations through the different experiences I have been involved with. These have included organisation of a careers conference, chairing of sessions, reviewing grants, working on committees, setting up a travel money fund, attending courses, participation in the mentoring scheme, running a poster tour and taking part in a podcast. Through these experiences I have met lots of great people both throughout the university and externally, and have a much better understanding of how universities are managed.

While I don´t think being in the MDHRSA will necessarily lead to securing the coveted fellowship, permanent contract or grade 8 position, I feel more in control of my options through improved focus and a more reasoned approach. Further to this, all the things I have been involved with have been academic and research related and entirely complimentary to my lab work."