➡ Where: Online (Zoom)
➡ Date: Thursday 16th October 2025
➡ Time: 3.00pm – 4.00pm (UK time)
We invite you to a special ECR Month event, ‘Demystifying International Research Conferences and Building Professional Networks for ECRs’.
During the event, Dr Meng Tian, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham, will engage in a dialogue with her three PGR students about the benefits of attending international research conferences, such as the BELMAS Annual Conference, and strategies for effective professional networking.
The session will offer practical advice on preparing for three commonly used conference presentation formats: workshops, theatre/paper, and posters. The three PGR students will share their experiences, tips, and recommendations on which formats are most suitable for ECRs at different stages of their research.
Dr Meng Tian will reflect on her career trajectory and discuss how to maximise networking opportunities at conferences and research events, with the support of supervisors and conference organisers.
By the end of the session, each ECR will have a clearer understanding of international conference presentation formats and be able to select the format that best suits their projects. The session will also provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences, ask questions, and build professional connections to support career development.
Please note, this event is free to BELMAS members and £5.00 for non-members. To ensure you receive your free ticket, please log in on the BELMAS website before booking.
If you pay the non-member fee to attend and then become a BELMAS Member within a month of the event taking place, please let us know and we will refund the £5 fee.
Registration will close at midnight (UK) on Tuesday 14th October 2025.
Meng Tian
Associate Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham
Kausor Amin-Ali
School Principal of Frontline International School, Ajman, UAE, PGR student at the University of Birmingham
Weilin Yan
Lecturer, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, China, PGR student at the University of Birmingham
Rachel du Croz
Education Support Manager (TNE), PGR student at the University of Birmingham
Joining instructions will be sent out the day before the event, so please keep an eye on your inbox for these. We look forward to seeing you at the event!
We record our online events for sharing purposes on the BELMAS website and YouTube page. Please tick this box in your registration to acknowledge you are happy for us to record.
On Thursday 16th October, as part of our 2025 ECR Month line-up, Meng Tian, BELMAS Trustee and Associate Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham, hosted ‘Demystifying International Research Conferences and Building Professional Networks for ECRs’.
During the event, Meng engaged in a dialogue with three PGR students, Kausor Amin-Ali, Weilin Yan and Rachel du Croz, about the benefits of attending international research conferences, such as the BELMAS Annual Conference, and strategies for effective professional networking.
The session offered practical advice on preparing for three commonly used conference presentation formats: workshops, theatre/paper, and posters. Our three guest speakers shared their experiences, tips, and recommendations on which formats are most suitable for ECRs at different stages of their research.
In addition, Meng Tian reflected on her career trajectory and discussed how to maximise networking opportunities at conferences and research events, with the support of supervisors and conference organisers.
If you missed this event or would like a recap, you can now watch it in full below.
Our huge thanks to Meng for hosting this event, to our guest speakers, Kausor, Weilin and Rachel, for their important insights, and to everyone who joined us for this session.
