Candidate for the UK Chapter Vice-Chair position:Vimala Sridurai

Short Manifesto:

Right from my PhD days in Bangalore, India, when I was unsure about what next in career while still battling the everyday challenges of PhD..

Through those determined yet tightly packed months of MSCA proposal writing while parallely managing a postdoc work in France..

Into my present journey as a successful MSCA fellow in the UK..

One common thread has been there with me throughout.. people and connection

Of course my 1st and foremost source of inspiration was (and is) my PhD supervisor Dr. Geetha Nair. But beyond that..

-A lab mate who taught me that every instrument and experimental setup can be troubleshooted if approached from the basics

-An alumni friend who enlightened me that conveying your point across clearly is the key for successful scientific discussions, and in turn, meaningful collaborations

-The curious questions of school children in my scientific demonstrations which have improved my presentations

- A PhD friend from my music class sessions who introduced me to MSCA fellowship

The list goes on and on..

Essentially, it's the people and the meaningful connections I have made with them has shaped me to who I am now.

Today, with more than 13 years of research experience, as I embark on my journey to establish myself as an independent researcher, I would like to share that joy of connection where it will be most impactful for the research community.

I believe that:

Empowered researcher --> Impactful research --> Empowered research comunity

is the most appropriate inside out approach for innovations in the modern society.

As a vice-chair of the MCAA UK chapter, I will be pleased to extend my full support (with the chair) for planning and organising events to empower reserchers who are at very heart of the research ecosystem.

My experience in interacting with a wide range of people including students, technical staff, collaborators, Euraxess, MSCA contact points together with my research expertise will be beneficial to execute it successfully.