Made in Wales Researcher Career Stories 2026

Content Accordions

• 2026

   

  
  

   

  Early-career researchers from across Wales are invited to a series of online career events in 2026. The purpose of these events is to give early career researchers an insight into the great variety of career options alongside the “traditional” academic route, and they are aimed at postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers.

  The speakers contributing to the sessions all started their careers at a Welsh University and have since gone on to have successful careers in other sectors, either within Wales or elsewhere. These events will celebrate individual career stories as well as showcase the ways in which Welsh HEIs contribute to the development of a highly skilled and talented workforce for Wales, the UK and beyond.

  Thursday, 21 May

  Sign up on Eventbrite.

  The sessions will be delivered via Zoom or Teams and are being organised by the Wales Concordat Network (which has representation from Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wrexham University, Swansea University, the University of South Wales and the University of Wales Trinity St David) in collaboration with the Learned Society of Wales.

  Speakers
  Professor Wisia Furmaniak MD PhD DSc FLSW Honorary Visiting Professor, Cardiff University Professor Furmaniak is co-inventor on 14 patents, inventions that are used in diagnostic kits in clinical laboratories worldwide. She has developed new diagnostic methods for the most common autoimmune disease (Graves’ disease); this has led to changes in guidelines and improved patient care. She has developed methods that simultaneously test large numbers of samples for type 1 diabetes. This helps identify individuals at risk of disease who might benefit from prevention strategies. Professor Furmaniak has also devised the first new treatment in 70 years for Graves’ disease, as well as treatments for thyroid eye disease and thyroid cancer.
  Dr Conor Purcell  Co‑Founder and Director of NovaAura Research Dr Conor Purcell is a strategic advisor and science communicator whose career has spanned academia, journalism, and environmental policy. He is Co‑Founder and Director of NovaAura Research, where he helps eNGOs translate complex science into strategies that influence policy and drive change. Conor began his career in academia, completing a PhD in Earth & Ocean Sciences at Cardiff University before moving into science journalism, with bylines in Nature, Science, Scientific American, MIT’s Undark, and The Irish Times, where he has been a regular contributor for over a decade. He is a two‑time winner of the European Meteorological Society Journalism Award and has held fellowships at the Max Planck Institute and jointly at MIT & Harvard. Conor recently took up a role as Research Partner at University College Dublin.
  Dr Joanne Hopkins Director For Adverse Childhood Experiences, Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention  Doctor Joanne Hopkins is the Programme Director for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Criminal Justice and Violence Prevention at Public Health Wales (PHW). A former UK government Senior Civil Servant, Jo worked for the Home Office for twenty years with responsibilities in Violent Crime, Violence Against Women, Immigration and seven years as head of Wales and Devolution, before joining Public Health Wales. In 2018 Jo became Director of the ACE Hub Wales and then took on the PHW lead for the Police and Partners Early Action Together Programme, transforming systems to prevent and mitigate ACEs and promote trauma-informed practice in Wales.  Her current role brings all these responsibilities together to develop an ACE aware, trauma-informed approach across public services, communities and society through the implementation of the Wales Trauma-informed Practice Framework. She is also the co-lead for the Early Intervention and Prevention Priority for the Criminal Justice in Wales Board. Jo completed a PhD at Aberystwyth University on coercive control in conflict in 2023, and is a Visiting Professor at Wrexham University.

   

• 2025
  

  Early-career researchers from across Wales are invited to a series of online career events in 2025. The purpose of these events is to give early career researchers an insight into the great variety of career options alongside the “traditional” academic route and are aimed at post-graduate and post-doctoral researchers.

  The speakers contributing to the sessions all started their careers at a Welsh University and have since gone on to have successful careers in other sectors either within Wales or elsewhere. These events will celebrate individual career stories as well as showcasing the ways in which Welsh HEIs contribute to the development of a highly skilled and talented workforce for Wales, the UK and beyond.       
   
  We are delighted to announce three fantastic speakers for the first session on Thursday 20th February:
   
  Dr Adam Bryant, CEO and Co-Founder CanSense (PhD in Theoretical Physics, Cardiff University, 1998)

  Dr Emily Hardman, Senior Integrated Marine Management Officer, Marine Management Organisation (PhD in Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, 2004)

  Dr Ian Lewis, Head of Transformative Technologies, BBSRC (PhD in Biochemistry, Cardiff University, 2005)
   
  Our speakers will talk about their varied careers and career paths from doing PhD research to where they are now. This will be followed by a Q&A. Please join us for what promises to be an interesting, insightful and inspirational afternoon – all welcome! 

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  We are delighted to announce three fantastic speakers for our second session on Thursday 1st May:

  • Dr Kevin Gallagher, Managing Director, Amberleigh Care Ltd (PhD in Therapeutic Residential Interventions for Harmful Sexual Behaviour, Wrexham University)
  • Dr James Kolasinski, Deputy Director, Business Data Operations Division, Office for National Statistics (PhD in Neuroscience, University of Oxford; Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow; Cardiff University)
  • Dr Mair Rigby, Engagement Officer (Cynnau | Ignite), Cardiff University (PhD in English Literature, Cardiff University)

  For more information about the event and to register, please click here.

  Our final session for this academic year will take place on Thursday 19th June 2025, 12-1pm (details to be confirmed) – please save the date!

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  The speakers contributing to the sessions all started their careers at a Welsh University and have since gone on to have successful careers in other sectors either within Wales or elsewhere. These events will celebrate individual career stories as well as showcasing the ways in which Welsh HEIs contribute to the development of a highly skilled and talented workforce for Wales, the UK and beyond.

  We are delighted to announce these fabulous speakers for the third session on Thursday 19th June:

  • Sara Elin Roberts (FLSW), Medievalist and award-winning Author of The Growth of Law in Medieval Wales (2022), and Children and Parents in Medieval Welsh Law (MHRA, 2025), Honorary Professor at the School of Welsh, Bangor University. 

  

   

  • Melda Lois Griffiths (LSW ECR Network member) Senior Behavioural Science Specialist at Public Health Wales, Research Fellow for National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, and an Honorary Lecturer at Swansea University Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science.

  

   

  • Dafydd Tudur is Head of Engagement at the National Library of Wales, with nearly two decades of experience leading digital projects and programmes. His work has supported the development of key initiatives including Welsh Newspapers Online, the Dictionary of Welsh Biography, People’s Collection Wales, and the Wales Broadcast Archive. Dafydd studied History at Aberystwyth University and completed his Ph.D. at Bangor University, focusing on The Life, Work and Thought of Michael Daniel Jones (1822–1898).

  

   

  For more information about the event and to register, please click here.

  The sessions will be delivered via Zoom or Teams and are being organised by the Wales Concordat Network (that has representation from Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wrexham University, Swansea University, the University of South Wales and the University of Wales Trinity St David) in collaboration with the Learned Society of Wales.