Awayday produces highly productive and pilot-scale-facility savvy ECRs!

In May, we held another ECR Awayday, this time hosted by Ali Nabavi at Cranfield University.  Awaydays are always a fantastic time to gather together early career researchers from across the country and all aspects of the CCS chain, enabling them to network more widely and provide training to supplement what their institutions offer.

On the first day, Katy Mahoney ran a full afternoon’s workshop on High Impact Productivity.  Everyone was fully engaged as she challenged us to think about our own current ways of working and unpacked productivity and procrastination, before sharing hints and tips as well as her PARK (Planned, Achievable, Realistic and Kind) framework for maximising the effectiveness of short bursts of work. 

“I learnt the flavour of time, with emphasis on the use of golden time for golden tasks. I also learnt that I don’t need to wait for motivation to carry out my research effectively, but rather adopting the PARK approach to meet my goals even during low motivation.”

“The most useful thing I learnt was how to plan my daily tasks in a way that is both achievable and realistic, while keeping in mind that I should avoid putting too much pressure on myself and be kinder to myself (PARK). From this workshop, I also realised that I work more efficiently during certain parts of the day, and I will try to focus on using my golden hours to make the most of my productivity.”

“Dr Katy Mahoney delivered a very engaging and inclusive session that encouraged us to reflect on our own working styles, flavours of time and the causes of research procrastination. I particularly appreciated the practical nature of the session, especially techniques such as the PARK framework for high-intensity productivity, and how these methods could be adapted to different personalities, workloads and capacities.”

“Katy Mahoney’s PARK methodology provided a practical and refreshing perspective on managing research work sustainably rather than constantly pushing for unrealistic productivity.”

“Katy’s session on high-intensity productivity highlighted the importance of setting realistic goals, maintaining productivity sustainably, and being mindful of personal well-being alongside research progress.”

“The High Intensity Productivity workshop helped me think more carefully about breaking large PhD tasks into smaller, achievable actions, reducing procrastination, and making better use of short periods of focused work.”

“I particularly appreciated the discussions around identifying golden, meh, and dead productivity periods. I had always noticed that there were times when I felt energetic and motivated to work, and other times when I struggled to stay productive, but I did not realise how universal this experience was among researchers. The workshop encouraged me to reflect more intentionally on my own working habits and how to work more efficiently rather than simply working longer hours.”

Following an evening meal networking at the delicious Gurka Kitchen, Ali Navabi and Phil Longhurst gave the ECRs a fascinating tour around both the PACT facility and the HyPER project.  Personally, we were thrilled to see the ongoing impact of a facility that we were part of establishing, but ECRs got a huge amount more from the visit.

“I found the tour of the PACT facilities and HyPER project extremely valuable – seeing pilot-scale CLC, CLG, and calcium looping systems helped me better visualise the scale-up from laboratory research to industrial application.”

“I have followed the HyPER project closely since my PhD, as its work on Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming and low-carbon hydrogen production strongly influenced my own research on blue hydrogen. Visiting the pilot facility in person was therefore especially meaningful and gave me a much deeper appreciation of the challenges and opportunities involved in scaling hydrogen technologies towards net-zero goals.”

“Seeing the large-scale combustion, carbon capture, fluidized bed, biomass gasification, and chemical looping research infrastructure at Cranfield provided excellent insight into how advanced decarbonisation technologies are tested and validated at pilot scale.”

“The visit to the HYPER pilot plant provided valuable insight into how innovative research is being translated into real-world applications. I also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling up CCUS technologies, as well as the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex energy and climate challenges. The discussions with researchers from different institutions further broadened my perspective and highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing within the CCUS community.”

The networking time – plenty of breaks and an informal dinner on the Tuesday – is equally as important as the more formal sessions.  All our events are carefully planned to include it, as friendships and connections can be made that might lead to exciting collaborations and research in the future!

“I also intend to stay connected with the researchers and professionals I met during the event to build future collaborations and expand my network within the CCS community.”

“I plan to further strengthen the experimental and collaborative aspects of my current NNZA project on Sorption Enhanced Biogas Reforming. The visit to the HyPER and PACT facilities highlighted the importance of pilot-scale validation and reinforced my interest in collaborating with Dr. Ali Nabavi for larger-scale testing of my combined sorbent-catalyst materials (CSCMs). I also see strong potential for future collaborative research in related areas such as fluidized bed systems, chemical looping, and other advanced decarbonisation technologies.”

“I intend to build on the networking opportunities from the event by staying in touch with fellow researchers from the UKCCSRC ECR network and exploring potential collaborations.”

“Meeting researchers from different institutions and learning about their work provided new perspectives and ideas. I hope to continue building these professional connections, engage in future collaborations, and remain involved in the wider research community.”

Thank you to Ali Nabavi and Katy Mahoney for their input into this event, and to all the ECRs who attended for your enthusiasm and whole-hearted engagement! 

A photo gallery is also available, with thanks to Sunera Athauda (Cranfield University) for most of the photos in it.