ECR Net Zero Conference 2026 – Day 2 (ECR Meeting Fund)

Nadeen Alotaibi (Swansea University), Usman Ali (Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre), Lucas Joel (University of Sheffield) and Aditi Rajpal (University of Cambridge) share their takeaways from day 2 at the ECR Net Zero Conference 2026.

The conference was co‑organised by 16 EPSRC‑funded energy projects and networks, bringing together more than 200 early career researchers. Day 2 featured a series of 3‑minute pitches, a training session titled Presenting with Confidence, a talk from the International Smart Grid Action Network, and a panel discussion on Career Pathways in Energy Research. The event concluded with the presentation of poster prizes and the development of a “conference‑to‑action” plan.

Training Session: Presenting with Confidence

The second session on Day 2 of the ECR Net Zero Conference featured a training workshop titled Presenting with Confidence, delivered by Duncan Yellowlees from Duncan Yellowlees Training. The session focused on strategies to manage presentation-related anxiety and emphasised the importance of being confident rather than merely appearing confident.

A key message of the workshop was the need to clearly understand the purpose and goals of any presentation, knowing the stuff and/or knowing the audience. These may differ depending on the context, such as establishing professional credibility, fostering collaboration, expanding one’s network, or influencing decision‑making. Duncan highlighted that effective presenters should have a strong command of their material, practise thoroughly, and be fully aware of who their audience is. Understanding the audience’s expectations and likely reactions can help refine the presentation’s structure, tone, and content.

The workshop also addressed potential challenges during presentations and how to remain calm if something goes wrong. Participants were encouraged to anticipate possible issues, prepare contingencies, and maintain composure to ensure the presentation continues smoothly. The session was highly interactive and engaging. Participants worked in groups of five to six per table, using tools such as sticky notes and Padlet to capture insights and discuss ideas collaboratively. This format fostered active participation and helped attendees reflect on their own presentation practices.

Overall, the training was well‑received. Duncan’s dynamic and engaging delivery style kept the audience fully involved throughout. The session concluded with a warm round of applause in recognition of his practical advice and impactful facilitation.

Panel Session: Career Pathways

The afternoon panel session on career pathways in energy research was fundamental for ECRs who must navigate planning their lives over a series of fixed term contracts, which may not always follow the plan in their head. As the session’s chair, Sam William, asked, “How are you supposed to get a mortgage at this stage in your life?”

The first panel member was Sam Isuna from the EPSRC Talent and Skills team, who focused on cultivating diverse talents for skilled individuals to support the research ecosystem in the UK by funding training.  Sam talked at length about the opportunities available for ECRs from their future leader fellowship (FLF) and their early career forums.

The second panel member was Panos Papadopoulos, a lecturer at the University of Manchester, who has a FLF from the EPSRC, which gives support in building your own research team. Panos has since developed a startup company from the University based on their research.

The final panel member was Nicolas Manea of the National Energy System Operator. Nicolas travelled for Hackathons throughout his PhD to maximise his networking capability and recommended talking to people in person and on LinkedIn until you find an interesting job.

When asked what factors influenced their career choices, Nicolas was of the opinion that you should have as wide a range of experiences as possible at early stages of your career to get a rounded knowledge of how different parts of the sector function, though Panos said that he was guided by what he liked doing, mixed with the opportunities arriving at the right time. Sam was pushed by curiosity to see what other jobs were like to develop different tools between academia, policy and industry. They also said that the landscape is very dynamic and everyone has different lived experiences which brings a valuable perception to each job.

Continued training session: presenting with confidence

The opening part of the presentation addressed some of the most common characteristics that come to mind when people consider speakers, and how speakers behave. He considered the behaviours that audiences typically find objectionable, such as reading directly from slides or scripts and failing to engage the audience. He also pointed out that a lot of humour can sometimes cause a presentation to go off track and distract the audience from the real purpose of it.

The presentation began in a positive and encouraging tone with the goal of offering suggestions for dealing with presentation-based fears and obstacles. One of the key pieces of advice offered by the presenter was to simply “stop it,” which was a very simple but powerful suggestion. This referred to stopping behaviours that negatively affect presentations.

He also discussed a fascinating point about how many presentations are truly exceptional. He estimated that only about 20% of presentations are considered to be truly exceptional. This led to the topic of what makes an exceptional presenter and what makes a presentation exceptional.

That everyone is different was another critical idea. It is perfectly acceptable for individuals to communicate and express themselves in a variety of ways. The focus of this presentation was to offer ideas that could help make us better at giving presentations rather than outlining specific requirements for what we need to do.

The three main goals of a presentation include engaging the audience, providing information, and maintaining their interest. There may be variations depending on the type of presentation being made. Many tools can be employed to achieve these goals including visuals, animations, narration, body language and audience participation, etc. Any tool that will assist the presenter to feel comfortable and deliver their message successfully is beneficial.

Additionally, the speaker challenged the widely held belief that body language accounts for 70% of communication. He said that while body language undoubtedly has an impact, it does not fully explain communication. Rather, the presentation is greatly influenced by the presenter’s actions and emotional connection with the audience.