With partial funding from the Academy of Social Sciences Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Grants Scheme, the DSA convened a series of regional workshops with racially-minoritised early career researchers (ECRs) working in development studies across the UK. Over 60 participants from more than 35 institutions took part. The findings are presented in a new report that speaks directly to senior academic leaders. Participants from the workshops were also invited to contribute a blog to share their perspective on the issues raised.

By Chidinma Mbaegbu, PhD Candidate, University of Leicester

I sat in that room on a Thursday in September, surrounded by other racially minoritized early career researchers, and for the first time in months, I didn’t feel like I was navigating academia alone. One of the workshop guest facilitators’ Professor Naomi said something that hit me hard: “Your confidence should be speaking through your research work”. This made me realise that I have been waiting for permission to be visible, to freely share my work, and claim space in academic discussions. It hadn’t occurred to me that I was the only one who could grant myself that permission – “Permission Granted!”.

The DSA workshop series came at a time when I was grappling with the familiar Early Career Researcher (ECR) anxiety: what comes after the PhD? Do I venture into academia or go back to past humanitarian, development sector? I’d watch my non-academic friends progress in their careers with clear milestones while I forged through doctoral studies and the murky waters of employment and post-doctoral uncertainty in a new environment ‘the UK’.

But that day, listening to both Prof. Naomi and Dr. Eyob, something shifted. They weren’t just offering career advice; they were acknowledging the specific barriers we face as racially minoritized scholars, and more importantly, they were sharing life lessons and showing us that visibility isn’t vanity rather survival.

What struck me most was Prof. Naomi’s point about authenticity as an advantage. I had spent some long time trying to fit into what I thought academic success should look like that I’d forgotten my own positioning could be a strength. Additionally, she talked about building networks genuinely, following up with people in your field, and knowing when to look beyond academia, to think tanks, to government, to spaces where research meets real-world impact. “Am I doing it for the love of the research?” This is one question she asked which I’m still sitting with, turning over in my mind and I’m not quite ready to put down.

Dr. Eyob spoke about something he called “academic passport positionality”, the way our citizenship, our visa status, our relationship to colonial histories shapes our ability to move through academic spaces. As someone navigating these exact hurdles, hearing them named felt like exhaling after holding my breath. He talked about balancing head and heart, logic and passion, and the exhausting work of being conscious of systemic racial dynamics while trying to produce research that’s workable in UK or European contexts. It’s a tightrope walk I know too well.

The practical advice was invaluable, but it’s the feeling of being in that room that I keep coming back to. Being surrounded by other racially minoritized scholars made me feel seen, heard, and crucially, not alone in my struggles. We swapped stories about the small indignities and large barriers, the microaggressions and the structural inequalities. Someone mentioned the historical burden of colonial extractions showing up in international student fees, and everyone nodded. We knew. We all knew.

Both speakers emphasised visibility in ways that challenged my instinct to keep my head down and just do the work. “You have to get yourself out there on the social media stage,” Prof. Naomi said. “Be braver about your intellectual abilities and send it out there because nobody will know you are a genius”. The idea of blogging my research, of breaking down journal articles for wider audiences, of using platforms like Sub-stack, these felt both terrifying and necessary. Dr. Eyob mentioned how his blogs have been cited in journal articles. Suddenly, public-facing work didn’t feel like a distraction from “real” academic work but an extension of it.

The session on funding was quite sobering. I hear the UKRI and ESRC are notoriously hard to crack on the first try. But there were also openings I hadn’t considered: place-based funding for immigrant communities, local council opportunities, commissioned research from philanthropic funders. Dr. Sameen’s advice during the second workshop on visibility resonated too; create a list of academic journals ranked from top to bottom and work your way down. If you don’t hear back after months, email and pull your submission. Assert yourself. Own your time.

I literally left the workshop with a roadmap. We’d done an activity mapping our career goals, and I’d written down things I’d been too afraid to articulate: actively applying for postdocs and fellowships, developing consultancy options, building a social media presence. But I also left with something less tangible; a sense of permission to take up space, to be visible, to network without apology.

One participant mentioned needing a therapist who’s also an academic, and the room erupted in knowing laughter. It’s that kind of honesty I’m carrying forward. Not everything is figured out. I’m less anxious about life after graduation, still struggling to find time for writing, still learning to navigate research and job applications. But now I know I don’t have to navigate it invisibly nor alone.

The biggest takeaway? Stop shying away from networking and visibility. My work matters. My voice matters. And being seen isn’t about ego, it’s about contributing to conversations that need diverse perspectives. It’s about making space for the scholars who’ll come after me.

I’m not there yet. But at least now I have a workplan, and know which direction to walk.

Note:  This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Development Studies Association as a whole.