Amna Ansari is one of our postdocs based in Eddington, who has used the spaces here and at Mill Lane for student supervisions. We asked her a few questions about her experience as a postdoc, how she’s interacted with the Postdoc Academy, and any recommendations she has for postdocs new to Cambridge.
Amna did her PhD in Development Studies at Cambridge 8 years ago, and specialises in human development, specifically early childhood education. She lives in Eddington with her husband and child.
How did you first get involved with the Postdoc Academy?
As I live close by, I was curious! I decided to take a look at the offices and asked how to use the space. Once you start using the spaces, you realise the potential.
I found the fact that there are several centres useful, and initially used Mill Lane for supervisions of students of Land Economy, which is based in the building behind it. The room booking system was straightforward.
What other services did you find useful?
The Welcome Event [combining different support services] was super helpful, in particular the talks on Mental Wellbeing, HR, and the Careers Service which were really informative, offering lots of resources.
The Newcomers and Visiting Scholars (NVS) also provided support for my husband.
Hot-desking is great, particularly out-of-hours such as on the weekend. There are usually other postdocs using the space then, so there’s a feeling of community, and not being alone.
What improvements would you like to see?
More collaboration and sharing of activities among PdOC, NVS, and PdA. I recently missed a garden party which would have been good to go to as a family.
I would like to see repeated sessions such as the recent one on Immigration. Perhaps having more, shorter sessions would help people to take time out of their work to attend.
Any advice for new postdocs?
Work / life balance is difficult, especially when new, so it's important that you allow for this early on and pace yourself.
Go to the centres! See what's there, ask questions. Don't be shy! It's easy to see what's available once you're there.