Work-Net Global Emerging Scholars
The Work-Net Global Emerging Scholars Network aims to bring together doctoral students and early career researchers of the Work-Net International member institutes to reflect interests and identify needs as expressed by the ECR/Doctoral community itself.
The aim is to create an inclusive and diverse community of doctoral and early career researchers engaged in work and employment research to support their effective engagement and participation in Work-Net International.
The added value of Work-Net at the emerging scholars’ stage
The aim of the network is to create a dedicated space for scholars to discuss, collaborate, learn and communicate with others working in similar fields across the world.
The added value of this network includes:
- interdisciplinary networking across institutes and disciplines, including connections beyond one’s line manager or supervisor, providing exposure to diverse perspectives and expertise;
- access to training not available at home institutions (e.g. specialised seminars, credits in niche topics);
- intellectual community and peer support to reduce isolation during the PhD process and foster shared learning, offering a space to share experiences, reduce isolation, and provide mutual support (building solidarity/meeting people working on similar topics/understand different perspectives);
- improved visibility of opportunities (jobs, grants, calls for papers, special issues) via coordinated channels (newsletter or mailing list);
- broader research exposure and feedback opportunities, including support for cross institutional data collection and collaboration.
Governance
Steering Committee
The steering committee was formed to organise the network and associated events. Current members include:
- CAROW - Center for Applied Research on Work, ILR School, Cornell University, USA
- CEET - Centre d'Etudes de l'Emploi et du Travail, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
- CERIC - Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change, University of Leeds
- CRIMT - Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail/Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work, University of Montreal, Canada
- Fafo, Oslo, Norway
- IAB - Institute for Employment Research, Nuremburg
- IAQ - Institut Arbeit und Qualifikation/Institute for Work, Skills and Training, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- WEI - Work and Equalities Institute, The University of Manchester, UK
Upcoming events
We are excited to announce the next event within the Work-Net Global Emerging Scholars (WNGES) Network! This is a Paper Development Session where doctoral and early career researchers are invited to present a paper, thesis chapter, research question, methodology, conference presentation, etc at any stage of writing.
Presenting
Doctoral student Paula Gonzàlez Vila, QUIT, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: The Double Penalty of Gender and Sexuality in Domestic Labor: A Cross-National Comparison of Housework Time.
Doctoral student Michael Francis, WEI, The University of Manchester: Gender Segregation & Inequalities in Workplace Training in the UK, 2008-2025.
Please read the abstracts/paper shared before attending the session and prepare helpful feedback or questions for the presenters.
- Time: 3-5pm BST (4-6pm CEST / 10am-12pm EDT)
- Date: Tuesday, 6 October 2026
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Registration: Register on Eventbrite
As part of the Fairness at Work Conference 2027, Work-Net International will host a one-day workshop for early career researchers and doctoral students. The workshop will take place in person on Tuesday, 19 January 2027 at The University of Manchester.
The programme will be divided into two parts. The morning session will adopt a critical friend format, providing participants with the opportunity to present and discuss their research in a supportive environment. Attendees will receive constructive feedback from established experts in their field, as well as from fellow PhD researchers and early career academics working on related topics. Participants will also be encouraged to engage critically with one another's work, helping to foster collaborative learning and intellectual exchange.
The afternoon program will consist of two consecutive workshops. The first session will focus on writing for different academic audiences and publication outlets, with guidance provided by experienced journal editors and established authors. This workshop will be particularly relevant for doctoral researchers seeking to develop their academic publishing skills. The second session will explore strategies for building a research profile, developing innovative research ideas, and securing research funding. This workshop will be especially beneficial for early career academics looking to establish and advance their research careers.
The day will conclude with a networking dinner, offering participants an opportunity to connect with peers, senior academics, and researchers from across the field. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to engage with a global network of emerging scholars, receive expert feedback on developing research, strengthen critical thinking skills, and build professional connections within the field of work and employment research.
Please submit an abstract to register your interest by Friday, 30 October. We will then be in touch to confirm your place. The deadline for the ‘full paper’ or any written work you intend to submit is Friday 8 January (no longer than 10,000 words – but please note, this does not need to be a finalised paper). Please submit via e-mail: fairwrc@manchester.ac.uk.
Recent events
On Wednesday, 28 January 2026 we held a soft launch for a new doctoral and early career researcher network within Work-Net International. We had a great attendance of over 30 PhDs and ECRs from many of the Work-Net member institutes including the WEI (The University of Manchester), CRIMT (the University of Montreal), Fafo (Institute for Labour and Social Research, Norway), CAROW (Cornell University), Faos (the University of Copenhagen), CEET (Paris) and the University of Milan.
Professor Jill Rubery gave a brief introduction of Work-Net International then Dr Stefania Marino explained the purpose of this event and the initial ideas and the initial purpose statement, goals and organisational principles of the network. We then broke into 5 breakout rooms to discuss 4 pre-agreed questions in small groups of PhDs and ECRs led by 5 PhD/ECR volunteers, including WEI members Eva Herman, Laura Jarvis-King and Angel Martin Caballero, to facilitate a dialogue and present an overview of ideas and thoughts raised in a final group discussion.
In this session, invited speakers Ian Greer (ILR School, Cornell University, New York), Héloïse Petit (CEET, Le Cnam, Paris) and Marouane Laabas el Guennouni (ETUI, Belgium), discussed their routes into academia and their various experiences of the world of work. They spoke on a panel about their different career pathways, outlining how they got into academia, the choices they made to get there and some insightful tips and advice for the attendees. This was followed by a Q&A session where attendees had lots of time to ask questions.
On Thursday, 16 April 2026, Eva Herman as ECR representative for WEI within Work-Net International, hosted an online event with presentations by three journal editors followed by an audience Q&A session.
The editors were Professor Aristea Koukiadaki, the Managing Editor of the International Labour Review at the International Labour Organisation; Professor Valeria Pulignano, Editor at Work, Employment and Society and Associate Editor at Journal of Industrial Relations; and Professor Virginia Doellgast, Co-Editor at the ILR Review.
We had over 40 attendees at this engaging, informative session and many doctoral students and early career researchers have since signed up to join the doctoral/ECR network within Work-Net.