# Event Details - **Event Name**: From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 01:00 pm – Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 02:30 pm (+01:00) - **Event Description**: Speakers explore how PhD researchers navigate the transition into first roles, sharing insights from academia and beyond.About this EventWhat comes next after completing a PhD? How do early career researchers navigate the transition from doctoral study to their first professional role? The Manchester China Institute invites postgraduate research students in China- related studies to a career panel discussion featuring academics and researchers from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds. Our speakers will share their personal journeys, reflections, and practical insights on securing suitable positions after graduation, both within and beyond academia.This event offers an opportunity to gain first‑hand perspectives, ask questions, and reflect on your own career planning at a crucial stage of your research journey.SpeakersDr Wang Tao, Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityDr Wang Tao is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Political Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research centres on public opinion, propaganda, and political representation, with a regional focus on East Asia. His current work examines authoritarian public opinion and foreign affairs, including a project on the sources of popular support in China for Russia’s war in Ukraine. He is also developing a book manuscript on Taiwan’s constituency service, exploring the ramifications of social norms such as guanxi.Dr Sha Zhou, Research Associate, University of ManchesterDr Sha Zhou works is a Research Associate at the Manchester China Institute, University of Manchester, researching how Chinese activists responded to the publication of the 1985 report The Chinese in Britain by the Home Affairs Committee on Race Relations. Prior to this, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Jinan University, China(2022-2024) and holds a PhD in Contemporary British History with a thesis on the migration of Chinese women to post-war Britain.Dr James Jackson, Hallsworth Reseatrch Fellow, University of ManchesterDr James Jackson is a Hallsworth Research Fellow at the School of Social Sciences (SOSS) and the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI). He is a political economist with a focus on the intersection of fiscal, monetary and climate policy. He is a member of the Politics Department's Environmental Political Group and the Manchester China Institute (MCI). Outside of Manchester, James is a co-convenor of the Political Studies Association (PSA) Environmental Politics Specialist Group.James joined the institute after completing his PhD at the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) where his thesis analysed the politics of the electric vehicle transition in Germany and the UK. He has held visiting positions at the University of Bergen (2022), the University of Toronto (2023), the University of Melbourne (2024), the University of Ottawa (2025) and Peking University (2025).His work has been published in various leading journals, including New Political Economy, Global Environmental Politics, Environmental Politics, Energy Research & Social Science, Competition and Change and Journal of Cleaner Production, amongst others.Dr Tian Liu, Lecturer, University of ManchesterDr Tian Liu is a Lecturer in Global Political Economy at the University of Manchester. My areas of specialization include political economy of development, institutional change, food politics, and historical capitalism. He received my PhD in Sociology from the Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. My publications can be found in Journal of Peasant Studies, Development and Change, Socio-Economic Review, among others. He is working on my book manuscript: Quest for Common Prosperity: Politics of Agrarian Development and Spatial Inequality in China.AccessibilityThe MCI is a listed building and therefore does not have any lifts. Please note that you must use the stairs in order to access the venue and the toilets.PhotographyThe organisers will be taking photos during this event. If you prefer not to be included in any photos, kindly inform the organisers before the event starts. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/manchester/from-phd-to-profession-navigating-the-next-career-step/100001986221357548 - **Event Categories**: sports, nonprofit, business, contests - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: Manchester - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Manchester China Institute - **lat**: 53.4668498 - **long**: -2.2338836999999785 - **full address**: Manchester China Institute, 178 Waterloo Place, Manchester, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/33671c377fa181177a1ca45f82834cf5b60979465168e24a9d22dcc34d1e5223-rimg-w1200-h675-dc054f70-gmir.jpg?v=1775733735 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step being held? - **A:** From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step takes place on Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 01:00 pm to Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 02:30 pm at Manchester China Institute, 178 Waterloo Place, Manchester, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step? - **A:** From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step is organized by The Manchester China Institute. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step is ideal for curious learners, students, and skill-builders looking to gain hands-on knowledge and practical expertise in a focused, interactive setting. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Manchester, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "From PhD to Profession: Navigating the Next Career Step", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/33671c377fa181177a1ca45f82834cf5b60979465168e24a9d22dcc34d1e5223-rimg-w1200-h675-dc054f70-gmir.jpg?v=1775733735", "startDate": "2026-04-28T13:00:00+01:00", "endDate": "2026-04-28T14:30:00+01:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/manchester/from-phd-to-profession-navigating-the-next-career-step/100001986221357548", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Manchester China Institute", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "178 Waterloo Place", "postalCode": "M13 9PL", "addressLocality": "Manchester", "addressRegion": "EN", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "53.4668498", "longitude": "-2.2338836999999785" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Speakers explore how PhD researchers navigate the transition into first roles, sharing insights from academia and beyond.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-09", "availabilityEnds": "2026-04-28T14:30:00+01:00", "validFrom": "2026-04-09", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/manchester/from-phd-to-profession-navigating-the-next-career-step/100001986221357548" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-09", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-09", "url": "https://allevents.in/manchester/from-phd-to-profession-navigating-the-next-career-step/100001986221357548", "price": 0, "name": "General Admission" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The Manchester China Institute", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/the-manchester-china-institute/17681302", "description": "Manchester China Institute (MCI) promotes greater understanding of China and globalisation in the modern world. \r\nMCI acts as a focal point at the University of Manchester for people interested in UK-China relations and China in general. We provide a venue where ideas and projects can be shared and developed.\r\nMCI brings together experts from across the University of Manchester, enabling multidisciplinary collaborations spanning the arts, humanities, sciences, and health.\r\nOur vision is to create a truly multidisciplinary institute studying China today, with a focus on globalisation and international affairs. The Institute's mission will be to better understand China's expanding role in a rapidly globalising world, and to promote mutual understanding between the UK and China. We're able to embark on this thanks to the foresight and generosity of Dr Lee.\r\nProf Peter Gries /\r\nThe Manchester China Institute Director" } ] } ] ```