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EURAXESS Smart Talks

EURAXESS Smart Talks

By: ERA Talent Project funded by the European Commission
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The EURAXESS Smart Talks podcast for talents is your personal guide to Research Careers, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commision. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

© 2026 EURAXESS Smart Talks Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development
Episodes
  • Prof. Inta Mierina "The Idea Comes First: Excellence before the proposal"

    Prof. Inta Mierina "The Idea Comes First: Excellence before the proposal"
    12 Oct 2026

    In this episode, Prof. Inta Mieriņa, sociologist and ERC grantee from Latvia, shares her ERC journey and research on migration, social integration and migrant reception in Central and Eastern Europe.

    She discusses the inspiration behind her project, the value of international mobility and networks, and offers practical advice on preparing for an ERC application and interview - from seeking critical feedback to being ambitious and persistent.

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    58 min
  • Beyond Papers and Grants: Brian Cahill on Researcher Mental Health, Networks, and Institutional Change

    Beyond Papers and Grants: Brian Cahill on Researcher Mental Health, Networks, and Institutional Change
    15 Jul 2026
    In this episode of EURAXESS Smart Talks, we sit down with Dr. Brian Cahill — Grant Manager of the ReMO COST Action (CA19117) on Researcher Mental Health for a wide-ranging conversation about why researcher wellbeing has become one of academia's most pressing, and most overlooked, issues.Brian traces his own path into this work back to his years chairing the Marie Curie Alumni Association, where he became a first point of contact for early-career researchers hit by funding cliffs, precarious contracts, and difficult supervisor dynamics. From there, the conversation moves through the ReMO COST Action's community-building approach across policy, institutional, and individual levels; the well-documented bias of "publish or perish" evaluation criteria and the CoARA/OPUS push to reform how researchers are assessed; and practical, evidence-informed advice for researchers, mentors, and institutions — from Brian's own "build a life outside the lab" philosophy to Hochschule Bielefeld's peer-mentoring model for supporting postdocs into professorships.Whether you're an early-career researcher, a supervisor, or a research manager shaping institutional policy, this episode offers a grounded, three-level roadmap — individual, institutional, and policy — for building healthier, more sustainable research careers.Guest: Dr. Brian Cahill is Managing Director of the Center for Cooperation and Career Management at Hochschule Bielefeld – University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and a member of the Learning and Skills Analytics Lab at the Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology (TIB) in Hannover, where he manages the ReMO COST Action (CA19117) on Researcher Mental Health. He is a Board member of the SciLink Foundation and served as Chair of the Marie Curie Alumni Association from 2016 to 2018. Brian trained as a mechanical engineer in Ireland, earned his PhD in electrokinetically-driven fluid flow from ETH Zürich, and worked as a Marie Curie fellow researching droplet-based microfluidics before moving into research-career policy and researcher wellbeing.🔑 Key Topics CoveredBrian Cahill's path into researcher mental health work through chairing the Marie Curie Alumni AssociationWhy project-based, fixed-term funding creates precarity — and how it shaped the MSCA Guidelines on SupervisionThe ReMO COST Action (CA19117): building a community of practice across policy, institutional, and individual levelsLessons from institutional culture changeWhy personal relationships and interests outside research matter for wellbeing, especially for internationally mobile researchersMax Weber's 1917 warning and modern survey data on how "publish or perish" still drives career evaluationReforming research assessment: the OPUS project and CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment)How metrics become targets — and stop measuring what they were meant to measureThe PATTERN project's open-access training on supervision, career insecurity, and transferable skillsPeer mentoring and network-building as an individual strategy, including the REBECA mentoring programmeMentoring postdocs into professorships through peer-style supervisionAligning policymakers, funders, and institutions around funding that serves researchers' real needs⏱️ Question Timestamps | Time | Segment | 00:00 | Podcast intro | 00:54 | Guest introduction: Dr. Brian Cahill | 01:09 | Q1: What first drew you into researcher mental health and mobility support? | 01:54 | Brian's path in: chairing the Marie Curie Alumni Association, funding cliffs facing PhD candidates, and the resulting MSCA Guidelines on Supervision | 05:31 | Q2: How much does funding and "publish or perish" culture drive researcher mental health? What is the ReMO COST Action? | 07:04 | Brian on ReMO's three-level strategy (policy, institutional, individual) and case studies from Toronto and Barcelona | 10:34 | Q3: What tips and lessons can researchers take away? | 10:51 | Brian's advice: personal relationships and a life outside research, especially for mobile researchers | 12:39 | Q4: A 1917 Max Weber quote and a survey on how professors are really evaluated — your reaction? | 13:28 | Brian on how evaluation metrics shape behaviour, plus the OPUS project and CoARA research-assessment reform | 15:47 | Q5: What resources would you recommend to listeners? | 16:05 | Brian on the PATTERN project's training modules and ReMO's open resources | 17:38 | Q6: What would you suggest researchers do at an individual level? | 18:09 | Brian on peer networks, mentoring, and the REBECA programme | 19:42 | Q7: What should institutions do differently? | 20:11 | Brian on mentoring postdocs into professorships, and aligning funders, policymakers, and institutions | 24:43 | Closing thanksSend us a message!
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    26 min
  • Stress-Testing Resilience: An MSCA Postdoc Journey in Manufacturing AI with Tanel Aruväli

    Stress-Testing Resilience: An MSCA Postdoc Journey in Manufacturing AI with Tanel Aruväli
    8 Jul 2026

    In this episode of EURAXESS Smart Talks, we sit down with Dr. Tanel Aruväli, an MSCA postdoctoral fellow originally from Estonia (TalTech), now researching at the University of Malta. Tanel shares the story behind his research on simulation-based stress testing for resilience assessment in manufacturing companies — explaining what "resilience" really means for a factory floor using a simple ruler analogy, and how VUCA-era disruptions (geopolitical tension, supply chain shocks, energy crises) make this work more relevant than ever.

    Beyond the science, Tanel opens up about the practical side of an MSCA mobility: choosing where to go with a family in tow, what makes a good supervisor, how his proposal evolved through multiple rounds of feedback, and where AI tools do (and don't) belong in grant writing. He also reflects candidly on relocating to Malta with his children, navigating a new school system, and what comes next after the fellowship — ERC grants, commercialization, or staying in academia.

    A grounded, honest conversation for any researcher weighing a mobility move or preparing an MSCA application.

    Key Topics Covered

    • What "resilience" means in manufacturing, and how stress testing/simulation is used to assess it
    • The VUCA framework and current disruptions affecting manufacturing (geopolitics, supply chains, energy, inflation)
    • Choosing a mobility destination: balancing family, institution/equipment, and supervisor fit
    • The supervisor's role in shaping and validating an MSCA proposal
    • Structuring a successful MSCA application (excellence, impact, implementation)
    • Using AI/LLM tools responsibly in proposal writing — where they help and where they don't
    • Relocating internationally with a family: schooling, timing, and language considerations
    • Career paths after an MSCA fellowship: ERC grants, commercialization, or academic continuation
    • STEM vs. social sciences/humanities industry collaboration opportunities

    Question Timestamps

    • 01:27 – Can you tell us about your research topic and how you decided to apply for the MSCA postdoctoral fellowship?
    • 04:22 – What was the hardest part of deciding where to go for your mobility?
    • 05:58 – How did your supervisor help you during the mobility process?
    • 09:31 – What was your approach to a successful application — was excellence, impact, or implementation the hardest part?
    • 12:49 – What's your experience with AI tools in proposal writing, and how can they be used ethically while keeping the proposal human-led?
    • 15:14 – You moved to Malta with your family — what were the challenges and opportunities for them?
    • 18:05 – What are your career plans after this mobility?

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    22 min
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