In a third iteration of the non-academic careers workshop, the PGN brings to you an exciting panel comprising people who pursued their PhD in various disciplines and charted a successful career path outside of academia. Attend this workshop to learn more about how to navigate careers beyond academia! This will be followed by a general discussion and a Q&A round.
About our panellists:
Mariah Loukou
Deputy Head of the Doctoral College, City University London
Mariah is the Deputy Head of the Doctoral College (Quality Operations) at City, University of London and has over a decade of experience in higher education governance, policy development and strategic roles. Mariah is also a written communicator specialising in solving institutional challenges through research, policy and system implementation. Recently, she launched the 'Elevate your Everyday' newsletter, which turns her observations into practical tips to make work and education more enjoyable. Alongside her professional work, Mariah conducts research in Military & Strategic Studies and investigates how values associated with women can transform military culture and benefit Professional Military Education (PME). You can find more about her career and published research here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-loukou-afhea-a4938686/.
Noelle Kumpel
Senior Policy Advisor, Birdlife International
With over 20 years of experience in applied conservation and research, including extensive fieldwork in Africa and Asia, Noelle specialises in tropical forest conservation. Her expertise encompasses wildlife hunting and trade, sustainable livelihoods, protected area management, climate change, biodiversity targets, and sustainable development. She leads BirdLife's engagement with international conventions and global policy mechanisms, supporting conservation policy and advocacy worldwide. Formerly involved in various advisory and specialist groups, she brings a wealth of experience in addressing pressing conservation challenges.
Benedict Docherty
Senior Policy Adviser, Ministry of Defence
Ben joined the UK Civil Service in 2021. He currently works in the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) where he leads Red Team Exercises, commissions Challenge Papers, supports wargaming activity and convenes the UK Government Challenge Network. Broadly speaking his work involves policy, strategy and capability development. He previously worked in Euro Atlantic Security as MOD Desk Officer responsible for policy and strategy, operations, and engagement in Central Asia. Before joining the Civil Service he was a Teaching Fellow in the Dept of Politics and IR at the University of Sheffield (2017-2020). He completed his PhD at the University of Leeds (2017), is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has worked for both Leeds and Strathclyde University Unions. You can find out more about SONAC here
Registration will close two hours before the event begins.