SLSA Postgraduate Conference 2025: call for contributors
The Executive Board of the SLSA is inviting expressions of interest from members of the SLSA community who would like to volunteer to contribute to co-leading a session for postgraduate researchers during the annual SLSA Postgraduate Conference. Contributors will play a crucial role in helping to provide postgraduate researchers with vital insight and experience into different areas of socio-legal research and academia, and the Board particularly encourages expressions of interest from scholars who have taken non-traditional routes into their current roles and have a diverse range of experiences to share with postgraduate delegates. Contributors will be supported to facilitate sessions by experienced SLSA colleagues who have organised previous Postgraduate Conferences.
About the SLSA Postgraduate Conference
This year, the Postgraduate Conference will be hosted by Manchester Law School, Manchester Metropolitan University, 9–10 January 2025.
The Postgraduate Conference is an annual event aimed at postgraduate socio-legal researchers (primarily those in the first year of their PhD studies) who are just starting out on their research journeys. The Conference plays an important role in introducing postgraduate researchers to the world of socio-legal studies. It provides postgraduates with guidance and support on issues such as: completing their postgraduate research; getting their work published; finding their first academic job; and establishing links with like-minded scholars.
In terms of format, the Conference splits postgraduate delegates into two groups, each of which attend parallel sessions over the course of the Conference. Sessions last for approximately 60 minutes and are delivered twice during the Conference by session contributors — once for each group. These sessions comprise:
- Supervisory Relationship and Wellbeing
- Research Ethics
- Getting Published
- The Life Cycle of a PhD
- Presenting your Research
- Getting a job in academia
Following these sessions, the Conference will hold informal events in the evening to allow postgraduate researchers to network and socialise. This year, this will include a social justice poetry reception at Manchester Poetry Library, and an evening social dinner.
Expressions of Interest
Expressions of interest should comprise:
- identification of which session you would like to contribute to (please only submit one application selecting no more than two sessions)
- a short biography, including details of your institution/current position and a short summary of relevant experience, including any prior contributions to the socio-legal community (max 150 words)
- a short summary of how you would contribute to this session, including any relevant details of any relevant positions that would enable you to provide guidance to postgraduate researchers (eg a position on a journal editorial board would enable you to provide insight for postgraduates participating in the ‘Getting Published’ session) (max 500 words)
Expressions of interest should be submitted to