Being a member of SERA since 2014, Jakob shares his reflections on the first Conference he attended and what made this experience so memorable…

The first time I attended SERA was in 2014. Like many events in my career, it was pure chance – and, as it should turn out, incredible luck – that brought me to Edinburgh. The year before, I had been to BERA and had plans to go there again in 2014, but because my son was born at the of June, going abroad and away from the family in September did not feel comfortable. Instead, I looked for another suitable conference somewhere in the UK – because that’s where I wanted to go in the first place – and found SERA, perfectly timed late in the year. The fact that this year’s SERA was also hosting the WERA annual focal meeting and that I could therefore attend two conferences at once was the icing on the cake. As a PhD student in my last year, I had plenty of research to report and sent away two abstracts that both got accepted.

Immediately after arriving in Edinburgh, I realised that the end of November is an excellent time to visit Scotland – and I don’t say that ironically. On the first day of the conference, I presented one of my papers, went to a couple of presentations and had plans to have glass of wine or two at the Welcome Reception before heading for a pub that had been recommended to me by the people at the registration desk – now, I know all their names, but back then they were just a very lovely and attentive bunch of people.

A reflection I recall from that first day is how the paper presentations I attended all began with introductions to the Scottish context of the research being presented. This made it possible for participants like me, who were not from Scotland, to engage meaningfully in the subsequent discussions.

So, I had already first-hand experiences of the hospitable, open and friendly environment of SERA when I was standing in a rather anonymous room at Edinburgh University at the Welcome Reception that night, clinging to my almost empty glass of wine and just about to leave for the day. Although quite content on the inside, I must have looked rather lonely from the outside, when Julie McAdam approached me with the quick spoken word: “Hello, I am Julie, you look a bit lost. Unfortunately, I need to go now, but here [pushing me towards two gentlemen engaged in conversation], you have Stephen [McKinney] and George [Head], they will take care of you!” And sure they did! I am not certain if it was on that first evening or the day after that, I promised Stephen to become a SERA member and return to the conference the following. I became a member just a couple of weeks later and have attended every conference since then. It has become a tradition to bring my family along at least every other year.

It is funny that I am actually able to trace crucial steps in my career back to a short chain of events in an anonymous room in Edinburgh in November 2014. Since 2014, I have been conducting research, attending conferences, publishing, drinking and discussing with colleagues I have met through SERA. I have been able to take on responsible roles on journal editorial boards and participate in international exchanges. All things that are important for an early career researcher, but not necessarily easy to come by. Not to mention all the friendships that have developed since.

See you next year!