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How do you build an independent research career when uncertainty, rejection and self-doubt are part of the job?

In this episode of Human Stories Behind the Robots, Professor Shan Luo, Chair of Robotics and AI at King’s College London, shares his journey through tactile sensing, computer vision and robot perception. He explains how moving between universities, countries and disciplines helped him combine different ideas and develop a distinctive research identity.

Shan also offers practical and honest advice for early career researchers. He discusses securing major research funding, strengthening proposals through feedback and mock interviews, communicating across disciplines, managing the many responsibilities of academic life and responding constructively to failure. He also reflects on imposter syndrome, parenthood, productivity and why seeking advice is one of the most valuable habits an ECR can develop.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• how to develop an independent research vision
• what makes a compelling grant or fellowship application
• why early feedback and mock interviews matter
• how interdisciplinary experience can strengthen your career
• why uncertainty and imposter syndrome are normal in research
• how to learn from rejection and unexpected results
• why seeking advice can help you identify and correct blind spots
• how to balance ambitious goals with the realities of academic life

The purpose of this podcast is to inspire students and early-career researchers, building our academic robotics community by sharing the human stories behind the robots.

Email: ​​uk-ras@manchester.ac.uk for questions or topic suggestions you may have for future episodes.

This show is brought to you by the UK-RAS network, you can follow us on X and Linkedin or visit our website to find out more www.https://uk-ras.org.uk/ Produced and directed by Heather Pownall of Heather's Media Hub Ltd and award-winning producer.

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; The UK-RAS network does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate, review and subscribe with the podcast provider of your choice.