Covid’s impact on the career life cycle of early career academics
Report from Flexible Fund project on the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Career Life Cycle of Early Career Academics: Lessons (Un)Learned prepared by Dr Beldina Owalla, Dr Elvis Nyanzu, and Prof Tim Vorley OBE, all of Oxford Brookes University.
Published : 14/07/2025
This study, led by Dr Beldina Owalla of Oxford Brookes University, was funded in EDICa’s first round of Flexible Funding. Here you can find their final report (executive summary opening paragraph is copied below), a large-text version of their report, and a British Sign Language version of the report.
Executive Summary: Purpose of the Study
“Beyond the emerging consensus about the precarious nature of early career academics (ECAs) work and its effects on job security, career aspirations and development, little is known about their lived experiences. This research project led by a team of researchers at Oxford Brookes University in partnership with the British Academy of Management (BAM), aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the career life cycle of early career academics (ECAs), with a particular focus on marginalized groups including women and ethnic minorities. Existing research highlights the persistent gender and racial inequalities in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the UK, and the disproportionate adverse impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on different groups of academics. While ample evidence exists on the potential impact of structural inequalities in HEIs on academic career trajectories, there are knowledge gaps regarding the extent to which external shocks, such as the pandemic, might impact the career life cycle of ECAs. This project, which adopts an intersectional perspective in its analyses, provides an evidence base of the lived experiences of a diverse group of ECAs during and since the pandemic, and the subsequent impact on their career development and ‘imagined futures’.”
Citation: Owalla, B., Nyanzu, E., and Vorley, T. (2025). “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the career life cycle of early career academics: Lessons (Un)learned.” Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
Click here for the report
Click here to view the BSL version
Click here for a large text version of the report

Report of Findings
Read our published findings of our survey of Covid-19’s impact on careers.
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