Welcome

Hello and welcome to the ConveRSE website!

The aim of ConveRSE is to continue the conversation around mental health in the Research Software Community. Looking after your mental health is important, and we want to help you do that, but we mainly want to emphasise the importance of talking about mental health in the workplace, and creating an environment where people feel able to raise issues before they grow into larger problems.

This site is intended to be a hub for information, resources and blog posts about mental health, aimed at - but not exclusively for - Research Software Engineers (RSEs) and Research Technical Professionals (RTPs).

Supporting Mental Health in the Research Software Community

RSEs and other technical professionals working in academia face a unique set of challenges, which can have a significant impact on our mental health.

We are a relatively new profession, with limited recognition and career development options. We often work alone, and have to do a lot of with context and technology switching. We work with researchers who are world leaders in fields we know nothing about, which can lead to imposter syndrome. Left unchecked, we are at risk of a range of mental health problems, such as burnout, depression and anxiety.

"If we want research software to be more sustainable,
we have to help sustain the people writing the software too!"

But perhaps, with the right support, we can help look after each other and ourselves, and help take some of the pressure off and make things easier for ourselves and our colleagues.

What is this site?

The aim of this site is to provide a centralised resource for mental health information and support, as well as a platform for sharing experiences and advice.

The site will include:

We believe that by sharing experiences and resources from a wide and diverse set of contributors, we can support ourselves and each other, and help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the community.

Why am I doing this?

My name is Dr Mike Simpson, and I am a Research Software Engineer at Newcastle University. I have a long history of mental health issues, and I know how hard it can be to talk about them. I also know how hard it can be to ask for help, and how easy it is to feel isolated and alone. But I've also learned that it's better to talk about an issue before it becomes a problem.

"It's better to raise a red flag,
before you're forced to wave a white one!"

That is why I applied for an SSI Fellowship, because I believe we can learn from each other, and that by sharing our experiences, we can help each other.