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This study aims to explore how some researchers become successful in the research context of a transitional country despite the resource- and training-related limitations imposed by an immature research system.

The research uses Unger’s ideas within agency theory, specifically, his concepts of “negative capability” and “formative context” as its framework. The study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach, whereby the data collected from 19 in-depth interviews with successful researchers from various universities of Kazakhstan is analyzed using emergent thematic coding.

The study findings are consistent with Unger’s agency theory. The theory predicts that researchers can achieve their goals by adapting to the constrained context and can take steps to transform the context in desirable ways. Specifically, the Kazakhstani researchers have successfully adapted the Soviet mechanism of research schools to the new realities by “exploiting” a recently introduced government-funded mobility program for doctoral students for their own purposes. This mechanism is conductive to junior researchers’ capacity building, as well as to increasing the productivity of the leading researchers and their research teams.

The contribution of the study consists in the fact that it explores the process of researcher development, more specifically, individual level research capacity building in the context of a transitional post-Soviet country. The study pays special attention to the role of international mobility and research schools in the development of research skills. The conclusions of the paper are of interest to the scholars of researcher development in general and to the specialists in individual research capacity building in Eurasia in particular.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role scholarly conferences play in professional socialization of doctoral students.

Using data from 20 interviews on conference experiences of student attendees of a North American conference in social sciences, as well as on the conference experiences of students from various disciplines at a private research intensive university in the USA, the authors explored how research identity of doctoral students change over time as result of participation in conferences, how the process of socialization is shaped by advisers and peers and how the experiences vary depending on the characteristics of the participants.

The authors found that conferences play an important role in socialization, and the effect from conference attendance increases with the number of conferences attended. The study also showed that students undergo several stages in the process of their socialization, throughout which they develop greater agency and independence as scholars, as well as a more positive image of themselves as researchers, and become more strategic in their behavior. The results also point to the key role of adviser and peers in the process of socialization, whereby the former can provide direction and orientation, while the latter may offer support and opportunities for mutual learning or future collaboration. The authors also found a notable difference in the support provided by advisers between teaching and research-oriented universities.

The paper applies doctoral student socialization theory to the analysis of informal doctoral experiences outside the program of study.

Despite immigrant-receiving countries' need for skilled professionals to meet labour demands, research suggests that many skilled migrants undergo deskilling, downward career mobility, underemployment, unemployment and talent waste, finding themselves in low-skilled occupations that are not commensurate to their education and experience. Skilled immigrant women face additional gendered disadvantages, including a disproportionate domestic burden, interrupted careers and gender segmentation in occupations and organizations. This study explores how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted skilled newcomer women's labour market outcomes and work experiences.

The authors draw on 50 in-depth questionnaires with skilled women to elaborate on their work experiences during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic pushed skilled immigrant women towards unemployment, lower-skilled or less stable employment. Most study participants had their career trajectory delayed, interrupted or reversed due to layoffs, decreased job opportunities and increased domestic burden. The pandemic's gendered nature and the reliance on work-from-home arrangements and online job search heightened immigrant women's challenges due to limited social support and increased family responsibilities.

This paper adds to the conversation of increased integration challenges under pandemic conditions by contextualizing the pre-pandemic literature on immigrant work integration to the pandemic environment. Also, this paper contributes a better understanding of the gender dynamics informing the COVID-19 socio-economic climate.