Is it ok to mention my upcoming post during my conference presentation?

Question

I was recently appointed to a new post (at a much better university) and my affiliation will change in a couple of months. I have to attend a conference next week and present work carried out with my current affiliation.

I would like somehow to let the audience know what my next position will be, and the project I will be working on, as it is very relevant in the community.

My questions are:

1. Is this common, or should I just stick to the research findings?

2. If it is indeed common, how to let the audience know? I was thinking about including a slide in the end of my presentation, about my upcoming post and project. But then, is there a chance that my new employer would have a problem with that? Should I let them know? Or maybe just forget the whole thing and just present my current work?

I am asking because the presentation will be permanently online, so I would like to make the most out of it.

Answer 1

This answer is based on conference experience from CS subfields.

a) is this common, or should I just stick to the research findings, and

Yes, it is fairly common for presenters to stick in a little bit of info on their affiliation/current research environment, especially if they see themselves in a position where they want to be contacted by members of the audience (for research collaborations, etc.).

b) if it is indeed common, how to let the audience know?

Mentions of the respective information are sometimes (briefly) inserted at the beginning of a talk, but more commonly at the end (along with saying something like "If you have any cool ideas for .../If you're looking for a project jointventure in ... contact me at ...!").

But then, is there a chance that my new employer would have a problem with that?

If both your old and your new employer are institutions that see themselves dedicated to the public benefit, e.g. universities, rather than to enhancing their corporate profile, e.g. private enterprises, none of the employers should have much of a problem with that (even more so as switching between universities usually does not mean you cut all ties to your former institution).

If, however, one of these employers is indeed a private enterprise, you may want to ask. In a way, I see the primary concern here rather that the old employer might have a problem with what you are planning, less so the new one. After all, you carried out the work presented during the talk while being affiliated with the old employer - mentioning your new job in such a presentation could be seen like using the resources of the old employer to advertise the new employer.

Answer 2

I have seen people advertise their upcoming affiliation changes across a number of different fields, and it is almost always appropriate to do. I see it as a simple matter of courtesy to the audience, who may be interested in contacting you in the future.

The one caveat that I would add, because you sound (appropriately) excited about "upgrading" your affiliation, is to not make a big deal out of it, but simply let your affiliation speak for itself. You can do this as simply as embedding the upcoming change information in your affiliation on the title slide, doing something like:

Universal University (moving to Prestigious Institution in Fall 2015)

Likewise, if you use an institutional slide template, keep the one of your current institution, don't switch to the one you haven't joined yet. There is no need to contact anybody or anything like that: you're not advertising, you're simply stating a fact of an upcoming transition that will no doubt appear in publicly available information (e.g., your LinkedIn profile and professional webpage) when it occurs.

The point of all this is to avoid publicly insulting your current institution or being perceived as bragging about your new institution. It feels like a big deal for you (and it is a big deal in your career), but you'll be just one of a very large number of people at Prestigious Institution and part of moving up in your career is learning to be comfortable with an environment where you will likely spend a lot more time around people who also are at prestigious institutions.