Researcher Development

Overview

Researcher development (RD) means any activity that contributes to the learning and growth of an individual researcher - see our RIKE Guide to RD time and activities for some examples. RD opportunities are provided both centrally and at School level.

RIKE coordinates a central researcher development offer to support academic researchers (postdocs and above), planned around our core development themes. 

We encourage taking a reflective approach, using the academic PDPR process to help support effective exploration of development needs, consolidation of learning and consideration of impact.

 

The Researcher Development Concordat

The Researcher Development Concordat is designed to improve employment and support for researchers in Higher Education in the UK - see our RIKE Guide to the Concordat for an overview.

Professional and career development is a defining principle of the Concordat, and key to building a positive research culture. We demonstrate our commitment to the Concordat through the HR Excellence in Research (HREiR) award scheme – please see our HREiR action plans for further information.

As a university we will…

• Provide opportunities, structured support, encouragement and time for researchers to engage in development.

Managers of researchers should…

• Encourage their researchers to engage with development.
• Support researchers to balance the delivery of their research and their development.
• Identify opportunities and allow time for their researchers to develop.
• Provide appropriate credit and recognition for undertaking development activities.

As researchers you should…

• Take ownership of your career and development, identifying opportunities for personal and professional development and working towards career goals.

 

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework describes the knowledge, behaviour and attributes of successful researchers across four domains:

• Knowledge and intellectual abilities 
• Personal effectiveness 
• Research governance and organisation 
• Engagement, influence, and impact 

The RDF can be used as a tool to help reflect on and identify your strengths and needs for future development.

 

Our Huddersfield development themes

We have identified five core themes to provide an overall framework for thinking about researcher development at Huddersfield:

• Your research practice 
• Your research identity 
• Your research career 
• Your research leadership 
• Your research impact 

Our framework for Huddersfield Researchers 

We have identified five core development themes to provide a simple framework for thinking about your development as a researcher:

 

• Your research practice is about how you work and carry out your role as an academic researcher.
• Your research identity is about how you develop and maintain your individual research identity.
• Your research career is about how you plan, manage, and develop in your career as a researcher.
• Your research leadership is about how you lead and your development as a research leader.
• Your research impact is about how you understand, communicate and widen the impact of your research.

The opportunities for researcher development available through RIKE will support one or more of these overall themes.

 

Wraparound development support and opportunities:

Our core themes are enhanced by wraparound development support and opportunities, including:

• Coaching and mentoring
• Networking and connection
• Reflective practice
• Wellbeing
• Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

This wraparound support is about developing our Huddersfield Researchers as individuals, increasing self-awareness and self-confidence and improving personal effectiveness. It complements all five core development themes.

Your research practice

This theme is about how you work and carry out your role as an academic researcher. It includes research funding, research project management, research integrity, open access, publication, support for writing etc.

To support your development around this theme you could:

• Review the university’s policies and procedures relating to research and enterprise.
• Attend one of the research funding workshops offered by RIKE Research Services. 
• Complete the online Research Integrity training from Epigeum (register with @hud.ac.uk email address and token ef7bd316).
• Check out UKRIO’s webinar series on research integrity and related issues (register for new webinars and watch past ones). Topics include Trusted Research, ethics and open research.
• Set yourself a writing goal for Academic Writing Month (or at any other time!)

 

Research practice resource bank:

• Writing Skills: elearning resources for ECRs (Elsevier Writing Academy).
• What is open access? (a Times Higher Education podcast).
• Think. Check. Submit. – a tool to help researchers identify trusted publishers.
• Step-by-step guides to Applying for research funding and Managing a research project (Vitae).
• The Good Application Guide (Innovate UK).
• Research in Academic Careers – no grant too small... (jobs.ac.uk).
• Intellectual Property: support tools for universities from the UK IP Office (create account).
• IP for Research (Vitae and Intellectual Property Office). 

Your research identity

This theme is about how you develop and maintain your individual research identity. It includes understanding who you are as a researcher, managing your online identity, understanding the impact of predatory publishing, creating a narrative CV etc.

To support your development around this theme you could:

• Reflect on your range of skills and experiences as a researcher. What do you bring? What have you achieved? What are your unique contributions?
• Spend some time reviewing and updating your Pure research profile.
• Consider the ‘Narrative CV’ format as a way of capturing your wider contributions and start to build a template.
• Explore our research identity resource bank…

 

Research identity resource bank:

• Making your online identity count: online tutorials (open access from Cardiff University)
• Narrative CVs: the background and tips for getting started (open access from University of Dundee)
• Postdoc professional identity-making (Prosper)
• Predatory Journals and Publishers (UKRIO) - resources to educate researchers and help prevent mistakenly publishing in untrustworthy journals, compromising reputation and identity.
• Digital identity health check for academics (jobs.ac.uk)

Your research career

This theme is about planning, managing and developing in your career as a researcher. It includes career development planning, exploring different research career options, preparing for promotion etc.

To support your development around this theme you could:

• Use Prosper’s Career Development Navigator to find resources to help you reflect, explore and act.
• Explore the role of a Principal Investigator (PI) as the next step in your research career.
• Identify transferable skills for a breadth of research career paths – in academia and beyond.
• Explore our research career resource bank…

 

Research career resource bank:

• Career development resources for post docs: resource collection (Prosper)
• 7 Habits of Successful Early Career Researchers (jobs.ac.uk)
• Pursuing an academic career (Prosper)
• Researcher career stories: insight and inspiration from personal narratives (Vitae)
• Careers in Your Ears: a podcast (King’s College, London)

Your research leadership

This theme is about your development as a research leader and managing other researchers. It includes leading a research team, managing and developing researchers, strategic research leadership etc.

To support your development around this theme you could:

• Reflect on your performance against the university’s Huddersfield Leader Framework.
• Access the university’s Learn Upon Management and Leadership E-Learning Suite
• Apply for this year's research team leadership or PI leadership development programme (run for us by Advance HE).
• Use Prosper’s resources for managers of researchers to support you with developing postdocs/ECRs.
• Join Prosper’s PI Network and attend a development event.
• Explore our research leadership resource bank…

 

Research leadership resource bank:

• Huddersfield Leader Framework: core competencies and behaviours for all our leaders.
• Resources for Managers of Researchers: resource collection (Prosper).
• Leadership resources - what makes a great leader, leadership skills and styles (Prosper)
• Leadership development for principal investigators (PIs): resource collection (Vitae).

Your research impact

This theme is about understanding and widening the impact of your research. It includes exploring impact, communication and dissemination, knowledge exchange, public engagement etc.

To support your development around this theme you could:

• Complete Fast Track Impact’s online Impact training for researchers (register to complete over 5 weeks).
• Attend an impact workshop or programme funded by our Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).
• Explore the Top 5 impact submissions by UoA (REF2021).
• Attend an Introduction to Public Engagement.
• Join the university’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Community of Practice - email ktp@hud.ac.uk
• Explore our research impact resource bank…

 

You can also contact your School's Impact Officer for further information and support.

 

Research impact resource bank:

• Impact tools and templates: resource collection (Fast Track Impact).
• Fast Track Impact podcast: practical tips and discussion around enhancing the impact of your research.
• How to promote your research for greater impact: resource collection (Times Higher Education)
• LSE Impact Blog – a platform for understanding and increasing the impact of academic research.

Development around the five core themes is enhanced by cross-cutting ‘wraparound’ support. For example, you could:

• Join our online Researcher Connect network (Teams) to connect with peers and stay updated on what’s new for researcher development.
• Express your interest in our Early Career Researcher (ECR) mentoring programme (pilot underway for 2023-24) - or, if you’re a more experienced researcher, offer your services as a mentor.
• Read our guide to Reflective practice for researchers.
• Sign up for one of our monthly Reflections for Researchers sessions (online) to take some time out to reflect.
• Explore the university's Staff Wellbeing Hub to find wellbeing information, support and resources.
• Check out this UKRIO webinar on EDI in the Research Environment.
• Use the university’s LearnUpon (e-learning) packages to build understanding around wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

For more information about any of the above opportunities, please contact Alison Monkhouse (Academic Researcher Development Manager) at a.monkhouse@hud.ac.uk or via Teams.