In the first episode of a six-part podcast series about research culture and team science, research managers Lorna Wilson and Hilary Noone describe how their skills and expertise can help deliver better research outputs, particularly when their contributions are better understood and valued by academic colleagues.
Noone, research and innovation culture lead at the funding agency UK Research and Innovation, recalls the discomfort felt all round when an academic colleague tells a meeting: “Just get the admin to do it. That’s what they’re there for, to serve you.”
Wilson, who is head of research development at Durham University, UK, describes being overlooked during an external meeting with collaborators where attendees were asked to introduce themselves. She was the only woman and professional services representative in the room. “It was a really disappointing moment for me. Until that point I loved working with my academic colleagues and had felt valued, but then I experienced that,” she says.
Wilson, who chairs the UK Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA), says many of her colleagues have expertise in public policy and research impact, so a more positive research culture with parity of esteem between the two teams will result in more funding proposals and higher-profile research outputs.
In 2020 an ARMA research culture survey led by Noone identified that many of its members felt there was a “them and us” mindset in the workplace. She and Wilson describe what the organization is doing to address the findings.
Team Science is a six-part Working Scientist podcast series, a collaboration between Nature Careers and Nature Index and is sponsored by Western Sydney University. Each episode concludes with a section looking at how it is helping to champion team science.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Dutch city where industry–academia collaborations flourish
Beyond academia: how to “de-risk” a mid-career move to industry
How to select your first scientific role in industry
Debunking the industry–academia barrier myth
Beyond academia: Planning the perfect exit strategy for a scientific career move
Breaking down the barriers that curtail industry collaborations and career moves
How the pandemic widened scientists' mentoring networks
How to keep the scientific-mentoring magic alive
The many mentoring types explained
Mentoring, coaching, supervising: what’s the difference?
How COVID-19 changed scientific mentoring
The mentoring messages that can get lost in translation
Why science needs strong mentors
Communities, COVID and credit: the state of science collaborations
Business of science: The transferable skills that straddle academia and industry
Business of science: The setbacks that can help your start-up succeed
Business of science: How to grow your start-up
Business of science: How technology-transfer teams can help your spin-off succeed
Business of science: How to register a patent
Business of science: Tips and tricks for a perfect investor pitch
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Reaching your Goals
Insights@work
The Ken Coleman Show
Redefiners
Elevate Your Career