Monthly Archives: June 2021

News

Researcher Development Concordat Annual Report and Action Plan published

The University of Kent’s first Annual Report and Action Plan for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers have been published today.

The Annual Report 2021 reviews the substantial progress made towards implementing the ‘Researcher Development Concordat’, to which the University committed in June 2020. It identifies measures of success against which to judge efforts to implement the Concordat Principles, including key deliverables, and refers to the accompanying Concordat Action Plan (July 2021-June 2022), which includes critical next steps to further embed researcher development at Kent. (The Action Plan is the outcome of a detailed gap analysis undertaken to compare existing policies and practice against the Concordat Principles.)

These strategic documents were developed by staff in the Graduate and Researcher College (GRC) with the assistance of academic, research and PSD colleagues in the Researcher Development Advisory Group (RDAG), the Divisions, the Careers and Employability Service, EDI, HR, IS Research Support, Research and Innovation Services, and Talent and Organisational Development. Focus groups and an anonymous feedback form were also utilised to incorporate the views of academic researchers.

Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the GRC, said:

“I would like to personally thank all colleagues who provided feedback, ideas and clarification about how to improve institutional practices to further support researchers. It is clear that successful implementation of the aspirational Concordat principles will only be achieved with buy-in from academic and research colleagues across the institution, especially research managers/PIs and Co-Is, and we are working hard to provide the mechanisms and resources to facilitate this.”

Work is underway to create key deliverables identified in the Action Plan including a researcher-specific Moodle induction course and separate handbooks for research managers and researchers. The GRC will also be expanding its dedicate web and SharePoint sites to reflect the Concordat Principles, including the expectation that all academic and research staff should engage in a minimum of 10 days’ professional development pro rata per year.

Further information about next steps and progress will be communicated to relevant staff by email and via GRC blogposts. Watch this space!

News

Graduate and Researcher College Prizes 2021

The Graduate and Researcher College is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 GRC Prizes.The Graduate and Researcher College would like to thank all the nominees, we recognise the tremendous work being carried out this year and we thank you for your contributions to our research community.A huge congratulations to all our winners.

Postgraduate Researcher 

Ellis Spicer, School of History

“I’d like to thank Prof Juliette Pattinson for her nomination. It has been a pleasure to be part of the University throughout my studies and participate fully in every opportunity.”

Postgraduate Professional Service Champion

Lucy Wilson, Division of Human and Social Sciences

“I am honoured and grateful to have won this award, it means a lot to me.
I would like to thank Jess Barkham and Nicola Huxtable for this nomination, I wouldn’t be able to succeed in this role if it wasn’t for their advice, support and friendship. Thank you to all the students and staff, past and present, that I have had contact with, you have made me feel so welcome and appreciated. I look forward to continuing to help with all things PGR!”

Director of Graduate Studies

Dr Zita Stone, Kent Business School 

“I am delighted to receive this award and would like to thank Dr Catherine Robinson for her nomination, Professor Paul Allain and the whole GRC for the support.  This recognition is going to motivate me and drive my commitment and make me improve further in every aspect of my role.”

Research Degree Supervisor 

Dr Lex Mauger, School of Sports and Exercise Sciences 

“Winning this award was a complete surprise and I want to say a big thank you to my PGR students who nominated me and wrote such kind things in their supporting statements. I put a lot into trying to make sure that my students get as much out of their PhD as possible and it means a huge amount to know that what I’m doing is valued by those that matter the most.”

Dr Seán Molloy, School of Politics and International Relations 
“I am delighted to win this award. I very much appreciate the nomination and the award is welcome recognition from the university not just for me but for the importance of research and PhD supervision as a core part of academic life.”

Early Career Research Staff 

Dr Irina Petrova, GCRF Compass Project 

“Being part of the exiting GCRF COMPASS project alongside its Principal Investigator and the best mentor I could wish for, Prof. Elena Korosteleva, has been a tremendous learning experience for me. Elena has been an endless source of inspiration, support, and kindness, helping me to develop my research and societal impact skills. I, therefore, would like to dedicate this Prize to her.”

Postgraduate Teacher

Marwa Wasfy, School of Politics and International Relations 

“I am very grateful to my module convenor- Dr. Tim Aistrope- for the nomination and for all the advice and guidance he gave to me. I extend my gratitude to Dr. Ed Morgan-Jones. Over the last three years of teaching at the University of Kent, I have had the opportunity of learning alongside my students. I had the freedom to develop my teaching style and redefine my role as a seminar leader not as someone who imparts information and knowledge, but who creates “equal opportunities” for every student to develop his/her cognitive structures.

It has been a tough year for everyone, and I am so delighted to be winning the Graduate school Prize for postgraduate teacher. It means a lot to me.”

Events, News, Training

Training sessions for research staff – w/c 14 June 2021

The Graduate and Researcher College (GRC) is pleased to announce that a range of virtual training and development events are available for academic and research staff to book including four scheduled to take place next week:

Demand management for research schemes and relationships with external stakeholders – 14 June 2021, 10-11am

Consultancies and tenders – 16 June 2021, 11am-11.30am

Commercialising your research - 17 June 2021, 10-11am

Please see https://www.kent.ac.uk/graduate-researcher-college/academic-and-research-staff/training-and-development/grants-factory-training for further information about these events and links to book your place.

Coping with rejection – 15 June 2021, 11am-12pm

(The GRC is also offering 1:1 Coaching for PDRAs, RAs and Research Associates – 17 June 2021 and 15 July – 3 slots each day.)

Please see https://www.kent.ac.uk/graduate-researcher-college/academic-and-research-staff/training-and-development/grc-training for further information about these sessions and links to book your place.

Registration for these sessions is via Target Connect, the GRC event booking system, but please note that you will need to register for an account on Target Connect using your Kent email address before you can book any of these events.

These sessions are organised by the GRC as part of its new remit to support the development of colleagues who research throughout their careers and further information is available in our new web pages for academic and research staff.

Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate and Researcher College, said:

“These webinars are a great opportunity to learn more about relevant topics in targeted sessions delivered by specialist academic and Professional Services staff from Research and Innovation Services, IS Research Support, the GRC and the Divisions. They reflect our ongoing work to create an impactful programme of demand-led training and development for teaching and research colleagues across the University, which now includes some 1:1 coaching for PDRAs, RAs and Research Associates.”

Please note that most sessions will be recorded and made available to view after the event.

If you would like to suggest future sessions or to discuss researcher development at Kent, please contact the GRC.

We look forward to seeing you at these and future events.