Enhancing Research Culture Projects 2024-25
Enhancing Research Culture Projects 2024-25
As part of the second annual Enhancing Research Culture Open Call, 12 projects across faculties were awarded a total of £273,758 to promote a more supportive, inclusive, and collaborative research environment at the University. These projects were funded through the Research England Enhancing Research Culture initiative.
Below is a summary of the funded projects for 2024-25, categorised by faculty.
Arts, Humanities and Cultures (AHC)
Collaborating with Care: Creating a Toolkit for Values-Informed Medical Humanities Research
Members: Clare Barker, Amelia DeFalco, Faye Robinson, Stuart Murray, Jamie Stark, Lynn Wray, Dave Lynch, Deyanna Ricketts
Summary: This project addresses challenges in research culture by creating a toolkit that fosters EDI informed practices in medical humanities. It builds on innovative methods inspired by disability studies, feminist theory, and principles of care to promote collaboration and accountability.
Developing Healthy Engagement
Members: Kate Dossett, Joanna Phillips, Tim Procter, Holly Smith, Simon Popple
Summary: This project develops an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the role of wellbeing support in creating ethical, inclusive and sustainable engaged research plans. It explored what change is necessary to support healthy creative engaged research, informed by calls from both the archival sector and creative industries.
Fostering a Collaborative Practice and Pedagogy Network: Exploring Tactile Encounters with Aerial Scenography
Members: Dr Katie Gardner, Dr Kelli Zezulka, Dr Carolyn Watt, Dr Michelle Man, Dr Natalie Rowland, Lizzie Ridley
Summary: This project aims to develop a collaborative network of practice-based
researchers and pedagogues across the fields of aerial arts, physical theatre, choreography,
and scenography to explore the pivotal role of touch in the creative process, practice and
pedagogy of aerial arts.
Practice Research Diaries: Facilitating a Culture to Capture/Share the Diversity of Outputs Through Focused Engagement
Members: Scott McLaughlin, Claire Knowles, Rachel Proudfoot
Summary: This Project aims to address longstanding issues around how (artistic) practice research outputs for REF are created, linked, and should be described in Library systems.
Environment (ENV)
Enhancing Research Culture and Sense of Belonging for LGBTQ+ Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs)
Members: Dr Liam Taylor, Professor Robert Vanderbeck, Jing Lu
Summary: This project aims to produce enhanced spaces of belonging for LSGBTQ+ PGRs, to support them as researchers/people, while also building an evidence base with which to promote lasting strategic improvements.
Field Forward: Fostering Leadership Development for Well-being and Resilience in Field Research
Members: Professor Martin Zebracki, Dr Robin Hayward, Dr Fiona Gill, Dr Sam Wimpenny, Dr C. Scott Watson, Helena Brown
Summary: This project aims to bridge gaps between researchers’ wellbeing and resilience by fostering leadership through an interactive model of research.
Faculty of Medicine and Health (FMH)
Dental Histories: Towards a Digital Museum
Members: Rae Gillibrand, Alan Mighell, Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Colette Nicholas, Timothy Zoltie, Chloe Sykes, Simon Popple
Summary: This project aims to foster collaboration between scholars in history, dentistry, and digital humanities, will catalogue and digitise 20% of the dental collection and create an open-source digital exhibition of key items.
How Do EDI Workers Deal with the Emotional Impact of Their Work, and What Could Help in This Endeavor?
Members: Dr Gillian Proctor, Nilisha Vasisht, Sally Osei-Appiah, Marije Davidson
Summary: This project aims to establish an EDI research hub to provide ongoing support to staff, offering a safe space to facilitate discussion and shared learning on the impact of EDI work, as well as resources to help staff understand and reduce this impact.
CRAFT: Cultivating Research and Flexible Teams
Members: Ruth Kayman, Dr Julia Csikar, Dr Karen Vinall-Collier, Samantha Pye, Emma Bates, Dr Vishal Aggarwal, Dr Matthew Davis, Ruth Addelman
Summary: This project aims to explore the common experiences of individuals within the School of Dentistry, based on pilot work undertaken with the SoD Athena Swan sub-group.
Equality, Inclusion, and Understanding (EIU)
Closing the Progression Gap: Exploring Barriers and Opportunities for Minoritized Ethnic Research Staff
Members: Dr Kendi Guantai, Nilisha Vashist
Summary: This project aims to identify the barriers to and opportunities for progression for early career minoritised ethnic staff on research contracts (G7 and G8), affecting the progression pipeline in research.
Developing a Sector-Leading Network of Global Majority Leaders
Members: Sameera Rafiq, Nilisha Vashist, Karen Hinxman, Sally Osei-Appiah
Summary: This project aims to provide network-building opportunities to UoL leadership program participants from under-represented groups. It aims to establish a panel and shine a spotlight on emerging leaders.
Faculty of Biological Sciences (FBS)
Career Development Framework for Early Career Researchers
Members: James Warren, Anisha O’Hagan, Laurin McDowall, Jessica Swanson, Ruth Winden, Taryn Bell, Nazia Nazir
Summary: This project aims to consolidate existing information and training opportunities across the Faculty of Biological Sciences, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health, allowing Early Career Researchers to acquire professional certifications, identify opportunities, and build partnerships.