Research Culture and Practice Forum

Abi is an R&I Culture lead in UKRI. Her role focuses on the UKRI adoption of the Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI), a narrative CV format which is being rolled out across the organisation. Previously, she has also worked for BBSRC, looking after the Bioimaging portfolio and then as strategic lead for BBSRC fellowships. Before working for UKRI, Abi had several policy roles, including working as a Policy Intern at the Royal Society on Research Culture. Her background is in developmental biology and she completed a DPhil at MRC Harwell in 2017.

Anjali is Co-Chair of the UK Research Staff Association (UKRSA) and is the UKRSA’s representative on the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group. She is passionate about improving research culture and encouraging members of under-represented groups to become successful researchers. She has worked at the University of Oxford for over a decade as an epidemiologist/biostatistician, and recently has completed three years as a part-time Researcher Developer. Anjali’s research is currently focused on assessing the reorganisation of major trauma centres on the outcomes following open fractures and reducing the occurrence of second fractures. Her previous research has been on treatment of shoulder dislocations and hip fractures, trends in childhood leukaemia and brain tumours, reviews of maternal health incidents, and producing National Statistics on adult cancer survival.  

Ben is Senior Research Manager at the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). As part of the Research, Innovation, and Engagement team, he leads on research policy for HEFCW, including policy governing HEFCW’s core research funding to Welsh universities, and funding supporting key researcher training and development initiatives such as Sêr Cymru and Welsh Crucible. He sits for HEFCW the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group and the Research Integrity Concordat Signatories Group. Prior to working at HEFCW, Ben worked at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy on policy for UK ODA R&I funds, and before that as a researcher and lecturer in the history of ancient Greece.

Charlotte works as a Policy Analysis Officer in the Research and Innovation Directorate at the Scottish Funding Council. Her work focuses on a range of areas including concordats, research culture and the Research Postgraduate Grant.

Chris is the strategic lead for Researcher Development & Research Culture at the University of Exeter. Part of the Senior Management Group within Research Services, Chris is responsible for planning, budgeting and day-to-day management of the Researcher Development & Research Culture team, which forms part of the Exeter Doctoral College.

Chris has over 25 years of experience in delivering high impact agendas across strategic research sectors and has developed an expert understanding of research agendas and research support, both within HE and beyond. Chris was chair of the regional GW4 Talent & Skills Steering Group, is a member of the national Vitae CEDARS Steering Group and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Emma Compton-Daw leads staff-facing Researcher Development at the University of Strathclyde and is Strathclyde’s Institutional Researcher Development Concordat Champion. She is currently the Chair of the Universities Scotland Researcher Development Sub-Committee. Emma was a member of Research Staff for 11 years in the UK and USA before moving away from the bench to Researcher Development in 2015. During that time she was a Chair of the UK Research Staff Association and the University of Dundee College of Life Sciences Research Staff Association.

Passionate about social justice, equity and collaboration, Hilary consolidates over 20 years of private, government and research sector experience in a portfolio of paid and volunteer activities. In her role at UKRI Hilary leads the R&I sector roll out of Resume for Researcher (R4R)-like narrative CVs among other projects focused on good practice in R&I culture. Hilary also volunteers as ARMA’s Research Culture Lead, coordinating across ARMA’s wide community to deliver a programme that aims to inform and empower all Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) to be agents of change, influencing positive, inclusive, and creative research and innovation cultures.

James is the Chief Executive of the UK Research Integrity Office. Joining UKRIO in 2006, he took up his current role in 2008, overseeing UKRIO’s transition to a registered charity supported by over 100 research organisations.

He directs UKRIO’s work programme and leads its advisory service, responding to queries and concerns about research practice from researchers and the public. He helped develop UKRIO’s Code of Practice for Research and other publications, used by many leading research organisations.

James works with UKRIO’s subscribers to provide them with tailored support on research practice. He regularly speaks on how to sustain and enhance research integrity; audiences have included the Royal Society, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Irish National Forum on Research Integrity, the new UK National Research Integrity Forum and the World Conference on Research Integrity.

James has collaborated in numerous initiatives to support research integrity. He contributed to the Royal Society-UKRIO project Integrity in Practice, a tool kit examining ways to effect positive change to research culture, and is an Observer on the Concordat Signatories Group, helping with the revision of the UK Concordat to Support Research Integrity.

Prior to joining UKRIO James worked as an archaeologist and a university administrator.

Joanna is Senior Policy Adviser for Higher Education and Skills at the British Academy, where she leads on policy relating to researchers and research culture, working closely with the Academy’s Research Directorate. Prior to joining the British Academy, Joanna was an early career academic at the University of St Andrews; where she also worked in postgraduate academic policy, undergraduate applications and admissions, and academic development. She received her PhD in Early Medieval History from the University of St Andrews and has an M.Litt and MA (Hons) from the same institution.  

Formerly Chief Operating Officer and Director of Strategy at NCUB, Dr Joe Marshall took over as Chief Executive in summer 2018.

Prior to joining the National Centre, Dr Marshall has held a number of positions across government and university organisations. As an academic specialising in government education policy and practice he worked with a number of international agencies including UNESCO, WHO and the European Parliament.

A researcher at the University of Manchester, he went onto hold senior lectureship positions at Liverpool Hope University and University of Worcester before working for UK Sport (the government agency for elite sport) and then the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Julia read Zoology at the University of Sheffield and, after a short spell in the pharmaceutical industry, moved to London to study for a PhD in Pharmacology at the University of London and to pursue an academic career.  She was awarded a DSc and appointed to the Chair of Pharmacology at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in 1987 where she became Pre-clinical Dean in 1992.  Julia joined Imperial College London in 1997, contributing to the establishment of the new Faculty of Medicine and held the roles of College Dean for non-clinical Medicine, Head of the Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Pro-Rector (Education and Academic Affairs). In 2012 she was appointed Vice-Chancellor and President of Brunel University London, a role she held until she ‘retired’ in 2021.  Julia was appointed a CBE in 2018 for services to Biology and Education and in 2019 was elected to a Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.  Throughout her career Julia supported that academic community in a variety of roles including President of the British Pharmacological Society and the Society for Endocrinology, Chair of the Athena SWAN Review, member of the Sykes Commission, Editor of the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, a Director of the National Centre for Universities and Business, Chair of BioScientifica Ltd, a Trustee of the Royal Institution and the Royal Society of Biology and President of Universities UK.

Julia is currently Chair of the Trustee Board at the Institute of Cancer Research, a lay member of Council at the University of Surrey, an ambassador for WiSE and Chair of the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group, supporting the career development of researchers. 

Saneeya leads a portfolio of UK and European research talent development activities that are lauded as gold standards for inclusivity and accessibility. She is the University of Liverpool’s operational lead for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and a peer reviewer for the European HR Excellence in Research Award. She convenes the University’s Concordat Steering Group, working closely with the Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact, to foster a nourishing and inclusive research culture and environment which values and supports researchers at all levels – from PGRs all through to PIs. Saneeya led the establishment of the University’s Research Staff Association in 2018, and she actively collaborates with external partners, leading work that facilitates the wider context of researcher development provision and communities of practice, such as Vitae, the N8 Research Partnership and Researchers 14. Most recently, she has been appointed as an advisor to UKRI’s Faraday Institution Training and Diversity Panel. On a global platform, Saneeya is the convener for the European Educational Research Association (EERA)’s early career researcher enhancement activities through which she contributes to shaping European policy. She represents Early Career Researchers’ interests on the EERA Council and oversees programmes of developmental activities for 5000+ ECRs annually. Saneeya’s expertise lies in research talent development and fostering strategic, innovative and inclusive approaches through which individuals at all career stages are exposed to the best new thinking, emerging technologies and the most impactful practices.

Tea trained as a Heritage Scientist in Italy before moving to Germany to start her doctoral research. She obtained her PhD in Archaeometry from the University of Hamburg and the University of Rome la Sapienza.

Her research focuses on the material characterisation of pigments found in manuscripts and paintings from different historical periods. She combines material analysis with archival research to help shape new perspectives on heritage collections. Notably, Tea is interested in exploring cultural and anthropological aspects that might have shaped specific material choices. Her current project centres on a collection of 19th-century watercolours preserved at Oxford.

Tea started advocating for increasing mental health awareness across the research community in 2021, after living through challenging times at the end of her PhD and during her first year of post-doc. As a member of the “community working group” of the National Heritage Science Forum, she is now contributing to launching a mentoring scheme to support and guide early career researchers in Heritage Science.