A day in the life of a researcher developer

I first completed a BSc (Hons) in Physics at Imperial College London, which I was inspired to do through my fascination with colour and learning about visible light that I discovered during my A-levels. I’d always been intrigued by interdisciplinary science, and this is something I fostered during my degree. This made me eager to explore the realm of biophysics, which I furthered by undertaking a master’s degree in Structural Biology & Biophysics. At the time this was the only master’s degree with biophysics in the title that I could find in the country! I got the chance during my master’s degree to undertake two research projects that made me interested in going into research. I combined the learning from both my degrees and pursued a PhD, working in the physics department at the University of Leeds. I undertook research on the structure of biomolecules in solution using neutron diffraction and specialist computational approaches for analysing this. My research focused on amino acids and synthetic variants of these that could be used to gain insight into information relevant to developing new materials.

After my PhD, I started a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford. Here, I built on my knowledge of neutron diffraction and applied this to study a range of core biomolecular building blocks and solutions, some of which were relevant to pharmaceutical science. In 2018, I moved to King’s College London, where I worked in a lab group that readily used Molecular Dynamics simulation approaches, exposing me to newer research methods. As the only person in my group using neutron diffraction, I led the research using this approach. In 2019, I applied for and was awarded a King’s Prize fellowship that allowed me to start running my own projects and supervise junior researchers.

I have always been a person who has liked variety and learning about new systems, which has resulted in me having a continually evolving career. Something that has been a motivator for me is seeing the impact of what I do, and this I came to really appreciate when I led a research team. As a supervisor, I committed to ensuring personal and team development, and through supervising and undertaking relevant training, I realised my interest in culture and leadership in the workplace. I found and still do find it fascinating how simple things such as changing the way you ask a question impact the way someone interacts and works with you, which can determine the success of a task being completed. It was through career advice and coaching that I explored this further and whether I, in fact, was due for a second chapter in my career journey, where this new area of interest would become my next career direction. I resolved to pivot away from pursuing academic positions to exploring possible non-academic options after my fellowship.

Going into researcher development is something that happened organically but something I had been involved with longer than I had realised. Over the years, as I sought options for professional and career development, I took part in a lot of activities beyond my research that fed into my interest in organisational culture and support for researchers. For instance, I was a member of the Biochemical Society’s Early Career Advisory Panel from 2018 to 2022 to guide national initiatives for early career researchers in biochemistry. I was also the lead editor for the ‘Research Careers – Options beyond academia’ web resource, showcasing the profiles of those who had gone into roles beyond academia. I helped collaboratively create events for the researcher-led organisation Science Innovation Union to help researchers learn about translation in science, and I completed micro-internships with the University of Oxford’s Careers Service and Research Integrity teams. I took on these different roles as I wanted to ensure that researchers were provided with a holistic view of the career landscape available to them and were afforded the best support to thrive. Furthermore, it also allowed me to learn about options that were out there too.

After receiving a tip about an advert from a career adviser at King’s, I applied for and secured a short-term, self-employed consultancy position in researcher development at Brunel University London, overseeing their initiatives for research staff at the university. I realised that all the experience I had built up as a researcher, along with those extra activities, I could now apply to support others. A 3-month role extended to a 9-month one. In 2023, I went back to King’s College London, where I’d been a researcher before, to now work in the Centre for Research Staff Development there.

Researcher developers support the professional development of those in research roles at the university and help implement provisions that contribute to a healthy research culture for researchers to work in. Some researcher developers may support a wide demographic of researchers, while others may have a target group they work with. For example, in the Centre for Research Staff Development where I work now, we support those on research-focused contracts and/or those yet to obtain a permanent position, including postdoctoral researchers, research assistants, technical staff, and teaching fellows early in their careers.

In researcher development, there are many duties that you can undertake, and an advertised post may be broad or targeted in its expectations. These may include managing the professional development programme, providing relevant communications for research staff and their managers, and supporting research staff communities and networks. We also engage in research and strategic projects to learn and effect change, share best practices, collaborate with other universities on initiatives, and ensure that the university’s policies and actions are in alignment with the principles outlined in The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, to which the university is a signatory (see Further Information for details).

The duties of my current role include leading communications, engaging in research, supporting strategy, and organising and presenting at events. I am responsible for delivering and facilitating a variety of courses within King’s and in collaboration with other universities.

Key skills needed in my job are strategic thinking, project management, and time management. There can be a variety of projects that you can be taking on simultaneously, all with different deadlines. If you are involved in research projects, you will also hone your research skills further. As someone who was a researcher before, I was able to implement the transferable skills I had already cultivated in problem solving and analysis to the work I do now. Previously, I was also involved in teaching and conference organisation, which I use in my current role as well.

A big part of researcher developer roles is communicating with others, whether it is liaising with research staff, communicating information, facilitating workshops, or engaging stakeholders at different levels. Therefore, the ability to apply interpersonal and communication skills in engaging diverse stakeholders is incredibly helpful.

Something I also found very useful was my first-hand experience of being a researcher. I have been able to feed this insight into my work and the actions the Centre takes to ensure it provides the most effective support for research staff.

Being able to clearly see the impact of what I do. My academic research was fundamental in nature, so it was harder to see what impact my research really had long term for society. In everything I do now, it is much easier to see that the actions that I take are having an impact on others and the organisation.

Having always valued self-development, I am thriving in a role where I can be a professional development advocate for others and take part in development opportunities myself. Last year, for instance, I became an accredited leadership consultant, which I apply to running our cross-institutional Resilient Leadership in Action course.

I’d strongly advise anyone interested in this path to get involved in any activities that support students or researchers at the university or nationally. You might want to join a committee or take the chance to intern in a professional services department to gain insight and showcase your interest in this area. As a researcher developer can be considered an advocate for professional development, showing that you actively engage in this yourself is beneficial.

If you have completed a PhD or been a researcher, remember that your first-hand knowledge is going to be incredibly useful for developing strategies for what is needed, so make the most of highlighting it in any job application!

No, you don’t. If you have completed a PhD and/or research staff roles, you can bring this knowledge into the post, as you will have first-hand experience of the needs of researchers who are in these roles. If you haven’t done this, this is fine too. The experience of areas beyond the academic research environment can often bring new ideas and perspectives that may not have come about from only having those who were just researchers in academia.

How much research you can still do! Often it can be assumed that professional roles are ‘admin’ roles, but there is often a lot more to them and they vary widely.

I was recently asked whether I missed the ‘knowledge’ that I used to have or learn from doing scientific research. However, by changing roles, I am cultivating new knowledge, and I can actively engage in research projects, even if they are now in areas such as researcher development and careers, as opposed to studying biological molecules and solutions. There are often opportunities to engage in projects, but there is less dependence on you having to maintain an academic record for this if you don’t wish to. This means you can embrace doing the research a lot more! It is not unknown for some professional services staff to also have an affiliation with an academic faculty to keep their toe in academia.

When you have spent many years (in my case, it was a third of my life) working in one area, making a transition into something is a new career identity. Even if you know embracing something new is the right thing, it doesn’t mean it will feel easy. As I had spent a long time working in science, I felt this change absolutely when I stepped away from it.

If you ever find yourself embracing a career change, you may feel like you are in a limbo state for a while. Just know that it is completely normal and a step to bigger things to come.

The Concordat outlines a set of key principles that underpin the working conditions and career development opportunities that should be offered to researchers and define the responsibilities of researchers themselves in achieving their own potential. The principles outlined include allocating researchers a minimum of 10 days pro rata per year to engage with professional development.

You can find more about the Concordat and whether your institution/organisation is a signatory here: https://researcherdevelopmentconcordat.ac.uk/