Diversity in Research Podcast

Like many others, we’ve been exploring the capabilities of AI tools. However, when we started considering their implications in terms of diversity and security, we found ourselves with more questions than answers. We're not afraid to admit that we see potential problems, and we're eager to discuss them. 

That’s why we invited Avi Staiman on the podcast. Avi is the founder and CEO of Academic Language Experts. Soon after the launch of ChatGPT and other AI tools, he started talking about how to use it in research and research management, including in writing proposals. 

We met Avi at a conference on the topic in Brussels in November 2023, and we agreed to take the conversation to the podcast to balance the potential and the risks. It was a long but fascinating conversation, and as expected, we didn’t disagree that much. However, it shows that using AI tools, particularly in writing research proposals, requires skills and consideration. 

We also discuss how AI tools can level the playing field and perhaps even benefit researchers from minority backgrounds.

This episode is produced and edited by Peter Xiong. 

You can read more about Avi and follow him here:

You can read more about Academic Language Experts at: https://www.aclang.com/

You can follow Academic Language Experts on X: https://x.com/ALETranslation

You can follow Academic Language Experts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/academic-language-experts/

You can follow Avi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avi-staiman-academic-language-experts/

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Being queer is many different things, and we try to remember that our experience as white cis-gendered gay men in the UK and Denmark is not representative. We have long talked about inviting Professor Sandy O’Sullivan on the podcast, and what better occasion than Pride Month? 

Sandy is a Wiradjuri (Aboriginal), transgender/non-binary person, and a Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University, Australia and heavily involved in the Centre for Global Indigenous Futures. 

We talked to them about anti-colonialism, queer studies, indigenous studies in a global perspective and the colonial project of gender. Sandy brought so many perspectives and layers to the conversation and certainly challenged us in how we see and understand the world. 

Happy Pride Month.

The episode is produced and edited by Peter Xiong. 

 You can learn more about Sally here:
Their profile at Macquarie University
Their profile at LinkedIn
Their Twitter profile

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

When discussing diversity, we talk a lot about gender, race, and LGBTQ+ issues. There is, of course, more to the issue – and according to Kathrine Deane, disability is the next frontier. 

Kathrine is an associate professor at East Anglia University. She has a disability herself, but that doesn’t stop her from being a force of nature – and an absolute delight to talk to. And she doesn’t compromise. She demands 100% accessibility for everybody. She also embodies that talking about diversity can and should be fun.  

In our conversation Kathrine easily goes from the overarching aims and policy goals to the practical advice and shows us how a lot of this doesn’t have to be expensive. Some of it is expensive, particularly if it comes as an afterthought and we have to rebuild or renovate buildings or labs.

We also talk about allyship and how research managers and administrators can support researchers with disabilities.

The episode is edited and produced by Peter Xiong. 

To learn more about Kathrine and her guidelines:

You can find Kathrine’s Access All Areas in Labs Disability Access Guidelines now available here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/web/groups-and-centres/projects/access-all-areas-in-labs/access-guidelines

You can find her profile at East Anglia University here:

https://arc-eoe.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/people/researchers/katherine-deane

You can follow here on LinkedIn here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-deane-37178047/

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Not all research institutions have a set of courses or clearly defined career pathways for their researchers. We expect researchers to be born with the necessary skills to project manage, plan their career and support research networks or miraculously achieve them when they get their PhD degree. Pedro Resende co-founded Chaperone, the first personalised online career development platform for scientists. 

We found that concept intriguing and wanted to chat with Pedro about his thoughts on career development and, of course, the role of managing diversity and internationalisation in today’s ideas of skills for researchers. We talked about all of that and how Chaperone addresses this themselves and work with it internally in the company and when developing consultancy and coaching. We also talked about how an increasingly uncertain world affects this and how research managers and administrators can support this. 

This episode is produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

 Links

You can follow Pedro on LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedro-resendescience/

Read more about Chaperone at:

www.chaperone.online

You can follow Chaperone  on LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaperone-online/

You can follow Chaperone on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/chaperone.online/

You can follow Chaperone on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/ChaperoneOnline

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

This week, we are joined by Sarah McLusky, who is a consultant, trainer and facilitator who helps research organisations and individuals maximise their research and research careers. Sarah hosts the brilliant Research Adjacent podcast where she talks with those working in the research space how they support research to be the best it can be.

In this episode, we delve into the crucial concept of being research adjacent. We explore its significance in fostering inclusion in research and research environments, particularly in understanding why many women hold research-adjacent roles. We also discuss strategies to ensure that the research space remains open and welcoming to all.

To find out more about Sarah and the work she does check out her website: https://sarahmclusky.com/ 

And make sure you listen to her podcast too: https://sarahmclusky.com/research-adjacent-podcast 

This episode was edited and produced by Peter Xiong.

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

One of the challenges with working with diversity is how some of it has been politicised. In this episode, we explore the case of UK Secretary of Science Michelle Donelan. In the fall of 2023, after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, she accused two researchers of sympathising with Hamas. The two researchers were on the UKRI Expert Advisory Group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and the secretary insisted that the group be dissolved. 
In this episode, we explore the case - and discuss why this is not only a UK matter. Because at the end of the day, universities are political institutions and if we want to promote diversity (and we do!) - then we have to navigate politics. For the rest of us, we hold the advantage of learning from the UK case and applying these insights in our own academic settings. 

In describing the case, we rely heavily on the reporting done by Research Professional News. Thank you for the in-depth coverage. 

This episode was produced and edited by Peter Xiong. 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Global collaborations in research, teaching and student recruitment remain at the heart of the work of higher education institutions across Europe. The European Universities Association (EUA) recently released a report which explores possible futures of transnational cooperation for universities. Taking an exploratory foresight approach, the report provides the tools for universities to think through how they can prepare for future collaborations.

Not surprisingly, some of the proposed outcomes don't look great for minority groups working in or with institutions. We talked with Anna-Lena from the EUA about the report, how it came about and what it means for the future of university collaborations. 

Alongside the foresight report, key policy messages were released. You can see links to both reports below. This was a fascinating conversation and provides food for thought about how universities can navigate international research collaborations in the future and what this might mean for equality, diversity and inclusion in research.

• The EUA foresight report: "What if? - Exploring possible futures of transnational cooperation for Europe’s universities":https://bit.ly/UNIFE-report
• The policy messages: “"A renewed social contract for Europe and its universities":https://bit.ly/UNIFE-policy-input

This episode was produced by Peter Xiong.

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Research management has grown globally over recent years, with universities, funders, and policymakers recognising the profession's importance in ensuring effective research delivery, particularly as research becomes increasingly international in focus.

A new book, The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World, reflects this growth by taking a global approach to understanding the growth, differences, similarities and challenges in research management. For this episode, we speak to two of the book's editors (Simon Kerridge and Melinda Fisher) about the book, its idea, and what they hope people will get from it. We also interviewed two of the chapter authors from Columbia (Andrea Navas Calixo) and Malaysia (Shaliza Ibrahim and Tan Hsiao Wei), where we explored research management in their respective countries.

The book is available as an Open Access publication and can be found here: https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/doi/10.1108/9781803827018 

If you want to check out the specific chapters that were discussed in this episode, these can be found here:
- Malaysia: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-701-820231047
- Columbia: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-701-820231042 

We were also lucky to have the opportunity to write a chapter about diversity and internationalisation and how we believe it is now a core competency in global research management. You can find our chapter here: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-701-820231033 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Along with much of the European research community, we're slowly warming up for what FP10 - the next European research framework programme - will look like. Our primary concern, not surprisingly, is what role diversity and internationalisation play.

A main consideration, of course, is what is politically feasible, and without naming names - well, we are - some European countries have more conservative views on diversity than we do.

So, we decided to look at history and invited historian Kamil Karczweski on the podcast. He has researched LGBTQ+ rights in Poland in the interwar period, and his research showed us that the story is more complicated than you might think. He explains that at the time, Poland was in some ways very progressive by decriminalising homosexuality, one of the first countries in Europe to do so.  We talk about homonationalism, what it means and what it might suggest for diversity and internationalisation as FP10 is developed. We also discuss some of the political differences within LGTBQ+ movements - and then we speculate what all of this means when shaping, negotiating and voting on the next European research framework programme.

Kamil's research beautifully links personal stories to tell a political story of the past and today. We had him tell us a few details of his work on the podcast. Links to the articles can be found below.
 
You can find Kamil here:
University profile
Twitter

The three articles mentioned in the episode can be found here:
“Call Me by My Name:” A “Strange and Incomprehensible” Passion in the Polish Kresy of the 1920s

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

UK politics are never boring - not even when it comes to research policy (which - let’s face it - can appear quite sedate for non-research-geeks).
In this episode, we explore the recent spat after UKRI announced that in the next REF - Research Culture would count for 25% of an institution's score which was closely followed by a tender to develop indicators to help them measure culture.
That didn’t go down well with a lot of universities, and on top of all that, UKRI dissolved their EDI committee based on governmental critique. That didn’t go down well with the research community.
But we liked the idea - so we decided to do an episode on why indicators in research culture are a good idea - and particularly why we should have indicators on EDI topics - and what they could look like. Unsurprisingly, we think universities should be held accountable in this field.
We also go into some of the concerns about indicators - and address the questions and comments we had on LinkedIn for this episode.
Finally, we argue that this is not just a UK thing. The term “research culture” is travelling to other countries, so we should all be aware of the possibilities and challenges - and have indicators on the topic.

In our conversation, we reference:
Two blogposts by Lizzie Gadd, Stephen Curry and James Wilsdon:
https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/political-science-blog/2023/6/A-clap-for-the-Frap.html
https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/political-science-blog/2023/10/Plans-for-REF-2028-should-be-debated--not-throttled.html

Articles by Research Professional (Paywall):
https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/uk/research-councils/2023/6/REF-2028-changes-send--strong-message--on-equality.html
https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/uk/research-councils/2023/10/Concerns-grow-in-universities-over-REF-research-culture-metrics.html

Article by Erin Cech:
https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abo1558

The INORMS More Than Our Ranks initiative:
https://figshare.com/articles/poster/_b_NWB2023_More_Than_Our_Rank_a_preliminary_analysis_of_signatories_narratives_b_/24278587

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.