Research Adjacent

Russell Arnott is an ocean science educator, facilitator and event organiser. Sarah McLusky is a research event consultant, trainer and facilitator. Sarah and Russell are reinventing research conferences to prioritise connection and collaboration through their joint venture Re:Conference.

Sarah and Russell talk about

1. Why traditional academic conferences are failing everyone - attendees, presenters, organisers and the wider world
2. Prioritising people, connection and collaboration over PowerPoint and information overload
3. The small changes that can make a big difference
4. How Russell, Sarah and Re:Conference can help reinvent conferences for good

Find out more

1. Check out the Re:Conference website
2. Connect with Russell on LinkedIn or visit the Incredible Oceans website
3. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn or sign up for her newsletter Gathering with Purpose

About Research Adjacent

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4. Post a review on Podchaser
5. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

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If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Kirsty High is Research Impact Manager at the independent research institution, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Sean McCaul is a faculty impact officer at Ulster University. Both are responsible for overseeing and supporting impact, but with different drivers and priorities.

This episode was recorded live at the Impact Ignite 2025 conference, an event dedicated to sharing best practices and sparking new ideas among research impact professionals.

Sarah, Kirsty, and Sean talk about

1. How supporting impact in a university compares to an independent research institute
2. The power of embedding impact rather than seeing it as the ‘icing on the cake’
3. Why trust and long-term relationships with researchers are key
4. Practical ways to spark impact including seed funding and cross-disciplinary peer learning

Find out more

1. Get the transcript and timestamps on the episode webpage
2. Connect with Kirsty on LinkedIn
3. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn
4. Find out more about the Impact Ignite event, the Research Impact Academy and listen to Tamika Heiden’s podcast episode
5. Listen to the Hidden REF podcast episode
6. Thanks to All Parties and Events for recording this episode

About Research Adjacent

1. Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn or Instagram
2. Email a comment, question or suggestion
3. Leave a voice note
4. Post a review on Podchaser
5. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Interested in advertising on the podcast?

If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

As the Research Adjacent podcast approaches its 3rd birthday, Sarah looks back on the past year and looks forward to 2026

Sarah talks about

1. What she does when she isn’t making the podcast
2. Top episodes and notable moments from 2025
3. Things she said she would do in 2025 vs what she actually did
4. Coming in 2026 – including live events and sponsorship opportunities

All the links Sarah mentions

1. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn or sign up for her events newsletter, Gathering with Purpose
2. Listen to Sarah’s personal playlist of new music in 2025
3. Check out the Challenges mini-series
4. Top episodes of the year – Policy Director Rosalind Gill and Influencing Others with Orla Kelly and Joanna Royle
5. Hear Sarah’s story on the Papa PhD collaboration episode
6. Live event episodes – at the IRCC25 Conference, Festival of Hidden REF and the Academic Adventures podcast
7. Working with freelancers episode and the Research Adjacent Directory
8. Complete this form to suggest a podcast guest
9. Browse the podcast back catalogue and take the quiz for personalised suggestions
10. Get in touch if you are interested in sponsoring or advertising on the podcast

Did you know Sarah donates a tree for every episode published? This year we have planted 24 trees with rewilding charity Trees for Life. Visit the Research Adjacent virtual grove here

Katherine is championing science communication for its own sake as Director of the historic Royal Institution

Katherine is the Director of The Royal Institution in London. The Royal Institution is the birthplace of science communication, having been founded in 1799 to 'introduce new technologies and teach science to the general public through lectures and demonstrations'. It is home to the iconic Christmas Lectures which celebrate their 200th year in 2025.

Sarah and Katherine talk about

1. Why The Royal Institution means different things to different people
2. The iconic Christmas Lectures
3. How a phone-in science hotline kick-started her career in science communication
4. Making space for awe and wonder, and why that might help tackle the anti-science narrative

Find out more

1. Read the show notes on the Research Adjacent website
2. Connect with Kathrine on LinkedIn or BlueSky
3. Find out more about The Royal Institution and its history
4. Check if you can watch the Christmas Lectures recording livestream near you

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message

Laura is prioritising collaboration over competition to help develop impactful research projects.

Laura Breen is Research Development and Impact Manager at the University of Manchester where she helps bring together diverse, multi-partner research teams to tackle big challenges.

Sarah and Laura talk about

1. Prioritising collaboration over competition and convening creative relational spaces
2. Her journey from museums and ceramics to universities and impact
3. How the impact agenda and REF are shaping research culture and even artistic practice
4. The importance of empathy and intuition in how she works

Find out more

1. Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
2. Laura is leading on Engaged Research at the University of Manchester - you can see what this looks like via some case studies and videos on participatory research. The University of Manchester has also just released their strategy for 2025-35 which includes research impact as one of it's 5 main themes.
3. Find out more about the Impact Ignite Conference that Laura is speaking at in late November 2025

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message

Mentioned in this episode:

Interested in advertising on the podcast?

If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Sarah reports from the Festival of Hidden REF held in Birmingham on 8 October 2025. This episode features contributions from organisers, speakers and participants including

1. Hidden REF committee members Simon Hettrick and James Baker sharing the story behind the event
2. Previous Hidden REF competition winners Laura Henderson and Lorraine van Blerk highlighting hidden roles in research
3. Speaker Elisa Collado and participants Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Alix Brodie-Wray and Nick Sheppard sharing their takeaways and what still might be missing from the conversation

Find out more

1. Read the full show notes and transcript on the podcast website
2. Connect with guests Simon Hettrick, James Baker, Laura Henderson, Lorraine van Blerk, Elisa Collado, Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Alix Brodie-Wray or Nick Sheppard
3. Find out more about Hidden REF on their website or follow them on LinkedIn. You can find the list of hidden roles that Simon mentions here.
4. Listen to the What the REF?! podcast

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message

Mentioned in this episode:

Interested in advertising on the podcast?

If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Johanna is a researcher developer on a mission.

Johanna Stadlbauer is Head of the Research Careers Campus at the University of Graz in Austria, offering development and support for early to mid-career researchers.

Sarah and Johanna talk about

1. Why she wants to make academia kinder and more fun, and what that looks like in practice
2. How being proactive helped her progress from a maternity cover contract to essentially creating her own job
3. The anthropology research and activism that underpins her approach
4. The importance of helping people feel seen, and free pizza!

Find out more

1. Read the full show notes and transcript on the podcast website
2. Connect with Johanna on LinkedIn
3. Find out more about the Research Careers Campus and Post-Doc Office including the Communities of Curiosity Festival in April 2026

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message

Mentioned in this episode:

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Interested in advertising on the podcast?

If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

This episode is a must listen for anyone who hires freelancers to support research projects or who is a freelancer themselves. It is packed with advice for making things run more smoothly – from contracts to cold-hard cash. We are also launching the Research Adjacent Directory listing service.

Sarah is joined by fellow freelancers from the Research Adjacent Community including Limor Zwi-Dantsis, Russell Arnott, Sophie Morris, Naomi Tyrrell and Vittoria Danino, to talk about…

• Why hiring a freelancer can be a great decision

Find out more

• Read the show notes and transcript on the podcast website

About Research Adjacent

• What do you think of this episode? Share a screenshot with your thoughts and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky

Mentioned in this episode:

Member of the Month: Vicky Bowskill, Inklusive Nature

Vicky helps researchers and changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. Find out more at www.inklusivenature.com

Interested in advertising on the podcast?

If you have a service, product, event, or opportunity that would be of interest to our audience get in touch via [email protected] to explore how we can work together.

Sarah reports from the International Research Culture Conference #IRCC25 which was held at the University of Warwick on 17 September 2025. It features contributions from Rika Nair, Alys Kay and Dolly Coates, as well as excerpts from Sarah's talk on professional development for research enablers.

Sarah and her guests talk about

• Why the recognising the contributions of research-adjacent roles is a key research culture issue

Find out more

• Read the show notes and transcript on the podcast website

About Research Adjacent

• Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky

Esther Lisk-Carew is engagement coordinator for a programme called AHEAD (Arts and Humanities Engagement and Dialogue) at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is also a freelance consultant, trustee of Manchester's Portico Library and founder of the Black and Global Majority Cultural Creative Network.

Sarah and Esther talk about

1. How she combines a love of storytelling and the arts with a talent for managing events and operations
2. Why engagement is often baked into the methods and outputs of arts and humanities
3. Building a career in the cultural sector (despite a detour into French law)
4. Why academia needs more diverse voices, and high-profile cultural icons

Find out more

1. Read the show notes and transcript on the podcast website
2. Find out about everything Esther is working on via her Linktree
3. Find AHEAD at MMU on the web, Linktree, LinkedIn and Instagram

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message