🎙️ In our latest episode of Research Culture Uncovered, host Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths explores a deceptively simple question: what actually shapes a researcher?
Drawing on reflections from a Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) series, this episode brings together voices from across global research development sessions — exploring research vision, impact, careers, culture, and identity.
🔹 Why research vision matters — and why it’s so hard to articulate
Hear insights from Dr Jim Baxter on developing long-term direction, and why the pressures of funding, publishing, and short-term goals can pull researchers away from the bigger picture.
🔹 What counts as “impact” — and who decides
Explore reflections from Ged Hall on how impact is shaped by discipline, national context, and institutional priorities — and whether researchers follow or challenge those systems.
🔹 Research culture beyond the buzzwords
Dr Marjorie Boissinot unpacks the complexity of research culture across global contexts, and why much of what shapes culture isn’t always labelled as such.
🔹 Creating space to think — even in busy, online environments
From Taryn Bell’s session, discover how meaningful reflection can happen even in large-scale virtual settings — and why researchers are more ready for these conversations than we might assume.
🔹 Visibility, identity, and showing up as a researcher
Through Ruth Winden’s work, explore how researchers navigate professional identity — balancing authenticity, visibility, and the expectations of academic and non-academic audiences.
🔹 The emotional side of research we don’t always talk about
From Heledd’s own session on rejection, this episode reflects on the shared emotional realities of research — and how creating space to acknowledge them can shift how we move forward.
💡 If you’re thinking about your own direction, identity, or place within research — this episode offers space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters.
Links and resources
🔗 Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)
https://www.wun.ac.uk/
🔗 LinkedIn (contributors)
Jim Baxter – (follow Jim on LinkedIn)
Ged Hall – (follow Ged on Bluesky and LinkedIn)
Marjorie Boissinot – (follow Marjorie on LinkedIn)
Taryn Bell – (follow Taryn on Bluesky and LinkedIn)
Ruth Winden – (follow Ruth on Bluesky and LinkedIn)
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Connect on LinkedIn:
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