Skip to main content
SVG version of QUB Shield - White
Postdoctoral
Development
Centre

Engaged research and impact: Why are they important?

Practical information

  • Audience: Postdocs and research staff at Queen’s University Belfast.  This course will be facilitated by QUB Research Impact and Engagement Officers with expertise in STEM and Arts and Humanities disciplines.  Postdocs from all QUB faculties are welcome.
  • Date/Time: TBC | 09:30 - 12:30
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Location: In person
  • Maximum capacity: 20 - Places for this workshop are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.  In the event of over-subscription, we will maintain a waiting list and contact the next person on the list if a place becomes available.  PhD students are welcome to attend if places are available. PhD students should email pdc@qub.ac.uk to register.
  • Organised by: Postdoctoral Development Centre (PDC) | Email: pdc@qub.ac.uk 

Content

This interactive course is designed to explore concepts of research engagement and impact as they align with QUB’s Strategy 2030. This course will allow you time and space to consider the following questions:

  • Does my research currently involve engagement with external stakeholders?
  • What are the intended impacts of my research, beyond those that are purely academic?
  • Is there scope for research engagement and impact in my research? If so, how can I plan appropriately for this?

Programme Objectives

During this course, you will:
  • Discuss what is meant by the terms “engaged research” and “research impact”.
  • Identify the benefits of research engagement to collaborators, external colleagues and the researcher/research programme.
  • Discuss how research impact is defined, measured and evidenced.
  • Investigate how research engagement and impact plans are developed, including identification of and interactions with stakeholders, and evidence gathering.  
  • Discuss how research impact relates to the REF exercise, through exploration of 4* REF impact case studies from a variety of research disciplines.
  • Consider your own engagement and impact plans, as they relate to your ongoing or future research objectives.

Registration

Registration for this event is done via the iTrent Employee Self Service System (ESS).  The registration link on this page should take you directly to this event however, you can also open iTrent, click on the Training icon to the left of the page and search using any word(s) from event title, e.g., Engaged

Registration is currently closed

*PhD students are welcome to attend this course if places are available and should email pdc@qub.ac.uk to register.

Facilitator

Dr Claire Tonry

Claire is a Research Impact and Engagement Officer for the faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (MHLS) at Queen’s University Belfast.  In  this role, Claire works with academics to develop impact and engagement plans for their research and develop case studies showcasing the impact of research from the MHLS faculty at Queen’s University.

Claire completed her PhD in biomedical research at University College Dublin and then worked as a Research Project Manager at Almac Diagnostics.  Following this, Claire spent over 5 years working as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast.  Her research was primarily focused on the application of mass spectrometry-based proteomics for the discovery and development of novel biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases.

Facilitator

Dr Angela Hackett

Angela is a Research Impact and Engagement Officer for Medicine, Health and Life Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.  Angela holds a PhD in Translational Medicine from the University of Liverpool and has previously worked in academic research labs on projects in rheumatology, infection biology, and cancer.

Angela is passionate about personal and public involvement (PPI) and public engagement practices.  She has held honorary positions at NHS Trusts in Liverpool where she was embedded in clinical research teams and coordinated PPI activities with clinical staff, patients and carers.

Before moving to her current role, Angela worked for QUB spin-out company AilseBio which has given her meaningful insights into research translation and commercialisation.

Feedback

Rating (out of 5): 4.80

Recommended by: 100%

Number of feedback provided: 5

Quote: "I really enjoyed this session. The content was helpful, there was opportunity to apply to the learning. Useful links to other resources and practical guidance. The facilitators were knowledgeable, approachable, and gave 1-1 advice on project specific queries. Thank you!" (Participant on the April 2023 course)