Research Student Development - Supporting Progress Dr Richy Hetherington Hello my name is Richy Hetherington I am a Lecturer in Biotech and Business Enterprise but I am also the Faculty of Medical Science Skills Development Co-ordinator this means have an overview what the faculty offers in support of researchers professional development. I’m sure you are all aware of the excellent standing in Research the long history the Medical School has, it recently celebrated 175 years So while we pride ourselves on the quality of our Research outputs we are also very proud of our Researchers and the range of skills and attributes they demonstrate.

The way that research students develop their skills is primarily through the research work they are engaged in. The industry and ingenuity required to make new discoveries is really what makes a research degree, PhD, MRes, MD or MPhil such a valuable qualification. However, there are many ways in which we can help to make researchers more effective and efficient in their research by providing them with training in a range of areas. So research students are aware of the training on offer we create a booklet to highlight the range of opportunities available and this list is maintained through our Graduate School webpages and a booking system that is shared across the Universities three faculties . However it isn’t just about developing these skills it is also about recounting them and reflecting the researchers own progress. The ePortfolio system is now used by all of our students but it has been a well established mechanism for research students to record and reflect on their own development both in their research project but beyond it as individuals.

The skills development opportunities we offer and the ePortfolio research students use to record their records are all mapped to a nationally recognised framework know as the RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK or RDF . The RDF has 63 subheadings of potential areas for development for researchers but we just use the 12 headings of the 4 main domains.

In the first domain there are numerous opportunities to hear about world leading research with seminars presented through the faculty’s six research institutes. There is also support for researchers to develop high level analytical skills with state of the art technical training in genomics, proteomics and next generation sequencing We are also extremely keen for researchers to demonstrate their creativity particularly around articulating science, I have brought along a few copies of the research student produced Science magazine {react} which is a tremendous example of the sort of thing postgraduate students at Newcastle do get involved in.

We know that postgraduate study can be demanding and the transition into being at the cutting edge of a research field investigating the unknown can be a challenge so we aim to provide researchers with support for their development both in making sure they have all the tools needed to successfully complete their studies but also so they can think positively about their own personal development and growth, we want students to maximise their potential when they work at this level and this requires this includes access to mentors with a current academic focus but also to former postgrad students who have gone on to other careers outside of academia and the University.

All postgrads are given the appropriate training they need to manage their degrees, we also make sure that all students understand the basics of Safety, Ethics and Integrity. For further training. There are very robust checks throughout a postgrads time with us to make sure they are getting the full support they need and the appropriate considerations of governance and ethics are made. We are connected to UK research integrity Office (UKRIO) who provide materials to support researchers in making good decisions about their research. The Resesearch students in the faculty of medical Sciences also have access to our grantFinder tool, we are keen that the do apply for funding.

Where we really try to get our postgrads to excel is with the Impact and Engagement they make with their research. We want our students to be able to express what they do and tell a lot of people why it is important. The Univeristy’s last VC instilled in the university a sense of civic responsibility asking us to have excellence with a purpose. So like every other Russel group University we will be striving to make sure our research students make contributions to their academic field with leading publications in the best academic journals we will also encourage them to engage more broadly. MATT – Biotech YES Rhys – 3MT NEPG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awLyYYngayI

Last year I co-presented some of my colleagues published findings along with some observations I had collected that indicated training and structure was helping research students to achieve successful outcomes in terms of publications and doctoral completion.

There has been an increase in the number of doctorates awarded in most countries with the UK being particularly prevalent

Skills and Attributes Valued by Employers Technical & practical skills Team working Problem solving Self-Management Communication & interpersonal skills To use initiative but able to follow instructions Leadership where required ICT knowledge Relevant literacy & numeracy Knowledge of the business ATTRIBUTES Motivation Tenacity Commitment Here are a list of some of the skills and attributes that employers are looking for in Graduates are more generally. I have highlighted Knowledge of the business because this knowledge is not necessarily something that will be developed through a research degree study. However, all the other skills or characteristics that would are intrinsic to the research process. I feel it is important that researcher training and development in generic skills continues to focus on supporting research students to do well in their research, and to recognise and reflect on the benefits that being a researcher brings to them. Offering research students opportunities to demonstrate a broader context in which they can use the skills they are developing is beneficial but the context of the research should not be overlooked. Apprentices with a company would not be allowed to learn through experimentation in the same way that doctoral researchers are. Research students need to be allowed to take risks and assess the outcomes of those risks if subject areas are to advance quickly but also if researchers are to identify the limits of their abilities.