Research Culture Uncovered

Research Culturosity, University of Leeds

At the University of Leeds, we believe that all members of our research community play a crucial role in developing and promoting a positive and inclusive research culture. Across the globe, the urgent need for a better Research Culture in Higher Education is widely accepted – but how do you make it happen? This weekly podcast focuses on our ideas, approaches and learning as we contribute to the University's attempt to create a Research Culture in which everyone can thrive. Whether you undertake, lead, fund or benefit from research - these are the conversations to listen to if you want to explore what a positive Research Culture is and why it matters. Unless specified in the episode shownotes, Research Culture Uncovered © 2023 by Research Culturosity, University of Leeds is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. Some episodes may be licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0, please check before use.

  1. 2h ago

    (Episode 164) Technicians uncovered: inside Tech Exchange at Leeds

    🎙️ Technicians at the heart of research culture: insights from Tech Exchange at Leeds In this special episode of Research Culture Uncovered, Dr Emily Ennis hands over the mic to Lily Caprioli, a student ambassador at the University of Leeds, who interviews colleagues across the annual Tech Exchange Fair — a showcase of the people and skills powering research behind the scenes. What you’ll hear: Research is a team sport. From senior leadership to lab specialists, contributors emphasise that technicians are fundamental — the people who keep systems running, solve problems, and help teams think differently. Visibility matters. Events like Tech Exchange create space to showcase expertise, connect across departments, and ensure technical contributions are recognised beyond individual labs or teams. From “hidden roles” to recognised expertise. Conversations highlight ongoing work around fair attribution, technician profiles, and recognition — with real progress, but more still to do. Collaboration within and beyond institutions. From cross-faculty working to initiatives like the White Rose Consortium and Yorkshire Technician Exchange Partnership (YoTEP), sharing knowledge strengthens both individuals and the wider research ecosystem. Diverse careers, shared impact. Whether in labs, libraries, collections, or engineering workshops, technicians bring specialist expertise, creativity, and adaptability — often shaping research in ways that go unseen but are essential. 🎙️ People featured in this episode Professor Nick Plant (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, University of Leeds)Claire Knowles (Acting Director of Library Services, University of Leeds)Lesley Neve (X-ray Technical Specialist)John Warwick (Technician Champion) 🏛️ Projects, initiatives & organisations referenced Technician CommitmentWhite Rose University Consortium (Leeds, Sheffield, York)Yorkshire Technician Exchange Partnership (YoTEP)Fair Attribution PolicyCREDIT taxonomyORCID identifiersInstitute of Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS) This episode is a celebration of the people, skills, and community that make research possible — and a reminder that strong research culture depends on recognising every contribution. Please note This episode was recorded live at a busy event — you may hear background noise, but we hope it captures the energy and enthusiasm of the Tech Exchange Fair!

    1h 1m

  2. Jun 17

    (Episode 163) Two Identities Postdoc and YouTuber, One Scientist: Inside the World of The Quantified Scientist

    🎙️ The #ResearchCultureUncovered podcast team is excited to share our latest episode featuring Dr. Rob ter Horst — postdoctoral researcher and the creator behind the popular YouTube channel The Quantified Scientist! Join host Ged Hall as he chats with Rob about his fascinating dual life as a researcher and YouTuber, exploring what it means to treat yourself as an experimental subject, running a YouTube channel at the same time as a demanding postdoc and the benefits and challenges of both. 🔹 Discover how Rob's self-tracking journey with weekly brain MRIs, EEG sleep recordings and testing wearables grew from his scientific curiosity and how that has benefitted both his research and his YouTube identities. 🔹 Learn how Rob used wearable technology data and rigorous testing methods to communicate complex data analysis concepts to a broad public audience, and in his university teaching. 🔹 Hear reflections on the realities of balancing a demanding postdoctoral position with running a growing YouTube channel and podcast — and the honest conversations Rob is having with himself about the long-term sustainability of doing both. 🔹 Explore the cultural challenges researchers face when engaging publicly online, from navigating negative comments and Reddit threads to maintaining scientific integrity while building a content business. To connect with Rob: The Quantified Scientist YouTube channelCheck out his LinkedIn profileHis Fit for Science podcast that he co-hosts with Stephan ReichlHis website https://www.robterhorst.com/ All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Impact Heroes with Ged HallOpen Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research talent managementAcademic Failure with Taryn Bell (follow Taryn on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Meet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research co-productionResearch evaluationResearch leadershipResearch professionals Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social (new episodes are announced here), @openresleeds.bsky.social, @researchcultureuol.bsky.social Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here) Leeds Research Culture links: Researcher Development and Culture WebsiteOur Concordat Implemention plans and progressUniversity of Leeds Research Culture StatementUniversity of Leeds Responsible Metrics StatementUniversity of Leeds Open Research StatementUniversity of Leeds Research Culture Strategy - launched September 2023Public Engagement with Research If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode get in touch: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

    41 min

  3. Jun 10

    (Episode 162) Can we trust the evidence? Spotting problematic research in healthcare

    In this thought‑provoking episode, host Dr Emily Goodall speaks with Dr Jack Wilkinson, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trial Statistics at the University of Manchester. Together, they explore the growing challenge of problematic and fraudulent research polluting the published literature, what it means for trust in evidence, and how the research community can respond. From “paper mills” to AI‑generated publications, this episode shines a light on how research integrity is being challenged—and what researchers, reviewers, and institutions can do to protect it. Key themes The scale of problematic research is growing: Fraudulent and low‑quality studies, driven by paper mills, AI and pressured research environments, are increasingly entering the literature.Quality checks don’t guarantee authenticity: Peer review and standard appraisals focus on quality, but often miss whether research is authentic.Structured tools can help spot issues: Tools like INSPECT‑SR guide peer reviewers to identify inconsistencies, implausibility, and red flags.Culture and incentives drive the problem: Publish‑or‑perish pressures and limited transparency make problematic studies more likely and harder to detect. Final reflections This episode raises an important challenge: if publications are the currency of academia, what happens when we can’t fully trust them? Dr Wilkinson’s work shows that while the problem is complex, there are practical steps we can take, from better tools and reviewer support to systemic cultural change, to strengthen trust in research. Find out more: INSPECT-SR PrePrint: a tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials, medRxiv 2025.INSPECT-SR: Resources for users.A recording of the Introduction to INSPECT-SR workshop is available on YouTube.Dr Jack Wilkinson on Bluesky.Our open research playlist. If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast app, via Podchaser, or by submitting an online review form. Podchaser: https://lnkd.in/eQYbzZ65 Online Review Form: https://lnkd.in/eeXFE249

    34 min

  4. Jun 3

    (Episode 161) Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Research Culture in the UAE and Beyond

    The #ResearchCultureUncovered podcast team is excited to share our latest episode featuring a fascinating conversation with Professor Adel Ahmed. Adel worked in the UK higher education for over 20 years before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2015. Join host, Ged Hall, as he reconnects with his former colleague to explore research culture in the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 🔹 Discover how higher education in the UAE is strategically designed rather than historically inherited — built around national development priorities, societal impact, and economic diversification, not just rankings and publications. 🔹 Learn about the UAE's ecosystem of federal, semi-government, private, and international branch campus universities, and how this model is spreading across the MENA region. 🔹 Hear how outcome-based evaluation frameworks are reshaping what research success looks like — moving beyond citation counts to measure real-world impact, industry collaboration, and student participation in research. 🔹 Explore what it's really like to move from the UK to the UAE as an academic, and why breaking down silos, embracing interdisciplinary working, and thinking globally while acting locally are at the heart of research culture in the region. Listeners can connect with Adel on LinkedIn Items mentioned in the episode: Overview of the UAE Higher Education Sector: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) https://www.mohesr.gov.ae/En/pages/home.aspxUAE’s quality assurance agency: Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) https://www.caa.aeInformation Related to the Outcome-Based Evaluation Framework (OBEF) –https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Outcomes-based-Evaluation-framework-University-Guide.aspxOBEF University Guide (PDF) full details https://www.caa.ae/PORTALGUIDELINES/OBEF%20University%20Guide%20(Version%2011.5)%20(English).pdfUAE Licensure and Accreditation Framework https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Licensure-and-Accreditation.aspx All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky and LinkedIn) and Alix Brodie-Wray (follow Alix on LinkedIn)Research Impact Heroes with Ged HallOpen Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research talent managementMeet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research co-productionResearch evaluation

    45 min

  5. May 27

    (Episode 160) Meta-Research Uncovered: The Role of Research Enablers

    What does it mean to do research on research — and what role do professional staff play in it? In this episode, Alix Brodie-Wray is joined by Dr. Chris Daley (LSE) and Dr. Amy Milligan (Saïd Business School, University of Oxford) to explore the world of meta-research and why research managers, administrators, and enablers have a vital part to play. We cover: 🔬 What meta-research actually is (and why it matters) 💡 How professional staff bring unique, ground-level expertise to the field 📊 The growing investment in meta-science — including the UK Meta-Science Unit's funding tripling to £49 million 🎓 Whether you need a PhD to get involved (spoiler: you don't) ⚖️ The very real time pressures and how to navigate them 🌍 What the future holds for research enablers in this space If you work in research support, management, or administration and have ever wondered whether your skills could contribute to something bigger — this one's for you. 🎧 Listen now: [link] Contributors Alix Brodie-Wray (follow on LinkedIn) Dr Amy Milligan (follow on LinkedIn) Dr Chris Daley (follow on LinkedIn) Links and Resources: Research on Research Institute video on ‘what is metascience?’ Past, Present and Future of UK Metascience. Short history of metascience in the UK context Association of Research Managers and Administrators: Meta-Research Special Interest Group: Meta Research – ARMA Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social (new episodes are announced here) @openresleeds.bsky.social @researchcultureuol.bsky.social Connect on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here) 📩 If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

    37 min

  6. May 13

    (Episode 159) Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR): a comedy podcast with Dr Louise Saul

    In this episode Nick talks to Dr Louise Saul, Network+ coordinator for CaSDaR (Careers and Skills for Data Driven Research), a UKRI-funded initiative aiming to professionalise and build community around data stewardship in the UK. They discuss shared work through the Open Research Competencies Coalition (ORCC) and Louise’s previous UKRN role as an ORCA (Open Research Coordinator and Administrator) at the University of Southampton, supporting open research training and implementation. Louise discusses using stand-up comedy to communicate research and open research ideas, and outlines her career path from biotechnology and a PhD in protein crystallography through multiple postdocs, teaching, and into open research and data. She explains meta-research as “research on research,” including a study on what authors include in methods sections and implications for reproducibility. Louise shares some of her data-management "horror stories," and highlights sector-wide challenges: unclear career pathways and progression for research-enabling roles, which CaSDaR addresses via funding, events, and resources. Links: CaSDaR (Careers and Skills for Data Driven Research)Ruby Carr ComedyUK Reproducibility Network(Episode 129) UKRN Train the Trainer: accelerating the uptake of open research practices across academic disciplines(Episode 123) Valuing Diverse Research Outputs: The Hidden REF and the 5% Manifesto with Simon HettrickSonrai - Irish Data Stewardship Network If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast app, via Podchaser, or by submitting an online review form. ✍ Podchaser ✍ Online Review Form All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Impact Heroes with Ged HallOpen Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research talent managementMeet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research co-productionResearch evaluationResearch leadershipResearch professionalsAcademic failure with Taryn Bell (follow Taryn on Bluesky and LinkedIn) Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social (new episodes are announced here), @openresleeds.bsky.social, @researchcultureuol.bsky.social Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here too). If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode get in touch: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

    54 min

  7. May 6

    (Episode 158) How to Turn Your PhD Into a Book?

    Episode title: How to Turn Your PhD Into a Book Podcast: Research Culture Uncovered Host: Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths (Researcher Development Advisor, University of Leeds) Episode overview Turning a PhD into a book is rarely a straightforward process. It’s not simply about rewriting or revising a thesis — it involves rethinking purpose, audience, and identity as a researcher. In this episode, Heledd speaks with Dr Hilary Potter about the challenges and opportunities involved in transforming doctoral research into a book. From the emotional weight of returning to high-stakes work, to developing confidence and recognising your own expertise, the conversation explores what it really means to “turn” a PhD into something new. Hilary also shares insights into her activity-based approach, the role of creativity and writing by hand, and how her portfolio career — including teaching, translation, and periods of precarity — has shaped both her thinking and her book. Together, this episode highlights how developing authorial agency can shift not only how researchers write, but how they see themselves and their place within (and beyond) academia. Featured contributor Dr Hilary Potter — Project Officer, CERIC (Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change) University of Leeds. Academic background in German Studies, with experience across teaching, research, and roles inside and outside higher education. Author of How to Turn Your PhD into a Book: A Pocket Guide (Peter Lang, 2024). 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-hilary-potter-1495262b 🦋 Bluesky: @hilarypotterphd.bsky.social Key themes explored • The challenge of reconceptualising a PhD beyond its original purpose • Why turning a PhD into a book is not simply rewriting or revising • The shift from being supervised to working independently • Developing authorial agency and recognising expertise • Creative and tactile approaches to writing (including writing by hand) • The influence of portfolio careers, teaching, and precarity on academic work • Writing for different audiences and purposes Memorable ideas • A PhD is written to be examined — a book is written to be read • Distance from your thesis can be essential before returning to it • Creativity and physical engagement (writing, drawing, mapping ideas) can unlock thinking • You don’t need permission to be the expert in your own work • Research careers are rarely linear — and that can be a strength Related episode The Art of Saying No: Power, Permission, and Research Culture This earlier episode explores how agency, confidence, and decision-making are shaped by power, culture, and career stage in research environments — themes that connect closely to this conversation around authorial agency and recognising your expertise. 🔗 Listen here: The Art of Saying No Leave a review If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a rating and a short review — it helps others find the podcast. Podchaser Online Review Form Follow and connect Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social; @openresleeds.bsky.social; @researchcultureuol.bsky.social Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here) Want to contribute to a future episode? We’d love to hear from you — especially if you have reflections on research culture from any career stage or role. researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

    32 min

  8. Apr 29

    (Episode 157) The Gentle Academic: Reimagining Research Culture

    If you asked an academic to describe the culture in which they work, 'gentle' is not a word that most would use. But what if academia could be gentler? What would this look like, and how can we get there? In today's episode, host Taryn Bell is joined by Christine Grove, co-editor of the recent volume 'The Gentle Academic'. They discuss what gentle academia is, what it's not, and how both individuals and academics can become 'gentler' in their ways of working. Far from offering 'lip service' to the idea of culture change, The Gentle Academic offers actionable insights for both individuals and the institutions they work within. Want to learn more? Read The Gentle Academic: Reimagining the Contemporary University Culture with Principles of Community, Leadership, and CareGet in touch with Christine via LinkedIn or her RMIT and Monash webpages, or with her co-editor, Kelly-Ann Allen If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast app, via Podchaser, or by submitting an online review form. ✍ Podchaser ✍ Online Review Form All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Impact Heroes with Ged HallOpen Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research talent managementMeet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky and LinkedIn)Research co-productionResearch evaluationResearch leadershipResearch professionalsAcademic failure with Taryn Bell (follow Taryn on Bluesky and LinkedIn) Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social (new episodes are announced here), @openresleeds.bsky.social, @researchcultureuol.bsky.social Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here too). If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode get in touch: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

    25 min
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About

At the University of Leeds, we believe that all members of our research community play a crucial role in developing and promoting a positive and inclusive research culture. Across the globe, the urgent need for a better Research Culture in Higher Education is widely accepted – but how do you make it happen? This weekly podcast focuses on our ideas, approaches and learning as we contribute to the University's attempt to create a Research Culture in which everyone can thrive. Whether you undertake, lead, fund or benefit from research - these are the conversations to listen to if you want to explore what a positive Research Culture is and why it matters. Unless specified in the episode shownotes, Research Culture Uncovered © 2023 by Research Culturosity, University of Leeds is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. Some episodes may be licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0, please check before use.

Information

  • Creator
    Research Culturosity, University of Leeds
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    163
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Unless specified in shownotes, Research Culture Uncovered © 2023 by Research Culturosity, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Reusers must give credit to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license under identical terms.
  • Show Website
    Research Culture Uncovered

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