IoPPN Research Culture Insights: Centre for Research Staff Development

Do you know about us? Our team at the Centre for Research Staff Development (CRSD) is here to help support Research Staff at King’s (research and teaching technical staff, teaching fellows, postdoctoral staff, and research assistants) make the most out of your entitlement and time at King’s. In fact, the CRSD support all those other than PhD students who are engaged in research and who do not yet have an independent, permanent academic or managerial position.

Some examples of how we can help include:

• Professional development workshops and events
• One-to-one support​ (e.g., mentoring)
• Communications (e.g., newsletters for research staff and managers)
• Line manager support
• Research staff representation and advocation
• Dedicated support for the technical pathway
• Monitoring and sharing best practice; and fulfilling the Researcher Development Concordat

Did you know Research Staff at King’s are entitled to a minimum of 10 days for their professional development each year?

This entitlement is part of a university-wide commitment to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers – a national agreement which our researchers often don’t know exists. As signatories to the Concordat, King’s commits to enabling all research staff to engage in 10 days of continuing professional development pro rata per year or part-time equivalent.

We know you’re busy and it can be hard to take time out of your research commitments so think about one development area which you can focus on in the next three months to make use of your 10-day entitlement in a manageable way for you. For example, you may choose to work on one skill, allocate some time for career planning or take on new responsibilities in your research community. Whatever it might be, you can use the popular 70:20:10 model of learning to build professional development into your everyday.

If you choose to focus on a skill, the CRSD has a programme of 46 courses and 133 workshops throughout the year, ranging from 1 hour to 3 weeks in length, which you can find out more about on our courses web pages. These courses are organised both by thematic area and by date, in areas such as writing, personal effectiveness, and impact. In 2023-24, 91% of participants noted that attending a CRSD course had a positive impact on improving their knowledge and skills, and that they would recommend it to other colleagues.

Leadership training has enormous benefits for research staff and those you work with. Fluency in the language of leadership allows you to take more responsibility within a team and assume a more reflective position when appropriate, which increases productivity and enhances research culture.

Applying for grants? Our funding courses are intended to serve to consolidate your current knowledge, explore how you can develop a successful pitch and application, and manage funds that you are awarded. This can provide support alongside the conversations you have with your research development manager.

Finally, our dedicated suite of technical training gives you the chance to develop practical skills with key equipment (e.g., HPLC and rotary vane vacuum pumps). In addition, we help technicians to become certified Mental Health First Aiders so that they can effectively engage with the students they support.

You also have access to a range of on-demand resources as a member of King’s research staff, including SAGE Campus, DataCamp, Elsevier Researcher Academy, and more, which cover an enormous range of areas.

Reflecting on your skills development is a valuable exercise that not only helps you act on key learnings from sessions or experiences but can quickly and easily form the basis of a development log, which could be useful in PDR conversations and in interviews. SkillsForge has creates a personalised log of your activities and professional development training which can be used to help plan your next steps.

For career planning, King’s Careers & Employability have an invaluable pool of resources. The specialist Careers Consultants for Researchers team conduct 1:1 careers advisory appointments, facilitate a programme of careers-focused courses and publish an excellent podcast, which showcases a diverse range of resources, opportunities and insights.

Interested in getting involved with the research staff community at King’s? Why not consider becoming a research staff representative and play an important role in advocating for the views and experiences of your colleagues to those in senior and decision-making roles. You can find out more about becoming a representative through our webpages or speak with the faculty about local opportunities.

If you ever want to discuss the full breadth of opportunities available to you at King’s or get involved in some of the exciting projects we’re involved in, do get in touch. You can find out more about the CRSD team here.

This blog is part of a ongoing series looking at research culture at IoPPN. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact aneita.pringle@kcl.ac.uk.