Research Staff and Early Career Researchers

The University’s Early Career Researcher and Research Staff Career Enhancement Group, chaired by the Director of the Doctoral College, oversees the development and delivery of actions to support research staff and early career researchers, in line with the University’s Research Strategy and future research ambitions.

The University of Leicester is a signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and this group monitors and evaluates progress against roles, responsibilities and timelines in the institutional Concordat Action Plans. We currently hold HR Excellence in Research Award, and ensure cross-working with other relevant charter activities (e.g. Athena SWAN).

The Doctoral College offers a range of development opportunities for research and academic staff. We support your continuing development as a researcher, transitioning to independence and preparing you to seamlessly translate the skills and capabilities learnt here to myriad other contexts.

Engagement, influence and impact

We support our researchers in developing their communication skills to enhance their engagement, their influence and their impact through their research. 'The Digital Academic' and 'Designing Pathways to Impact' are just two of many specialised courses which will support you in developing these vital skills.

Research effectiveness

Maintaining and developing your research effectiveness is critical for any researcher. From taking refreshers on how to do systematic reviews to learning new ways to visualise your data, we have many different ways to stay up to do date in the ever-changing research environment.

Governance

Research ethics and research data management are core to any research project undertaken at the University of Leicester. We support you in understanding your responsibilities as well as the methods in which to manage your data.

Qualitative and quantitative skills

We offer a number of courses to develop your qualitative and quantitative skills, including introduction to statistics, learning how to use R, and using focus groups in research.

Developing supervisory skills

Research staff and early career researchers are able to supervise research degree candidates. We provide training for new supervisors as well as providing a space for supervisors to discuss good practice for different types of research students, including distance learning and part-time modes.