Little steps add up over time and I still take the podcast one episode at a time but I am chuffed that in 2025 I... 🎧 added 23 episodes to the growing podcast archive 🙂 welcomed 37 guests to share their stories 🌳 planted 24 trees with Trees for Life rewilding charity

NEW EPISODE: The silly party hat is out again so it must be time for the annual review episode 🥳 Join Sarah McLusky for a look back at 2025 including my Spotify Unwrapped fail, an honest look back at what I have (and haven't done 🫣), the top episodes of 2025 and what's coming in 2026 buff.ly/99MPIRW

I bet loads of people who work in research-adjacent roles can relate to this - can you? @kathmath.bsky.social loved science, but didn't want to be a scientist so she ended up as a science communicator. She is now Director of the Royal Institution, and still loves science 🧪 🔭 🔬

Is awe and wonder a good enough reason to invest money and effort in science communication? 😯 @kathmath.bsky.social thinks it is! In an era of mis- and disinformation connecting with people emotionally might help break down barriers. Hear Katherine's take on the state of #scicomm buff.ly/uGrszXk

Latest guest Katherine Mathieson is Director of The Royal Institution, the birthplace of science communication and the home of the iconic Christmas Lectures which celebrate their 200th anniversary this year. Right from the start (1799 to be precise) its mission was to share science with the public.

New episode 🥳 Join me for a trip to The Royal Institution in the company of Director @kathmath.bsky.social We talk about her career in sci-comm, the many faces of The Royal Institution, the iconic Christmas Lectures, and why we all need a bit more awe and wonder in our lives. buff.ly/uGrszXk

Combining research development and impact while sitting in the Research Strategy team - it's no wonder that Laura Breen's role involves keeping one eye on the horizon to see what is coming down the line and how to prepare for it now.

I ask all my guests what they would change if they had a magic wand 🪄 Laura Breen wants to create more time and space for people to really get to know each other in what she calls 'creative relational spaces'. We all know that's where things really happen!

Laura Breen works across disciplines and partners to help bring together diverse research teams. Her approach is a great example of 'one university thinking', which happens to be a key pillar of the new University of Manchester strategy. We recorded months ago it's clearly Laura's intuition at work!

NEW EPISODE 🥳 I'm talking to Laura Breen about 'one university thinking' at the The University of Manchester. Laura is the Research Development and Impact Manager. She works across all disciplines and with partners to help bring together research teams to tackle big challenges. buff.ly/yvCqSI2

At the Festival of @hiddenref.bsky.social there was a lot of talk about recognising a broader range of research outputs. But, as Elisa Collado says, a lot of work coordinating research will never lead to any outputs. This means many roles will remain hidden if outputs are the only metric of success

Join me for a 30sec visit to the Festival of hiddenref.bsky.social at ThinkTank Birmingham on 8 October 2025. Listen to the latest podcast episode for a full event report pod.link/1663857550

I do think there is magic in getting people together to tackle big challenges 🪄 Simon Hettrick and James Baker explained that @hiddenref.bsky.social has always been a bottom-up community-led campaign which is why gatherings like their Festival are so important. Hear more in your podcast app

New episode: Join me at the Festival of Hidden REF in Birmingham on 8 October. I meet Simon Hettrick, James Baker, Elisa Collado, Lorraine van Blerk, Laura Henderson, Alix Brodie-Wray, Dr Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Nick Sheppard about hidden roles and non-traditional outputs buff.ly/skpJuUR

Like Johanna Stadlbauer's LinkedIn posts, making people feel seen is far and away the most common feedback I get on this podcast. In the sometimes hyper-competitive research world where metrics may matter more than people, recognising our shared humanity might be the most valuable thing we can do.

Tangible work benefits with a side of pizza and yoga? Who else wants to hop on plane to Austria right now for one of Johanna Stadlbauer's programmes? The PostDoc Office has recently been named as an example of best practice in researcher supervision so this approach is definitely doing things right.

Latest guest Johanna Stadlbauer is not one to shy away from the hard stuff. Her first research-adjacent job was in reporting sexual harrassment and now she is tackling the culture of overwork in academia. With a kind, but no BS, approach she creates spaces where it's OK to tackle the hard stuff.

NEW EPISODE 🎉 with Johanna Stadlbauer, Head of the Research Careers Campus and PostDoc Office at University of Graz. We talk about about making academia kinder and more fun 💶 ✍ 🧘 🍕 and creating spaces where people feel seen and supported. Listen here buff.ly/mzNeuc8

A year ago I ran an online event to start building community amongst research-adjacent freelancers. Those conversations have evolved into the Research Adjacent Community. It's a friendly, supportive space for the self-employed and research-adjacent to hang out. Come and join us! buff.ly/HswITwI

The most valuable thing that a freelancer can bring to your research endeavours is themselves. You get support from a real person and can forge connections in a way big corporations or AI just can't replicate. 🎧 Listen to the podcast buff.ly/cm5y61b 📑 Explore the Directory buff.ly/oM0LKVN

I've been both a freelancer and an employer of freelancers. I know how important it is to get the right match, but how difficult it can be to find the right person. So I'm delighted to introduce the Research Adjacent Directory! It's a unique listing board for research-specialists. buff.ly/oM0LKVN

NEW EPISODE: This is a must listen for anyone who employs freelancers (or might in the future) and freelancers themselves. This episode is full of advice to make sure it's a positive experience all round. Listen here buff.ly/u7UsQEC

Hidden labour was a strong theme at #IRCC25. At the conference Alys Kay ran a workshop showcasing System Shuffle (cocreated with Rika Nair, Andrew Moss, Ellen Cole and Nicola Simcock) which is all about the wide range of roles that contribute to research. Listen to the full episode buff.ly/tBStCUO

Join me for a wander around the International Research Culture Conference #IRCC25. The latest podcast episode is a report from the conference - topics include hidden labour in research teams, and professional development (or the lack of) for research adjacent roles. buff.ly/tBStCUO

Sometimes conferences can seem like a lot of hassle - the travel and time out from all the other stuff we have going on. But as Chandrika Nair shared in the latest podcast from #IRCC25, we can only solve big-sector wide challenges if we collaborate.

NEW EPISODE: Reflections from last weeks International Research Culture Conference #IRCC25 at University of Warwick organised by the National Centre for Research Culture featuring guests Chandrika Nair, Alys Kay, and Dolly Coates. Find it in your podcast app or here buff.ly/tBStCUO

Who do we need to talk to to make that happen???? Podcast guest Esther Lisk-Carew's love of film means that she knows how impactful iconic role models can be. She would use her Research Adjacent magic wand to turn mentor Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer into an academic researcher 🗡️ 🧛

Precarity isn't just an issue in academia. It's also baked into how the cultural sector operates. Having patched together her own career from short term contracts, Esther Lisk-Carew now mentors others so that they can find a balance between their own creative practice and more stable income streams.

Ever wondered why you don't hear more about engagement in arts and humanities research? Esther Lisk-Carew and I talk about how co-production is often business as usual for these subjects and the typical outputs can be more accessible than standard publications. Listen in your podcast app.

Really excited to be doing this live podcast recording - come and be in the audience!

After a brief summer break we're back with Esther Lisk-Carew who works for AHEAD at @manmetuni.bsky.social. She helps to organise creative research engagement events. We talk about engagement as method, career precarity in the cultural sector, and Buffy 🧛🗡️ buff.ly/m3WDcvP

Making a big career move is always scary. Starting @researchimpactacademy.com threw up a whole load of mindset challenges for Tamika Heiden but, passion got her through and 11 years later she is still here and still helping people. Listen to get inspired buff.ly/IZQFN5p

The research world loves to debate about exactly what to call things. The term impact is sometimes used to talk about engagement, translation, knowledge exchange and the rest. I'm with Tamika Heiden - what we call it is less important than what we actually DO! @researchimpactacademy.com

I found this nugget fascinating! I always knew Australia was hot on research impact but according to Tamika Heiden, Australia might have initiated the whole movement! 😯 You'll have to listen to the podcast for the full story as well as Tamika's take on the current impact landscape around the world 🌏

New episode out today 🥳 I'm chatting to Tamika Heiden of @researchimpactacademy.com about her journey from research to research impact, via knowledge translation. We talk about impact around the world and the challenges of starting her own business. Listen here buff.ly/IZQFN5p

Who can relate to this? I know I can! Technology transfer professional Anji Miller is a huge advocate for mentoring but, until this year, she never quite managed to find the right mentor for herself. Hear Anji's take on the value of mentoring here buff.ly/7SFHhSA

The language and some of the processes of technology transfer can be a huge barrier for researchers. Anji Miller Ph.D CLP RTTP provides a friendly guide to help them navigate this path through support, training and mentoring. Search for Research Adjacent in your podcast app to hear the full story.

When I first researched my latest guest Anji Miller, the first thing that struck me was how much advocacy work she does - from UN panels on gender equity to school career talks. It's no wonder that she chose true equality as her magic wand wish. 🪄 Listen to find out why it matters so much to her.

It's new episode day 🥳 This time I'm talking to Anji Miller Ph.D CLP RTTP. Anji works for healthcare charity @lifearc.bsky.social as their Senior Partner for Academic Engagement. We talk about defying expectations, trusting her instincts, the importance of mentoring. Listen here lnkd.in/eQvfz-Pq

It was amazing to find such a kindred spirit in latest guest Chris Pahlow (and not just because he is a fellow podcaster!). Chris works a lot with the comms and engagement teams in Australian universities and, chiming with my experiences in the UK, has been dismayed at how they are treated sometimes

Strategy can seem like a lofty idea sometimes, but really it's about prioritising what is going to have the greatest impact. For researchers often time is tight and budgets are tight. Working with an impact strategist like Chris Pahlow can help them shortcut success pod.link/1663857550

Sometimes impact is equated with routes to impact like public engagement, communications or knowledge exchange. For Chris Pahlow impact = relationships. Because without those relationships you are just shouting into the void.

📢 Fresh epsiode out today. Meet impact consultant Chris Pahlow of Amplifying Research. We talk about his unconventional path into research-adjacent work, why impact is really all about relationships, and being honest - even when it's not what people want to hear! buff.ly/f41xPMn

Latest guest Louise Jopling works at the Babraham Research Campus and @babrahaminst.bsky.social in Cambridge. This science park has biotech businesses of various sizes and an academic institute all on the same site. This creates a 'melting pot' for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Squiggly careers often have some kind of guiding principle behind them. The more I talked to Louise Jopling the more it became clear that her guiding principle is health equity and making a difference to real people. 🎧 Find the full episode in your favourite podcast app buff.ly/ZL52fVq

I used to think I should have more of a career plan. I now know, as Louise Jopling says, that is hogwash. Most people are making it up as they go along - taking the opportunity that feels like the best fit at the time. 🎧 Hear all about Louise's squiggly career in this week's podcast.

NEW EPISODE 📢 Louise Jopling is Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Babraham Research Campus and Entrepreneur in Residence at @babrahaminst.bsky.social. We talk about her career in the biotech industry and making a difference to real people. buff.ly/blkbbQ2

It was pretty clear from talking to @andytattersall.bsky.social‬ that he has a keen eye for how to make things better (often using technology). His magic wand wish was for everyone to get the same opportunities to learn, experiment, and make things better. pod.link/1663857550

With a background in journalism Andy Tattersall @andytattersall.bsky.social‬ has an eye for a good story - and that story rarely includes typical headlines about funding success. What people really care about is how it will impact them. Find the full episode here buff.ly/2iB1IDD

Latest guest Andy Tattersall @andytattersall.bsky.social‬ started his university career doing inter-library loans. Describing himself as a 'shambrarian' he still feels a lot of affinity for the library community and the work they do. Search Research Adjacent in your podcast app for the full episode.