(S7E4) Meet the Culturositists: Introducing Taryn Bell and careers

Research Culture Uncovered

In our Research Culture Uncovered conversations we are asking what is Research Culture and why does it matter? This episode is part of Season 7, but we go back to the format we used in Season 1 where we got to meet the hosts in a bit more detail before they hosted seasons on their specialist topic. In this episode of Research Culture Uncovered, host Emma Spary introduces Dr Taryn Bell, the newest member of the podcast team.

Taryn discusses her role as a researcher development advisor with a focus on career development at the University of Leeds. She shares her personal experience with career challenges and the importance of comprehensive career support for researchers. Taryn also previews her upcoming episodes, which will focus on fellowships, funding, and the emotional side of career development. You can connect to Taryn via LinkedIn

I ask Taryn what she thinks the biggest challenges are for researchers, what we do well at Leeds, where she thinks we can improve and what she hopes to see in the future. Her main messages include:

• the challenge of getting researchers to prioritize career development alongside their research responsibilities
• the perception of long-term career development workshops being a significant time investment for researchers
• overcoming fear and discomfort associated with career planning and development
• Taryn's excitement about launching the Fellowship Accelerator program for postdoc researchers
• the importance of early intervention and support for fellowship applicants
• the emphasis on incorporating emotional support into career development initiatives

What will she be covering in her upcoming episodes:

• a focus on supporting researchers in fellowship applications and managing unsuccessful funding applications
• AI and its impact on career development
• the importance of "bedrock skills" in the future workplace and the link to AI and careers

Be sure to check out the other episodes in Season 1 to find out more about the hosts Emma Spary, Ged Hall, Tony Bromley and Nick Sheppard with a few special guest appearances.

All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists:

• Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Open Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Research talent management with Tony Bromley (follow Tony on Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Meet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Research co-production
• Research Leadership
• Research Evaluation

Follow us on twitter: @ResDevLeeds (new episodes are announced here), @OpenResLeeds, @ResCultureLeeds

Connect to us or leave us a review on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast (new episodes are announced here)

Leeds Research Culture links:

• Researcher Development and Culture Website
• Our Concordat Implementation plans and progress
• University of Leeds Research Culture Statement
• University of Leeds Responsible Metrics Statement
• University of Leeds Open Research Statement
• University of Leeds Research Culture Strategy - launched September 2023