{"id":332,"date":"2023-01-09T09:35:48","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T09:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conferences.leeds.ac.uk\/reds\/?page_id=332"},"modified":"2024-10-09T09:24:43","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T09:24:43","slug":"call-for-abstracts-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/conferences.leeds.ac.uk\/reds\/call-for-abstracts-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Call For Abstracts"},"content":{"rendered":"

REDS 2024 Conference Theme:<\/h2>\n

Developing Research Leaders Fit for the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The call for abstracts in response to this theme is now open with a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>submission deadline of\u00a0<\/span>Monday 13 May 2024, 5:00pm (GMT+1).<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Submit an abstract for consideration<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Context and Sub-Themes<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

In the last decade, the sector has brought new focus to the consideration of leadership in research and the responsibilities of research leaders for creating a productive and positive research environment. In the UK context, this has been reinforced by the new Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers<\/a> (2019) and the Wellcome Trust\u2019s (2020) report<\/a> cataloguing the negative experiences of researchers, often at the hands of their direct managers.<\/p>\n

The sometimes shirked responsibilities and poor behaviour of those holding research leadership roles has been a message underscored by many personal accounts shared as news articles, publisher editorials, and via blog and social media accounts. The UK response has included a new focus on the culture of our research institutions and those who lead them, including through large scale investments (e.g. \u2018Future Leaders Fellowships<\/a>\u2019). This is supported by new national \u2018people and teams\u2019 strategies<\/a> characterised by the desire to move away from individualistic, elitist and competitive leadership, encouraging more open, inclusive, team-focused, interdisciplinary, collegial and collaborative ways of leading.<\/p>\n

This is not just a UK-centric issue. In the USA, there are sector targeted programmes such as the \u2018Emerging Leaders Career Development Award<\/a>\u2019 and the Australian Universities \u2018Group of Eight\u2019 (Go8) have had their \u2019Future Research Leaders Programme<\/a>\u2019 for several years.<\/p>\n

Being seen by others as \u2018a leader\u2019 may be sought or circumstantial, intentional, uncomfortable, or inevitable. Becoming, being, and viewing oneself as a \u2018research leader\u2019 can be experienced differently at an individual level. For some, it may be seen as a mark of promotion or esteem; for others, a proxy for gaining the freedom to explore research topics independently of other senior colleagues\u2019 preferences. It may, for some, be seen as a specific job title or the natural progression of a particular career trajectory. For others it may be a title that is inaccessible.<\/p>\n

This conference asks:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What are the key skills, behaviours, attributes, and practices required of a research leader who can bring about the desired research environment for all researchers? <\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Who counts as a \u2018research leader\u2019 in a complex space that requires different forms of knowledge and expertise?<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. When does leadership begin, and how do we identify instances of meaningful leadership? <\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. How can we identify and support leaders who are effective in reshaping the culture in which they work? <\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. How can the community that supports the personal and professional development of research leaders (e.g. Researcher Developers) \u2018teach\u2019 the skills needed to carry out complex leading roles such as line manager, principal investigator, and supervisor?<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. How does the growing researcher developer specialism need to evolve to meet the challenges of developing research leaders?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To bring these themes together, REDS 2024 will explore two further contexts for research leadership: the increasing emphasis on the consideration of research culture as a whole; and the evolution of the Researcher Development profession from a \u2018skills-based\u2019 profession, towards a focus on developing complex leadership practices.<\/p>\n

    The 2024 REDS Conference will focus on how all those who make up the research ecosystem and community, including (but not limited to) funders, employers, senior leadership teams, PGRs, supervisors, principal investigators, research staff, researcher developers, careers advisors, directors of PGR programmes, culture specialists, research professional staff and HR colleagues can engage with research leadership development that is \u2018fit for the future\u2019.<\/p>\n

    We invite papers related to empirical or theoretical perspectives on our questions above and the following:<\/p>\n