Engagement

Key takeaways to expect from this session:

• Gain insight into the perspectives and motivations of academics
• Learn how to articulate the value of your skills and expertise to researchers
• Discover strategies for effective collaboration with academics
• Understand the pressures and challenges faced by researchers
• Identify opportunities to contribute to research success

Fortune, fame, and glory, we all pursue things for different reasons.

Join an engaging discussion on the mindset and motivations of academics when conducting research. This interactive panel will explore the pressures researchers face and provide you with strategies for effectively communicating the value of your skills and expertise to their work. This session is your opportunity to quiz academic researchers on fostering successful collaborations, ensuring your contributions are recognised and appreciated.

This panel is an invaluable opportunity for RSEs and academics to connect and better understand their collaborative needs. The aim is for open communication and mutual respect to create a more inclusive and equitable research environment where everyone's contributions are valued and recognised.

Panellists: Alan Real, Chris Jewell, Mariann Hardey, Martin Callaghan, Matt Probert, Noura Al-Moubayed

Identifying the needs of users can be a challenge, with assumptions made on both sides.

The second session of the day will feature an introduction to some of the techniques, tips and tricks to gather a clear understanding of the needs of researchers.

We will be joined by some of N8 CIR’s leaders from digital health, digital humanities, and machine learning who will lead breakout sessions. Participants will be able to attempt their intake and on-boarding interviews to ensure that each conversation with a researcher is a productive one.

Panellists: Alan Real, Chris Jewell, Emma Barnes, Kirsty Lingstadt, Martin Callaghan, Matt Probert, Michael Holliday, Serge Sharoff

Documentation, support, requirements and training

How can we map the needs of researchers with current and future DRI research infrastructure? As DRI specialists we know how our systems work and we strive to keep up to date with the latest developments in technology and resources, but how can we communicate this to researchers? Now we have gathered the needs of the researchers through the intake interviews, how can we map this to our skills and the resources we are connected to?

This session will also discuss the usability of the software, systems and platforms that make up the DRI landscape and outline ways to initiate conversations to gather feedback, and then use this data to further improve usability, training and documentation.

Panellists: David Henty, Emma Barnes, Kirsty Lingstadt, Matt Probert, Michael Holliday, Peter Hill

Are your teams unknown at your institution?

DRI professionals contribute an enormous amount to the research ecosystem, but their skills and expertise can sometimes be hard to find. This session will outline some of the techniques used by successful teams to engage each other.

We will explore the DRI communities that exist and how we can connect these and engage researchers with them. We will discuss how the N8 CIR aims to develop these communities and bring them together with cross-domain events.

Panellists will discuss the facilitation of communities of practice, marketing strategies, and effective cross-department and domain working.

Panellists: Andrew (Ed) Edmonson, Kirsty Lingstadt, Louise Chisholm, Robert Haines, Philip Harrison

What can we learn from life as an RSE in industry?

We have explored the value of cross-disciplinary engagement across DRI professions and academic fields but the final stakeholder key to long-term success rests outside the boundary of our universities. The rise of AI has shown the power of Industry in driving the most out of teams of DRI professionals and researchers. We have brought together some key industry members to provide their perspectives on being a DRI professional in an industrial context.

In this panel we will hear from those working in industry and how they influence corporate vision, manage the challenges of ownership and IP and even build effective partnerships with researchers.

Panellists: Emma Barnes, Emma Hogan, Louise Chisholm