Paul Monahan works as a Learning and Development Consultant within Organisational Development in the People and Culture Directorate, and is responsible for developing and implementing a staff-learning programme for academic and research staff at Queen’s.

Background

Prior to working at Queen's, Paul taught at Causeway Institute of Further and Higher Education, Bolton Institute of Higher Education and Bolton and Bury Community Education Services.

After joining Queen’s, Paul worked as a research assistant in the Centre for Academic Practice and then in the Centre for the Enhancement Learning and Teaching, supporting academic colleagues and helping to enhance the teaching across the University.

Paul has worked in a number of Schools in the Faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, lecturing, and delivering classes on statistics and data analysis, SPSS & questionnaire design, ECDL, and research methods.

Paul has worked in researcher development at Queen's since 2005, first in the Staff Training and Development Unit, which has now evolved into the Organisational Development Team.

Current roles and responsibilities

As a Learning and Development Consultant, Paul’s primary responsibility is developing and implementing a staff-learning programme for academic and research staff at Queen’s. Paul co-designed this programme in consultation with colleagues and senior managers, including in the Postdoctoral Development Centre. 

Paul contributes to the embedding of mentoring and coaching at Queen’s, and has recently completed an ILM level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring, and provides coaching to colleagues. Paul also support researchers to learn from and gain support from research colleagues through the delivery of the Postdoctoral Group Mentoring Programme.

Pauls helps to ensure that the University meets external research funder expectations through successful applications for the European Union HR Excellence in Research Awards, since 2012. This is based on the implementation of the University’s Researcher Development Concordat Action Plan. Pauls works with research, academic and professional support staff to develop and deliver the associated actions, which aim to improve the experience of researchers at Queen’s.

Contribution to specific research initiative or project

Paul has played an important role, in collaboration with colleagues in Research and Enterprise, Faculties and Schools, in supporting the development of Queen’s Fellowship Academy, and on developing plans for an expansion as part of Strategy 2030.

There are currently 46 Academy Fellows in the Fellowship Academy, from across the University, who have successfully applied for internal and external fellowships. When the Academy was launched in January 2020, there were 31 Fellows and a further 27 researchers have since joined the Academy, with 12 leaving to take up posts in other Universities.

A wide range of activity is organised for the Academy Fellows, including leadership development, support for funding applications and networking opportunities, all to support the future research leaders and influencers at Queen's.

The new Fellowship Academy Crucible provides opportunities for Academy Fellows to hear from experienced research collaborators, to engage with other researchers from the Fellowship Academy, and to collaborate to develop new research ideas, which can lead to future research projects. A series of skills labs will take place over the next few months, followed by a Crucible event in April.

Fellows have provided positive feedback on their experience of the Fellowship Academy, including:

‘I am very happy with the progress and the positive difference that the Fellowship Academy has brought so far. It has had a huge impact on me. Thanks to all involved.'

Register for the Fellowship Academy Crucible Event, 28th April 2022