Engaged research and impact: Why are they important?

• Discuss what is meant by the terms “engaged research” and “research impact”.
• Identify the benefits of research engagement to collaborators, external colleagues and the researcher/research programme.
• Discuss how research impact is defined, measured and evidenced.
• Investigate how research engagement and impact plans are developed, including identification of and interactions with stakeholders, and evidence gathering.  
• Discuss how research impact relates to the REF exercise, through exploration of 4* REF impact case studies from a variety of research disciplines.
• Consider your own engagement and impact plans, as they relate to your ongoing or future research objectives.

Facilitators

Dr Ruth Flanagan | Research Impact and Engagement Officer

Ruth is the Research Impact and Engagement Officer for Arts and Humanities at Queen’s University Belfast.  Previously, she was the Impact Officer in Queen’s Business School. Ruth holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, where her research used creative and embodied methods to explore the intersection of religion, sexual health, and sexual experiences.

Ruth is deeply invested in public and civic engagement, which has led her to start to develop the Sexual Health and Rights Exchange (SHARE) network - an initiative designed to connect researchers and community organizations to advance conversations around sex, sexuality, sexual health, and reproductive rights.

Beyond academia, Ruth previously ran her own successful business, where she gained first-hand experience in brand-building and digital engagement.  This experience informs her approach to research impact - helping scholars identify, reach, and grow their audiences as a foundational step in developing and evaluating their research impact.

Dr Natalia Plechkova | Research Impact and Engagement Officer

Natalia is the Research Impact and Engagement Officer for Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). She previously assisted with developing impact cases for the Faculty of Medicine Health and Life Sciences at QUB. Natalia completed her PhD at Queen’s in parallel with working as a project manager for a suite of projects sponsored by BP. After completion of her PhD, Natalia worked as a project manager for three large projects sponsored by Petronas. In parallel, she carried out research and secured two teaching fellowships within the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

Natalia moved into her current role at QUB in 2019. Transparent and precise communication of scientific research has always been at the core of Natalia’s work. This is reflected in her collaborations and publications with scientific laboratories in Spain, Canada, and Portugal, as well as in several patents co-authored with industry partners who have directly benefitted from the patented research.

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