Research Culture Uncovered Podcast wins Vitae ICE Award 

Colleagues from the University of Leeds have won a prestigious Vitae Impact, Culture, and Engagement (ICE) Award, in recognition of their significant contribution to the researcher development community.

The team behind the Research Culture Uncovered Podcast, celebrated winning the Research Culture Impact Through Researcher Development Award at an awards ceremony on 23 September as part of the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference Gala dinner at The Rep, Birmingham. 

The award recognises the podcast’s impactful and innovative work within the researcher development community, emphasising the importance of enhancing research culture. 

The winning podcast team consists of colleagues from Organisational Development and Professional Learning (OD&PL) and the Library Research Services Team

• Dr Emma Spary – Head of Researcher Development and Culture, OD&PL, and Deputy Director for Research Culture 
• Dr Ged Hall – Academic Development Consultant (Research Impact), OD&PL
• Ruth Winden – Careers with Research Consultant, OD&PL
• Dr Taryn Bell – Researcher Development Adviser (Career Development), OD&PL
• Nick Sheppard – Open Research Advisor, Library Research Services Team
• Dr Tony Bromley – Academic Development Consultant, OD&PL
• Katie Jones – Project Coordinator, OD&PL

Dr Emma Spary, Head of Researcher Development and Culture and Deputy Director for Research Culture, said:

We are absolutely delighted to receive this award, which is a testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication of everyone involved in the Research Culture Uncovered Podcast, including our incredible guests who have generously shared their insights on transforming research culture. 

“Our heartfelt thanks go out to Vitae and the ICE Awards for this meaningful recognition, as well as to our listeners and supporters, who have made this journey deeply rewarding.

“This award highlights the importance of research culture and provides a platform to celebrate and elevate its significance. It has further inspired us to continue exploring, amplifying, and addressing key issues surrounding research culture. We also extend our congratulations to all the other nominees and winners – we are honoured to work alongside you in driving impactful change in the research community.

“The podcast team firmly believes that fostering a better research culture is an urgent global priority. To contribute to this mission, we have worked to engage with the research and researcher development communities, sharing both successes and challenges in creating a more positive research environment. Our goal in this open forum has always been to move beyond discussion and towards actionable steps and the exchange of best practices.

"Finally, a special thanks to Professor Cat Davies, our Dean for Research Culture, for her unwavering support, and to my amazing team for their creativity, dedication, and humour. Each episode reflects just how exceptional you are.”

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(Left: Group photo of Dr Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths, Dr Taryn Bell, Dr Emma Spary, Ruth Winden and Dr Emily Goodall at the awards ceremony. Right: Ruth Winden holding the Vitae ICE Award.)

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Claire Viney, Chief Executive Officer of The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) and Vitae, said:

This award aims to showcase activities or work within researcher development that has had a positive impact on improving research culture and especially seeks to recognise examples of work which demonstrate how researcher development can act as a catalyst for change in research culture. 

“The community shortlisting panel and final judges were especially impressed with how the Researcher Development and Culture Team at the University of Leeds were driving the conversation on research culture forward in an innovative and engaging way through the Research Culture Uncovered podcast. 

“By sharing practical examples and good practice, and through reaching a large global audience, the team are having a significant impact on research culture and raising the visibility of the role researcher developers play within it.”

Two new hosts from OD&PL will soon join the podcast team: Dr Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths, Research Development Adviser, and Dr Emily Goodall, Academic Development Consultant. Their debut episodes are set to launch shortly, bringing fresh insights and expertise to the series.

Heledd will host a special episode marking 10 years of the international Researcher Education and Development Scholarship (REDS) Conference, which is hosted online by the University on 10 October 2024. 

Another upcoming episode will present key takeaways from a recent open lunch event that explored the role of podcasting in research culture, featuring representatives from four different podcasts discussing the benefits, impacts and challenges of podcasting.

Additionally, an upcoming episode with Dr Taryn Bell will focus on embedding research culture from an early career stage, whilst Ruth Winden will discuss how LinkedIn can be utilised as a visibility tool for senior academics. 

• The Research Culture Uncovered Podcast page on Captivate  
• The Research Culture Uncovered Podcast LinkedIn page   

You can also find out more about the support for research culture provided by the University on the OD&PL Researcher Development and Culture website, which includes a series of Research Culture Café events.