Why become a member of research staff?

Being a member of research staff can be immensely rewarding and stimulating and enable you to:

• develop your specialist knowledge and skills
• push the frontier of knowledge in your subject area
• test your motivation for pursuing an academic career
• contribute to the UK and global economy and impact on policy, commerce and industry
• communicate your research
• help to nurture the next generation of researchers
• contribute to your university community
• meet interesting people at the ‘cutting edge' of their field
• develop a huge range of other skills that will serve you well throughout your life.

There may also be some challenges. This part of the website provides information, guidance and resources to help you think about your development as a researcher and how you might further your academic career. It also provides some ‘survival' strategies to help you manage yourself  and gives information on your rights and responsibilities as a member of research staff.

Remember that you are not alone. You are connected to a huge network of other researchers, mainly through your discipline, but also through your university, nationally and internationally. They can also help you by providing support, advice and guidance. Use them!

Explore your discipline networks - relevant seminars and conferences in the university, UK or international, magazines and newsletters, etc. Ask colleagues how they network and who with.

Identify opportunities to network with researchers from other disciplines within the university - some universities have regular meetings for research staff to discuss topics of general interest and to find out what is available to them at the university.

Become involved in  your local research staff association or in the UK Research Staff Association which aims to give research staff a voice in policy making and sustain communities.