Introducing Vitae’s New Engagement and Policy Project Manager
Posted 14/06/2023 by 9a4fa0b2-a68f-44ca-95b6-a2b900c1471a
Rachel Cox, Engagement and Policy Project Manager, CRAC & Vitae. Rachel has written this blog post as an introduction to the Vitae community. Her background is in academic publishing and she is passionate about access to education and opportunity for all.
I first encountered CRAC and its main programme Vitae in October 2018, when I was searching for something to bring purpose back to my career. I felt a need to contribute to the world in a positive way and, having worked with researchers within academic publishing for most of my career, this organisation and its mission seemed the perfect fit for my passion and talents.
My new role as Engagement and Policy Project Manager officially began in January 2019, although I was lucky enough to be able to attend the York Concordat consultation event in December 2018. This was my first introduction to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and it wouldn’t be my last.
Since then, I have had the pleasure of working with stakeholders from across the country, representing a variety of organisations and job roles, as part of the Concordat Writing Group. Through this work I have gained further insight into the research environment, as well as a profound respect for the individuals working tirelessly to improve research culture and the lives of researchers in the UK.
In mid-January I was invited to attend a researcher development conference led by one of our member organisations. ResDev19 was a great success and it was fantastic to see such leadership and enthusiasm within the community. I look forward to getting out there and attending more events like this in the future.
In February I had the opportunity to travel to Barcelona to see some of our professional development training courses in action. It was an extremely rewarding experience to talk with the vibrant and enthusiastic fellows who attended, as well as to meet with one of our international member organisations. This trip fully immersed me in what it is to be part of Vitae and what we offer to the global research community. I am so grateful to the Vitae trainers who welcomed me and made me feel part of the Vitae family during my visit.
For the coming year, I’m excited to meet and collaborate with more passionate researcher development professionals, through the Catalyst funded projects, the Vitae Working Groups, member webinars and a variety of other important initiatives. I look forward to engaging with our members face to face at the Vitae Researcher Development International Conference 2019, in September, to explore how we can support the community in these unpredictable and interesting times. I hope to see you there!
