Research Adjacent / Sarah McLusky

Because there are only so many hours in the day, it's time to prioritise the channels most of my people seem to hang out. Come and find us there ☺️

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For Sean Ashe McCaul one of the hardest things about his job as an impact officer is not being able to help everyone who could benefit. And selecting projects for REF submission can feel like picking favourites.
Hear how he makes resources go as far as possible pod.link/1663857550

Good point - maybe a tasty filling that elevates an otherwise plain sponge!

Impact professionals in this episode - get this in your ears for some useful tips. Whether it's Sean Ashe McCaul talking about the problem of short-term thinking, to Kirsty High getting researchers from different disciplines to peer review each other's impact case studies. buff.ly/TPBNgg1

This is definitely one for my 'best podcast quotes' file - who DOES want to eat cake with no icing?? 🧁 😄 But Kirsty High makes an excellent point - impact is still too often seen as a 'nice to have' rather than an integral part of doing research well.
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Thanks for having us 😁

NEW EPISODE: This special extended episode recorded live at #ImpactIgnite2025 features Sean Ashe McCaul (Ulster University) and Kirsty High (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology). We talk about priorities, REF, embedding impact, and building long-term relationships. Listen lnkd.in/ewBiX5uX

Little steps add up over time and I still take the podcast one episode at a time but I am chuffed that in 2025 I...
🎧 added 23 episodes to the growing podcast archive
🙂 welcomed 37 guests to share their stories
🌳 planted 24 trees with Trees for Life rewilding charity

NEW EPISODE: The silly party hat is out again so it must be time for the annual review episode 🥳 Join Sarah McLusky for a look back at 2025 including my Spotify Unwrapped fail, an honest look back at what I have (and haven't done 🫣), the top episodes of 2025 and what's coming in 2026 buff.ly/99MPIRW

I bet loads of people who work in research-adjacent roles can relate to this - can you? @kathmath.bsky.social loved science, but didn't want to be a scientist so she ended up as a science communicator. She is now Director of the Royal Institution, and still loves science 🧪 🔭 🔬

Is awe and wonder a good enough reason to invest money and effort in science communication? 😯 @kathmath.bsky.social thinks it is! In an era of mis- and disinformation connecting with people emotionally might help break down barriers. Hear Katherine's take on the state of #scicomm buff.ly/uGrszXk

Latest guest Katherine Mathieson is Director of The Royal Institution, the birthplace of science communication and the home of the iconic Christmas Lectures which celebrate their 200th anniversary this year. Right from the start (1799 to be precise) its mission was to share science with the public.

New episode 🥳 Join me for a trip to The Royal Institution in the company of Director @kathmath.bsky.social We talk about her career in sci-comm, the many faces of The Royal Institution, the iconic Christmas Lectures, and why we all need a bit more awe and wonder in our lives. buff.ly/uGrszXk

Combining research development and impact while sitting in the Research Strategy team - it's no wonder that Laura Breen's role involves keeping one eye on the horizon to see what is coming down the line and how to prepare for it now.

I ask all my guests what they would change if they had a magic wand 🪄

Laura Breen wants to create more time and space for people to really get to know each other in what she calls 'creative relational spaces'.

We all know that's where things really happen!

Laura Breen works across disciplines and partners to help bring together diverse research teams. Her approach is a great example of 'one university thinking', which happens to be a key pillar of the new University of Manchester strategy. We recorded months ago it's clearly Laura's intuition at work!

NEW EPISODE 🥳 I'm talking to Laura Breen about 'one university thinking' at the The University of Manchester. Laura is the Research Development and Impact Manager. She works across all disciplines and with partners to help bring together research teams to tackle big challenges. buff.ly/yvCqSI2

At the Festival of @hiddenref.bsky.social there was a lot of talk about recognising a broader range of research outputs. But, as Elisa Collado says, a lot of work coordinating research will never lead to any outputs. This means many roles will remain hidden if outputs are the only metric of success

Join me for a 30sec visit to the Festival of hiddenref.bsky.social at ThinkTank Birmingham on 8 October 2025. Listen to the latest podcast episode for a full event report pod.link/1663857550

Thanks for sharing Emily (and taking part of course!) 😁

I do think there is magic in getting people together to tackle big challenges 🪄 Simon Hettrick and James Baker explained that @hiddenref.bsky.social has always been a bottom-up community-led campaign which is why gatherings like their Festival are so important.
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@hiddenref.bsky.social

New episode: Join me at the Festival of Hidden REF in Birmingham on 8 October. I meet Simon Hettrick, James Baker, Elisa Collado, Lorraine van Blerk, Laura Henderson, Alix Brodie-Wray, Dr Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Nick Sheppard about hidden roles and non-traditional outputs buff.ly/skpJuUR

Like Johanna Stadlbauer's LinkedIn posts, making people feel seen is far and away the most common feedback I get on this podcast. In the sometimes hyper-competitive research world where metrics may matter more than people, recognising our shared humanity might be the most valuable thing we can do.

Tangible work benefits with a side of pizza and yoga? Who else wants to hop on plane to Austria right now for one of Johanna Stadlbauer's programmes? The PostDoc Office has recently been named as an example of best practice in researcher supervision so this approach is definitely doing things right.

Latest guest Johanna Stadlbauer is not one to shy away from the hard stuff. Her first research-adjacent job was in reporting sexual harrassment and now she is tackling the culture of overwork in academia. With a kind, but no BS, approach she creates spaces where it's OK to tackle the hard stuff.

NEW EPISODE 🎉 with Johanna Stadlbauer, Head of the Research Careers Campus and PostDoc Office at University of Graz. We talk about about making academia kinder and more fun 💶 ✍ 🧘 🍕 and creating spaces where people feel seen and supported.
Listen here buff.ly/mzNeuc8

A year ago I ran an online event to start building community amongst research-adjacent freelancers. Those conversations have evolved into the Research Adjacent Community. It's a friendly, supportive space for the self-employed and research-adjacent to hang out. Come and join us! buff.ly/HswITwI

The most valuable thing that a freelancer can bring to your research endeavours is themselves. You get support from a real person and can forge connections in a way big corporations or AI just can't replicate.

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📑 Explore the Directory
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I've been both a freelancer and an employer of freelancers. I know how important it is to get the right match, but how difficult it can be to find the right person. So I'm delighted to introduce the Research Adjacent Directory! It's a unique listing board for research-specialists. buff.ly/oM0LKVN