Meet the Research Culture & Researcher Development Team
We work as one team across Research Culture and Researcher Development. We aim to ensure that every member of our research ecosystem is supported to be at their best, and to be part of an engaging, fair, and collegial environment in which people help each other to succeed and to make informed, active choices about their career ahead.
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Leadership Team
Kay Guccione
Head of Research Culture & Researcher Development
Kay leads the Research Culture & Researcher Development Team and is Co-Director of the Lab for Academic Culture. The team works in pursuit of our ambition that every member of our research ecosystem, should be supported to be at their best, and to be part of an engaging, fair, and collegial environment in which people help each other to succeed and to make informed active choices about their career ahead. Kay's own specialisms and research interests are in mentoring, research supervisor and leader development, and in community building – anything that revolves around a good quality conversation. Kay is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and in 2018 she was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of her impact in creating developmental reseach cultures, and this is where her leadership at UofG focuses.
Email | Staff Profile | LinkedIn
Blog: The Hidden Curriculum in Doctoral Education
Blog: Supervising PhDs
Joanna Royle
Researcher Development Manager
Joanna leads the team responsible for delivering our rich frameworks of university-wide professional development for all researchers, including Postgraduate Researchers, Research Staff, and Research Supervisors. These programmes, activities and events are designed to enrich researchers’ skills and working relationships, foster their talents, and accelerate their professional prospects. Joanna also leads the Talent Lab suite of research leadership programmes. Joanna is excited by the pedagogy underpinning excellent training, and has committed her career to widening participation, building academic literacies, and fostering supportive communities for different cohorts connected with the University of Glasgow.
Rachel Herries
Research Culture Manager
Rachel leads the Research Culture Team, overseeing delivery of the five UofG Culture Priorities: Open Research, Research Integrity, Career Development, Collegiality and Research Recognition. This includes leading several flagship projects related to the Career Destinations of Researchers, the PI Development Strategy, and career enhancement for Research Professional Staff. Her aim is to enable all colleagues who contribute to research to develop their confidence to create positive environments, to be better connected with each other, and ultimately to be able to do the best possible research.
Specialists & Project Officers
Rhoda Stefanatos
Researcher Development Specialist (Research Staff)
Rhoda leads on Researcher Development for Research Staff, including the implementation of the Researcher Development Concordat, through development of a wide range of opportunities, experiences and resources for Research Staff. She is committed to empowering researchers to communicate, create, collaborate and make informed strategic choices about their career and development while contributing to a positive and open research culture.
Emma Waters
Researcher Development Specialist (PGR)
Emma leads of Researcher Development for Postgraduate Research Students.
Emma is a passionate educator and committed to ensuring PGRs develop skills during their degree which will benefit a career both in and out of academia. PGR Researcher Development at the University of Glasgow is a rich programme of over 250 courses, including mandatory courses which focus on essentials for all researchers and optional courses which allows PGRs to identify their own areas of professional development.
Emma comes from a lecturing background and has experience in pedagogical design and promoting inclusive teaching practices. In 2023 she was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award at the University of Glasgow for her work on improving teaching practices to make geoscience fieldtrips more accessible to students.
Researcher Development Specialist (Writing and Communication)
Researcher Development Specialist (Writing and Communication)
We are currently recruiting a new team member to lead our support for University of Glasgow researchers to become effective, independent academic writers through the design and delivery of initiatives such as writing workshops, retreats, the annual WriteFest academic writing festival, mentoring, and 1:1 writing support. This role supports postgraduate researchers, research staff, and their supervisors and PIs.
Elaine Gourlay
Research Culture Specialist (Communities & Collegiality)
As Research Culture Specialist for Communities & Collegiality, Elaine facilitates our researcher communities, networks, and mentoring programmes. Having gained her PhD at UofG, Elaine is passionate about finding ways to ensure that UofG staff and students are able to get the most out of their experiences at the university. Elaine is enthusiastic about fostering strong relationships and believes everyone can find their place in the UofG community. Therefore, her work is centered around ‘Collegiality’, which is a Research Culture priority for UofG.
Research Culture Specialist (Career Destinations)
Research Culture Specialist (Career Destinations)
We are currently recruiting a new team member to lead on the design, delivery, and evaluation of 'Pathfinder' a programme of career development opportunities, networks, mentoring and events for postgraduate researchers, and research staff, to support the University’s strategic ambition to promote a positive and career-focused research culture and contribute to the implementation of the Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers principles.
Robyne Calvert
British Academy Early Career Network (Scotland Hub) Project Officer
Robyne (she/her) leads on the Scottish hub of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network. She is excited about fostering new opportunities to support researchers to further their professional development and collaborate across Scotland. She welcomes enquiries about the network and how it can support researcher-led projects in the SHAPE disciplines. Robyne’s research specialism is in cultural history with research and teaching experience in the history of art, design, fashion, and architecture, including PhD supervision and researcher development. She is also a Research Affiliate in History of Art and teaches Short Courses.
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Rachel Chin
Researcher Development Project Officer
Rachel is the lead for the Talent Lab Flourish programme which offers a framework of career-oriented support for Research Staff across the University of Glasgow. The programme provides tailored support for researchers that broadens their awareness of career options and promotes cross-sector mobility. Rachel is passionate about supporting and empowering Research Staff to develop their own unique career paths in whatever sector they choose.
Administration
Rachel Lyon
Researcher Development Administrator
Calum Cameron-White
Research Culture Project Administrator
Calum studied English Literature and History followed by Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Glasgow, and then he carried out postgraduate research in History. He has taught at the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling. Calum started work in Research Services in January 2023. He works to support the Research Culture Team across many projects, including taking a lead on the Pathfinder Career Narratives blog posts series, and the Pathfinder LinkedIn page which posts daily research careers content.
Talent Lab Coordinator
Talent Lab Coordinator
We are currently recruiting a new team member to coordinate the University of Glasgow suite of intensive Talent Lab research leadership development programmes. The Talent Lab is part of our commitment to focussing on Collaboration, Creativity and Careers, as the key priorities of our Research Strategy. Talent Lab houses initiatives that focus on developing leadership in research, and researchers as leaders, recognising the power of each of us to influence the research environment and the research culture in which we operate, and to create a place to work in which we can all thrive. Read more about Talent Lab here.
Interns
Nadine Juarez-Rendon
PGR Writing Intern
Nadine is the PGR Writing Intern for 2023-2024. She will be working on the planning, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of PGR writing resources, such as WriteFest, writing workshops, inter-university writing retreats, and peer writing support. Nadine believes that an effective writing practice is built through having access to writing-specific development resources, and a supportive community. Nadine’s always writing at present, as she is in the last year of her PhD in Mechanical Engineering. When Nadine is not working, she spends her time painting, playing with her dog and occasionally weightlifting.
Gabriela Gerganova
Research Staff Development Intern
Gabriela (she/her) is currently in the last year of a PhD in Cardiovascular Sciences and has been part of the Researcher Staff Development team since August 2023. Within the team, she leads the Coffee Connect initiative, facilitates the monthly Research Staff Assembly and the quarterly Research Staff Inductions. When she is not organising events for researcher staff, collecting experimental data in the lab or talking about professional development, she is usually found running, cycling, swimming or napping.
Sasha Vaniev
PGR Events and Communications Intern
Sasha (PhD Education) is the PGR Development Intern for 2023-2024, taking care of events and competitions for UofG PGRs, such as the Induction Week, Three-Minute Thesis (3MT), This PhD Life Conference, and Visualise Your Thesis (VYT). Also, he maintains social media channels to make doctoral researchers aware of relevant PGR Development opportunities. Sasha believes in the power of connections, support structures, and co-curricular opportunities to promote a sense of belonging, meaning, and growth in one’s PhD journey. In his spare time, Sasha loves to jog, hike, and travel but these days, he’s mostly parenting.
Hollie Jackson Ireland
Research Culture Intern
Hollie is the Research Culture Intern for 2023-2024. She is responsible for handling administration and comms for Catalyst Mentoring, and providing support for the launch of the Research Professionals Network and the Parenting Network. Hollie is passionate about creating a positive, supportive environment for all members of the research community. She believes in embracing diversity and striving for equality and inclusion, so we can create a community wherein all members are supported and encouraged to thrive. Outside of her role as an intern, she is a virology PhD student and you’ll find her over in Garscube campus researching how our bodies fight against HIV.
Paola Alarcon Lopez
PGR Communities' Intern
Paola is the PGR communities’ intern for 2023–2024 and is responsible for facilitating the PGR gardening group, the PGR Bookshelf, and the PGR walk. Paola deeply believes that contact with nature and feeling part of a community are powerful sources of well-being. Outside of this, she is working on her PhD in Law. When she is not working she loves to spend time with family and friends, dancing and watching, and occasionally playing tennis.
Key Partners
Samantha Oakley
Research Governance and Integrity Manager
Samantha sits within the Research Policy, Governance and Integrity portfolio in Research Services. She leads the Research Governance and Integrity team to deliver policy, training and support structures, for PGRs, for Supervisors and PIs, and for Research Staff. Sam and her team play a key role in developing researchers and in supporting research that is conducted to the highest standards of academic rigour, to increase the quality of, and trust in, our research record.
Valerie McCutcheon
Research Information Manager
Valerie sits within the University Library and leads on the areas of Research Data Management and Open Access publishing for the University of Glasgow and plays a key role in supporting transparency, rigour, and reproducibility through facilitating early sharing of research data, software, code, and materials to a wider audience.
Suzie Shapiro
PGR Mental Health Adviser
Suzie is the University’s Wellbeing Lead (Student Support & Wellbeing) and PGR Mental Health Advisor. She leads the University Wellbeing Team within Counselling & Psychological Services. Suzie is passionate about building mental health literacy through accessible and engaging communications and activities, and supporting UofG PGRs to build their self-knowledge and access the right workshops, services and support. Suzie can be contacted by PGRs and their Supervisors.