We are Team InFrame
We are one team across three institutions: Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St Andrews working together to enhance research culture through collaboration, leadership, and knowledge sharing. With expertise in collegiality, mentoring, funding support, and policy development, we empower Research Professionals at all career stages to drive positive change and build a more inclusive and supportive research environment.
Project Leads
Kay Guccione (She/her)
Institutional Lead
Dr Kay Guccione is the InFrame Project Lead. She is Head of Research Culture & Researcher Development, and Co-Director of the Lab for Academic Culture, at the University of Glasgow. She has developed specialisms and research interests in mentoring, research leadership development and research community building – anything that revolves around a good quality conversation and the making of a positive research culture. In 2018 she was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of her impact in this area. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Masters qualified Leadership Coach. Kay is a trustee of the UK Council for Graduate Education and has recently worked with them to develop the Recognised Associate Supervisor Award. Kay edits The Auditorium (a Research Culture and Researcher Development blog), the Supervising PhDs blog, and the Hidden Curriculum in Doctoral Education blog and book series.
Sara Shinton (she/her)
Institutional Lead
Sara is the Institutional Lead for InFrame at Edinburgh, where she manages the team and connects our work with the wider institution through close partnership with the University Head of Research Cultures and the VP Research and Enterprise. Her main role at the University is as Director of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network and she is a specialist in researcher and research leadership development. Previously she was the Head of Researcher Development at the University of Edinburgh and led on the University’s Concordat response. She has a particular interest in inclusive research cultures, enabling leaders, building recognition for research enabling professionals, collaboration and wellbeing.
Catherine Burns (She, her)
Institutional Lead
Catherine is the Executive Director of Research Support Services for the University of St Andrews. Her role provides strategic leadership and oversight of research support across the University. Her role covers the complete research journey, from facilitating creative spaces for ideation to action-orientated impact activity, covering research services ranging from funding to ethics to finance to research culture. Throughout her career she has been committed to supporting academics and professional service staff achieve their ambitions, be it in developing world-changing research or advancing their careers, through designing learning and development programmes, providing mentoring or identifying career pathways. She joined the University of St Andrews in January 2024, prior to which she held a number of roles at the University of Edinburgh, including latterly the role of Assistant Director of Edinburgh Research Office. Before joining the university sector, Catherine worked in the commercial sector.
Cross-Institutional Managers
Charlotte Bonner-Evans (she/her)
Project Manager
Charlotte is the InFrame Project Manager, a Wellcome Trust-funded collaborative project at the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews. Recognising that a skilled collegial approach to leadership is critical for the development of supportive and equitable cultures, the project aims to create a new framework for inclusive collegial research leadership and expand the definition of research leadership.
With a background in counselling and higher education leadership and management, Charlotte is a specialist in Mentoring programme development, being passionate about empowering others through mentoring and training, as a practicing ILM Mentor and Coach. Charlotte is the mentoring consultant for the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network and supports the development of mentoring programmes to improve individuals’ experiences. As a certified people and project manager, Charlotte aligns project management and people development to support culture change in HEI, being dedicated to fostering a supportive and growth-oriented environment to make a meaningful impact.
Andrew Unwin (he/him)
Community Knowledge Manager
Andrew has worked in Higher Education in a range of roles since 2001, in central quality assurance, departmental roles, and student enrichment and engagement. His latest role, as CKM, applies that experience to supporting and developing researchers and their working environment, often described as research cultures.
As CKM, Andrew’s roles is both conceptual and literal, bringing together the communities formed through InFrame and connecting them with each other and with the various types of support available, while also creating a repository for the knowledge found, created and shared throughout the project.
Throughout his career in HE, he has been an AUA/AHEP member, branch ambassador, and then network coordinator for the Yorkshire & NE, and Scotland networks.
Rosalind Attenborough (she/her)
Evaluation Manager
Hello everyone – I’m Ros. As our Evaluation Manager I’m developing a vision and strategy for evaluating InFrame. This means telling the “big picture” story of our processes, outcomes and impacts: what are we achieving overall? How does our model of research culture change work, or not work? What evidence can we share? It also means coordinating, conducting and supporting varied evaluation activities across our project. I work with our Community Knowledge Analysts to support evaluation in Culture Catalyst projects, bringing our community’s insights into the bigger picture.
As an embedded evaluator, I aim to bring a balance of independence and involvement to my role. My background is as a research culture specialist and social researcher studying university environments, and I value a close contextual understanding of what I am evaluating. I am available to be contacted by anyone who would like to offer feedback on InFrame.
I bring experience from recent roles as a Research Culture & Communities Specialist at the Wellcome Trust, and an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow investigating "Open and Healthy Research Cultures". I hold a PhD in Science & Technology Studies, which helps me to critically evaluate research as a social and cultural activity.
Rebecca Neish (she/her)
Events Manager
Rebecca has worked in the event industry for over 7 years. In this time, she has applied her event knowledge in various sectors and industries. First, starting off in the Business Sector, where she designed and executed events for the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce; she then moved into the Hospitality Sector, where she worked as the partnership and Events Sales Manager at Edinburgh’s world renowned, The Balmoral hotel before currently settling in the Higher Education sector where she is currently the Event Manager for the InFrame Project funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Rebecca first explored her passion for events when she studied a BA Hons in Events Management at Queen Margaret University. She then returned to Queen Margaret to further develop her learning in the field, where she completed an Associate MA in Arts & Cultural Management, Sustainability & Safety in Event Management.
She is passionate about the continuous delivery of high-quality events and continues to strive to develop her knowledge of how to produce inclusive, welcoming, effective events.
Ian McGregor (he/him)
Finance Manager
Ian oversees the finances of the InFrame Project. He is a highly experienced and qualified management accountant (CIMA) utilising a Business Partner, hands on approach to ensure that his financial leadership, experience and influence can be utilised by all to support the collaboration to align with the strategic delivery of the project.
Project Coordinators
Caitlin McDonald (she, her)
Project Coordinator
Caitlin is the InFrame project coordinator based at the University of St Andrews. In this role, her focus is on the smooth running and delivery of the InFrame project at St Andrews, but she also works closely with the InFrame teams in Glasgow and Edinburgh to support Culture Catalyst Fund applicants and project leaders, as well as championing the project’s mission to internal and external stakeholders.
With a background in both academic teaching and professional services, Caitlin has developed a keen interest in building and maintaining positive research cultures and views the InFrame project as aligning with her passion for collaborative working, knowledge sharing and working with colleagues from all areas of the research ecosystem. She believes in leading positive research culture by example and is committed to collegial working and supporting colleagues wherever possible. Caitlin is the first point of contact for any queries relating to InFrame at St Andrews, so please do reach out with any questions – big or small!
When she is not working on the InFrame project, Caitlin continues her research in film studies, with a focus on British cinema, adaptation and unfinished films, and she will happily chat about her love of archival research at any given opportunity.
Claire Spangler (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Claire is a Research Project Manager at the University of Edinburgh and serves as a Project Coordinator for the InFrame project. Her work is centred on the strategic delivery and financial integrity of high-value research initiatives, including InFrame and the RELAX project. By collaborating across the Glasgow and St Andrews partnership, she helps ensure that Culture Catalyst Fund projects are supported by robust management frameworks and clear operational pathways.
With over 8 years of experience in the strategic project management and research sectors, Claire brings a unique, cross-sectoral perspective to the team. Her background includes managing multi-million-dollar portfolios for USAID and the U.S. Department of State with Resonance Global, as well as overseeing humanitarian contract portfolios spanning 58 countries for UNICEF and the IFRC in Geneva. Before joining the Edinburgh Research Office, she managed the Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures and served as a Skills Research Officer at the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC).
An alumna of the University of Cambridge (MPhil, Sociology) and King’s College London (MA, International Conflict Studies), Claire is driven by a commitment to evidence-based social change. She is an active contributor to the field with twelve publications focusing on identity and social movements, and she is passionate about using data-driven insights to build more inclusive and transparent research cultures.
Cristina Vazquez Martin (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Cristina is the project coordinator for InFrame at the University of Glasgow. She supports the team engaging with stakeholders, and ensuring that resources are accessible, collaborating closely with her colleagues at the universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews. Her work involves coordinating with CCF leads to support the execution of InFrame-funded projects and offering guidance on timelines, budgets, funding, and relevant connections. Additionally, Cristina contributes to the People Make Research campaign, which is linked to the InFrame project, and is involved in handling the website and social media platforms.
Cristina is a biochemist by training, with a background working in academia and industry as a researcher and a project manager. Her latest role was as the project manager for X-Net, an interdisciplinary research network focussed on breaking down barriers to interdisciplinary research. She believes that the greatest innovations arise from the intersection of ideas and teamwork across various fields. Additionally, Cristina is passionate about improving research culture where effective leadership is essential for fostering an inclusive, transparent, collegial, and supportive environment, especially when working across different disciplines.
Community Knowledge Analysts
Zain Ul Abidin (he/him)
Community Knowledge Analyst
Zain is the Community Knowledge Analyst for the InFrame Project, a Wellcome-funded collaboration between the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and St Andrews. In this role, he leads stakeholder engagement, develops comprehensive support packages for applicants, and synthesises data and literature to inform best practices, ensuring initiatives are creative, innovative, impactful, scalable, sustainable, and evidence-based. His work is central to building inclusive frameworks for research leadership, democratising leadership roles, and fostering supportive, equitable research environments.
An alumnus of the Erasmus Mundus Programme on Education Policies for Global Development (GLOBED), a prestigious award funded by the European Union, Zain brings a global perspective to his work. His passion for community building, knowledge sharing, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration drives his commitment to creating research cultures that recognise and reward collegiality, promote inclusive leadership, and cultivate environments where diverse perspectives thrive and contribute meaningfully to research excellence.
Charmaine Lim (she/her)
Community Knowledge Analyst
Charmaine is a Community Knowledge Analyst based at the University of Glasgow. In this role, Charmaine works closely with individuals and communities across the Universities of Glasgow, St Andrews and Edinburgh to support them in turning their ideas into projects and providing strategic and research direction on their proposals. She researches, analyses and evaluates new and existing data to bridge the gap in our understanding of how collegial and inclusive practices and positive leadership can be embedded within institutions, with the view to contribute to systemic culture change.
Her involvement with this project is both professional and personal. Having been in and out of the (Australian) higher education sector during her PhD and after completion in 2019, Charmaine views InFrame as an exciting opportunity to create a more inclusive research culture for herself and her peers. Charmaine brings to the team her experience (qualitative research, strategy, policy, engagement), expertise (Anthropology and Sociology) and interests in equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) and social transformation. Driven by a deep-seated desire and commitment to a shared, equitable global future, she enjoys activating communities and leading with diversity to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes that are sustainable and culturally relevant. Outside of work, she is an avid traveller, half-hearted yogi/fitness addict, explorer of books and music, and lover of all things cultural.
Lisa Backwell (she/they)
Community Knowledge Analyst
Lisa is a Community Knowledge Analyst for the InFrame project based at the University of Edinburgh. In this role, Lisa maps, analyses and evaluates research culture, collegiality and leadership data to build evidence capable of driving policy and practice change. They lead comprehensive support and partnership building initiatives to support InFrame projects. Lisa works with colleagues and their emerging ideas to help grow them into projects that have the potential to make a positive impact to research culture, while being deliverable, inclusive, sustainable and receivable in their relevant contexts.
Lisa brings their analytical research experience and diverse background in research impact, equality diversity and inclusion, community building and visual arts to develop a new framework for research leadership. She has been working in the higher education sector for over 7 years as a researcher, teacher, actor facilitator and in professional services. Their career is driven by a passion for using data to challenge assumptions and generate new ways of thinking and working. She really enjoys forming useful connections (between ideas, information, activities and communities) and values working with kindness and compassion.
Dave Gardner (he,him)
Community Knowledge Analyst
As part of the team of Community Knowledge Analysts on the InFrame project, Dave works closely with his CKA colleagues across the three partner universities to support and assist individuals interested in applying to the Culture Catalyst Fund to take their ideas and turn them into project applications. Following funding of projects, Dave works with project leads to support the conducting and accomplishing of their projects, utilising his experience and knowledge.
With much of his previous work history coming in the Scottish third sector, Dave brings a wealth of experience to the project, not only in research and policy, but also community engagement, representation, service design, communications, social media, and social impact.
Yuji Shimohira Calvo (he/him)
Community Knowledge Analyst
Yuji is a Community Knowledge Analyst for the InFrame project based at the University of Edinburgh. In this role, he maps, analyses, and evaluates research culture, collegiality, and leadership data to build evidence capable of driving policy and practice change. He leads comprehensive support and partnership building initiatives to support InFrame projects. Yuji collaborates with colleagues and their emerging ideas to help develop projects that have the potential to positively impact research culture, ensuring they are deliverable, inclusive, sustainable, and contextually relevant.
Yuji has a keen interest in applied quantitative methods and the study of social inequalities. He has conducted research in both academic and government settings, bringing his expertise in social research design and the communication of outputs to the team. He is passionate about multidisciplinary projects, especially those that have critical thinking at their core. Yuji also has extensive experience in teaching research methods and analytical techniques to diverse audiences, from university students to civil service staff. This is a testament to his commitment to community creation and open science.
Anne Ploin (they/she)
Community Knowledge Analyst
Anne is a Community Knowledge Analyst based at the University of St Andrews, working with colleagues at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow to foster positive research culture practices through the InFrame project.
Anne’s background is in social science research and teaching, research consultancy, and equalities work––mostly in higher education. As a qualitative researcher, they favour interview methods, case studies, and ethnographic and participatory approaches to unpick complex problems, collaborate with others, and generate creative solutions.
A commitment to the transformative possibilities of (higher) education has informed Anne’s academic service and academic support work, as well as a long-standing interest in turning the lens onto universities as institutions. As the newest addition to InFrame, they are looking forward to working collaboratively with applicants to the Culture Catalyst Fund to facilitate the delivery of their research culture projects, build an evidence base for strong research culture practices, and support communities across the partner Universities in equitably delivering on their research, teaching, and ethical missions.
Alongside working as part of the InFrame team, they are writing up a social science PhD on racialisation and the politics of institutional knowledge, and work as a higher education access mentor.
Leadership Developers
Panagiota (aka Joulie) Axelithioti (she/her)
Leadership Developer
Hello there. I’m Joulie. I have been working within research in the UK Higher Education for the past 11 years in different roles (researcher, project manager, facilitator, communicator) and I find it hard to settle on one of these roles as an identity. I have done research in leadership, science, and EDIA (Equity/Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility) for the last two years and I am excited to be working as a Leadership Developer with team InFrame because I get to put a lot of evidence in practice. My favourite aspect of the role is helping colleagues envision their own leadership philosophy and goals within their professional role. I draw from my experience; when I feel empowered in my work, good practices spill into personal interactions and make things easier. When work is a black cloud over my head, the heaviness carries into other aspects of life. We often talk or hear about work/life balance, but I think the whole equilibrium benefits from maximising positive experiences wherever possible. And in my role as a leadership developer, I want to help co-develop those visions of visibly owning our contributions, doing away with the culture of “failure”, and embracing and contributing to inclusive culture change. I want to belong, and I want to create spaces where others feel they belong too. Even when we don’t hold the same points of views (POVs). Come say hello! I’m a very chatty person.
Dawn Cremonese (She/Her)
Leadership Developer
Dawn Cremonese has 25 years' experience in education and educational leadership in Higher Education, Further Education and school contexts in the UK and abroad. She helps colleagues and teams to develop and evolve their professional identities, attributes and careers.
Maddie Murphy (she/her)
Leadership Developer
Maddie is an InFrame Leadership Developer based in St Andrews. Maddie’s academic background is in Earth Science, and she recently completed a PhD in 2024 and two short postdoctoral positions in 2024/2025 (in the UK + US), so she brings a strong knowledge of the unique challenges researchers in STEM face. She is familiar with the Scottish research landscape and the wider UK Higher Ed environment, and she has experience collaborating with interdisciplinary stakeholders in diverse roles (from technicians to museum curators to emeritus professors), which makes her an experienced and keen communicator. Maddie has 5+ years of academic teaching experience with undergraduate and masters’ students in geology, and she has previously designed and delivered development workshops aimed at the undergraduate level. While Maddie’s background is mainly in the lab and field, she loves hearing about researchers’ experiences in all types of Higher Ed roles. She is particularly passionate about helping often-undervalued members of the research community access development and advancement opportunities as well as supporting folks to adopt transparent practices in research methodology, co-authorship, and publishing. Maddie is very familiar with the time pressure faced by many of those working in Higher Ed, and she is excited to learn directly how best she can design and deliver leadership development materials that will actually fit into the lives of the busy people who make up our research ecosystem. Maddie is so thrilled to be part of this exciting opportunity to help nurture positive research culture, and she is a major people-person who is always happy to chat!
Key Partners
Rachel Herries (she/her)
Research Culture Manager, University of Glasgow
Rachel leads the Research Culture Team, overseeing delivery of the five University of Glasgow 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.
Katie Nicoll Baines (she/her)
People, Culture & Environment Manager for the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, University of Edinburgh
Katie is a specialist on a range of matters relating to research & innovation culture, including equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), research integrity and sustainability. She is an experienced facilitator/trainer with expertise in researching barriers to career progression experienced by women and LGBT+ people related to grant funding. She is the People, Culture and Environment Manager for the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network where she leads on developing the legacy of the network, evaluation of network activity and developing and disseminating resources and expertise. She has expertise in EDI strategy development and works with UKRI on strategies to support Inclusive Research Design. Katie is also a member of the Ignite+ Network Advisory Board.
Alex Peden (she/her)
Head of Research Cultures, University of Edinburgh
Alex is the University of Edinburgh lead for Research Cultures based in the Institute for Academic Development. Working closely with the Vice-Principal Research & Enterprise, and across the University with College offices, Schools and Professional Service departments to deliver the University Research Cultures action plan and improve research cultures across the organisation.
Former InFrame Team Members
Theoni Massara (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Theoni is a Research Project Manager at the Flexible Resource Centre (FRC) of the University of Edinburgh. In parallel to her PhD and post-doc research, she started working as the Project Manager of various UK and international research projects involving multidisciplinary consortia. Theoni is PRINCE2-accredited and has now over 10 years of experience. She is passionate about implementing project management processes, risk management, project assurance, financial management (reporting, audits), engaging with key internal and external stakeholders, and managing national and international partners in various sectors.
Combining her project management expertise with her background in academia, Theoni is the InFrame Project Coordinator for the University of Edinburgh, hence responsible for the project management of InFrame in Edinburgh. She is supporting applicants to the InFrame Culture Catalyst Fund (CCF), as well as monitors the progress of the projects that have been funded under the CCF. Theoni is the first point of contact for any University of Edinburgh-related InFrame queries you might have.
Katrien Dierckx (she/her)
Project Coordinator
As part of the Research Project Management team at the Edinburgh Research Office, Katrien is responsible for coordinating the InFrame project at the University of Edinburgh. She works closely with colleagues at the University of Glasgow and St Andrews to support the InFrame team through administrative duties, stakeholder engagement, and by supporting projects funded under the Culture Catalyst Fund.
Katrien is trained as an historian and a linguist and gained her initial project management experience in the corporate sector in Singapore. There, she worked in a fast-paced, multicultural environment where open communication and flexibility were key. Since relocating to the UK, she has applied these skills to managing large-scale interdisciplinary research projects, including the EDI Caucus (EDICa) and the Our Heritage, Our Story project (OHOS), both of which focused on inclusivity and amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities.
Having worked across a diverse range of professional settings, Katrien is particularly interested in exploring what makes leadership effective. She is committed to fostering inclusive, transparent, collegial, and supportive environments. You can always shoot her an email or give her a ring with any questions on InFrame at the University of Edinburgh.
When not behind her desk, you are likely to find Katrien recharging her batteries outdoors or on the floor doing yoga. She also still loves art, history and keeping daughters culinarily happy.
Francesca Pagni (she/her)
Leadership Developer
Francesca brings over a decade of facilitation, coaching, and training experience supporting leaders, teams, and organisations harness the power of difference and participation to create healthy culture.
As a coach and facilitator, she has over 1000 hours of practice behind her, supporting teams and individuals develop the skills, awareness, and behaviours that create cultures of high performance and high trust.
As a trainer, she has led hundreds of people through conflict transformation and participative leadership training. She has also designed and led one-off in-house team retreats to multi-year, award winning leadership programmes.
She is a certified Integral Development Coach, Mediator and Lewis Method Facilitator and Instructor.
As part of the InFrame team, she is a Leadership Developer, focused on supporting the cohorts of Catalyst Leaders learn and grow in their personal and professional leadership, and achieve the impact that matters most to them within research culture.
Gabrielle Blackbell, she/they
Community Knowledge Analyst
Gabrielle is one of InFrame’s Community Knowledge Analysts based at the University of Edinburgh. This role is a relational one - building relationships with project leaders and colleagues across the university, Gabrielle supports them to create lasting impact though their work. She does this by ensuring that their interventions are inclusive, accessible, receivable within their contexts and scalable to new contexts. To this aim, they provide guidance on research strategy and design, methodology, literature, data collection and analysis, and project evaluation. Their aim is to make a lasting change on research culture, while documenting what (didn’t) worked, who did(n’t) it work for, and why.
Gabrielle has worked in the equalities third sector for 10 years, in particular within feminist advocacy and Violence Against Women and Girls; her work has focused on EDI, participatory action research, knowledge mobilisation and evaluation. Having held multiple leadership positions, she has developed a strong intersectional feminist praxis for facilitation and governance. Basically, she’s a big fan of a good coddiwomple.
She is the founder of Narrative Matters (a research impact consultancy), She is fascinated by the power of storytelling, and how telling familiar stories through unfamiliar lenses can support paradigm shifts – new ways of seeing the world - creating spaciousness within us to embody an ethic of care.
Have questions? We have answers!
Explore our FAQs page to find detailed answers to common queries.
For any further information, feel free to contact us at InFrame Support.
We're here to help!