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Melissa Bond

Current role at UCL: I am currently a Research Fellow in the EPPI Centre, which is part of the Institute of Education.

I first joined UCL two weeks before the first Covid-19 lockdown and left briefly to work for a year as a Lecturer in Australia, before I returned to the UK in March 2023. I am currently working on a range of systematic reviews in the field of education, particularly AI and digital learning.

I am also helping different researchers and organisations, such as the Education Endowment Foundation and the Department for Science, Technology & Innovation, to understand how they can use digital tools including automation to help make their evidence synthesis processes more efficient, to improve the research-policy-practice pipeline.

Please could you describe your career journey

I began my career as a high school teacher in South Australia, teaching mostly German, but also Humanities, IT, English, Music and Drama, among other subjects. I was also a year level and curriculum coordinator for a few years and was a Professional Development Facilitator for the Goethe Institute, providing professional development to other German teachers at state and national conferences.

During my ten years at the school, I also owned and ran a retail business, taught belly dancing, worked as an online freelance administration assistant and completed my Master of Education, and then in January 2017 I moved to Germany with my four-year-old daughter to undertake my PhD at the University of Oldenburg.

I worked there for three years as a Research Associate whilst completing my PhD by publication and in July 2020 I defended my PhD online from my kitchen in England, as we were locked down due to Covid-19. In December 2021 I was incredibly homesick and moved back to Australia to work at the University of South Australia, but family reasons saw me return to the UK in March 2023.

Aside from working at UCL, I am also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Teaching, am seconded to the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation, and am Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Education journal.

As you moved through your career journey, please describe your experience(s) in how you progressed to your current role? 

Throughout my career, I have experienced many setbacks and frustrations, but I have also been very lucky in finding employment. I have a long history of chronic illness (Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis), which has meant that my life has been put on hold many times until I was well enough to continue, and I became a single mother when my daughter was 5 months old. During my Masters, I chose to start a ResearchGate profile of my research outputs and presentations, which meant that I could start networking with potential collaborators.

In fact, it was my decision to respond to a job advert on ResearchGate that secured me my PhD position and job at the University of Oldenburg. When I moved, I only had a 50% part-time position, as this was all they could offer me initially. It was really tough financially, but my supervisor and my other colleagues were supportive, and eventually I was able to increase to a full-time role.

After I finished my PhD, I chose to accept a Professional Services position at UCL, rather than accept an academic position at another university, as I knew the EPPI Centre team were among the best in the world, and I really wanted to work with them. However, this did slow down my career progression as an academic, as I wasn’t allowed to supervise PhD students or have my publications count towards promotion. I am now on the Research track and am working towards applying for promotion.

What lessons have you learnt on your career journey? 

I have learnt that there are always new opportunities around the corner and that many skills are transferrable. However, I have also learnt that it is important to use the support networks that are available to you, both as a student and as a staff member at an institution, and that it is ok to ask others for help. I was very grateful to have been able to do my PhD by publication, as this taught me a range of skills and gave me an incredible leg up with citations and facilitating collaborations. It has also been important for me to manage my time and to set more realistic goals for myself, to help maintain work/life balance.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of? 

I am most proud of being named in the top 2% of scientists globally for the past three years and for receiving a high impact award from a prestigious journal in my field. I am also incredibly proud that they then asked me to conduct an analysis of their journal and to make recommendations for their future development, and they have since asked me to join their International Advisory Board as a result.

What advice would you offer to others? 

Making networks and connecting with other researchers in and beyond your field is really important. Don’t be afraid to reach out to researchers if you have questions about their work – social media can really help. Be brave, and back yourself.

I also wrote a book chapter about my journey, it hasn’t been published yet, but I’m happy to share the pre-print.


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