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Research activity covers all aspects of the creation and application of new knowledge, however that manifests itself within your discipline or disciplines.
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Research overview
Research activity covers all aspects of the creation and application of new knowledge, however that manifests itself within your discipline or disciplines. Broadly speaking, it covers the following:
• The production and dissemination of research outputs, including informing policy through research insights. • Supporting and nurturing early career researchers, including supervision of PGR students.
• Enabling and leading research activities: contributing to the intellectual life of your discipline – including developing novel lines of enquiry; contributing to the development of open science principles; maintaining the highest standards of research integrity; developing cross-disciplinary research activities; addressing equality, diversity and inclusion issues in research; managing links to professional bodies, and generating research income at a level appropriate to the discipline.
Research activity is described with reference to qualitative and quantitative evidence of achievement, including appreciation by peers, impact, scale, originality, rigour and significance of research outputs. UCL is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and we reject the use of certain quantitative indicators, in particular those that apply at the level of Journal or similar, rather than directly to the piece of research in question. UCL’s research strategy also establishes that “advancement and profile within UCL does not depend overly on easy metrics such as grant income or citation numbers that might penalise those who are advancing fields not yet fully appreciated by the wider research community, but instead suitably recognises and rewards creative and distinctive intellectual achievement”.
In general, we strongly emphasise quality over quantity in research outputs, expecting that research-active staff should produce on average each year at least one paper-scale output of world-leading or internationally excellent quality (likely using the widely accepted terms of the Research Excellence Framework), and regarding outputs of lower quality as of significance only when they contribute to enabling, leadership and impact. This significance varies according to discipline and career stage – some fields and research goals (such as space missions or major monographs) requiring many years of preparatory activity ahead of output production. Significant evidence of widespread research and collaboration is expected at senior levels, nationally or internationally as appropriate to the discipline. At UCL we emphasise cross-disciplinary collaboration within our research work (for example in relation to ‘big science’, clinical trials, education and social policy; disciplines which require collaboration between many national and international experts) and so we particularly recognise contributions to such activity, whilst recognising that it is harder to evaluate the success and significance of such contributions.
Grade 7
Threshold: an individual on this grade will demonstrate detailed understanding and knowledge of the subject and contemporary research activities within it. All research outputs are available through Open Access wherever possible.
Networks and reach: colleagues in department; informal links with staff in other institutions – typically national career-stage peer-group in discipline and immediate collaborators on projects.
Activity: Examples of activity that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade. Equivalent core or specialist activities may attach to particular career paths and disciplines. | |
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Core: Plan and develop independent, original, significant and rigorous contributions to subject area or body of knowledge Build networks of research contacts around discipline and/or relevant cross-disciplinary communities Presentation of work to collaborators or others external to UCL | Specialist: Broader or more in-depth core research activities; or some core research activity at next grade level Contribute to writing bids for research grants Co- or joint supervision of staff and/or students; or management of other delegated research resources or duties Contribute to policy-focused activity relating to area of expertise |
Grade 8
Threshold: an individual on this grade will demonstrate establishing oneself as an individual with the ability and potential to produce internationally-excellent independent, original, significant and rigorous research contributions to a subject area or body of knowledge. All research outputs are available through Open Access wherever possible.
Networks and reach: colleagues in cognate subject areas outside department; PGR students within UCL; links across national and/or international subject community.
Activity: Examples of activity that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade. Equivalent core or specialist activities may attach to particular career paths and disciplines. | |
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Core: Effective supervision and mentoring of PhD students Publish research findings and proposals Disseminate research findings at conferences and similar Participate in research-related enabling activities, for instance adding value to a cross-disciplinary network, journal reviewing National and/or international engagement Engagement with UCL Public Policy strategic activities e.g. policy round tables, the production of Research Insights briefings; the production of policy-focused outputs; evidence of building networks or partnership with policy stakeholders; testimonials from policy professionals; adopting co-production methods | Specialist: Broader or more in-depth core research activities; or some core research activity at next grade level Effective supervision of student affiliates and undergraduate students Provide peer review, e.g. by serving on peer review committees Work towards an independent research reputation (or the research reputation of a collaborative team) and recognition of achievement nationally/internationally Significant contribution to external engagement with a view to enhancing research impact Enabling scientific input (and output) on research platforms |
Grade 9
Threshold: an individual on this grade will demonstrate sustained and repeated contributions to subject area or body of knowledge, and a sustained publication record which demonstrates the potential to produce significant contributions to the discipline. All research outputs are available through Open Access wherever possible.
Networks and reach: widespread connections across national and/or international subject community, including active collaborations/contact with leading figures in subject area; regular collegiate engagement with colleagues from distinct disciplines on cross-disciplinary issues; network of collaborators or advice-seekers in industry, healthcare or policy organisations (or similar, depending on discipline context); contacts and networks both domestic and international.
Activity: Examples of activity that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade. Equivalent core or specialist activities may attach to particular career paths and disciplines. | |
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Core: Proactive role in successful collaboration within a large collective research group or with other research teams Supervise completion of PhD students and assist with their establishment within careers drawing upon their research skills Effective management of a research team Leading role in an institutionally significant activity that has successfully delivered substantial research impact Proactive mentoring of early career researchers and other colleagues, including those from underrepresented groups Developing reputation and profile nationally and/ or internationally, including with other leading contributors to subject area (including reputation of wider collaborative research team as appropriate to the discipline) Significant national and/or international engagement Successful record of participating in and leading peer review Sustained contribution to public policy e.g. through Select Committee submissions or consultation repossess; advisory groups; leading on embedding policy engagement and/or co-production in UCL practice Facilitation of scientific input (and output) on cohort studies | Specialist: Sustained success in securing funding (or otherwise ensuring research activity is sustainable) over a significant period Effectively supporting early career researchers, including development and mentoring, with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion principles Successful leadership of some significant research-related enabling activities, and/or facilitation of collaborative team-based research Broader or more in-depth core research activities above; or some core research activity at next grade level Significant contribution to enabling scientific input (and output) on research platforms |
Grade 10
Threshold: an individual on this grade will demonstrate successful delivery of outstanding contributions to a subject area of body of knowledge, demonstrating both the ability to sustain own research and to be successful against research competition in ways appropriate to the discipline. All research outputs are available through Open Access wherever possible.
Networks and reach: key funders, government agencies industry or other external agencies.
Activity Examples of activity that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade. Equivalent core or specialist activities may attach to particular career paths and disciplines. | |
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Core Sustained completion of PhD students and their establishment within careers drawing upon their research skills Effective mentoring of early-career supervisors of research students Lead role in collaborations within large research team or with other research teams/institutions Established and maintained reputation within the subject community, including sustained engagement with globally leading contributors to subject area (including reputation of wider research team where this collaboration is appropriate to the discipline) Provider of advice to industry, healthcare, government, policy or similar organisations, both domestically and globally. Significant innovation in policy engagement activity; sustained co-production activity or problem-focused research agenda | Specialist Extensive support, mentoring or management of early career researchers, for instance as leader of a research group, convenor of a network, or research director within a department, as appropriate to the discipline Repeated, successful and noteworthy leadership of diverse range of significant research-related enabling activities domestically, with the EU and globally Sustained role on funding or strategy board or major cross-disciplinary research activities Significant leadership in the use of research platforms |
Indicators of impact: Examples of impact that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade |
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Mentoring of research supervisors with evidence of impact Sustained track-record of income generation to support own group or field of work Chair of departmental or faculty research committee Outstanding sustained quality of research outputs, including those based on collaborations where appropriate Leadership of a major research field or group with track record of securing competitive grants, including leadership within a wider team where this is appropriate to the discipline context Editor of a significant research journal or book series Regular keynote speaker invitations at conferences attracting international participation Introduction of new research methods or approaches to the discipline Leading role in significant networks or associations relevant to discipline (including e.g. Learned Councils) Regular invitations to deliver research or analysis by external organisation(s) and/or member of policy groups of significant standing Success in a major multi-group collaborative funding opportunities Internationally significant policy positions on standards within discipline and similar. Leadership of successful initiative to contribute to equalities and diversity objectives within field Evidence of substantial impact of research on clinical practice or pathways (translation) Evidence of substantial impact of research on clinical guidelines (e.g. NICE, Cochrane) Sustained recognition by policy professionals and stakeholders |
