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Research

Research activity covers all aspects of the creation and application of new knowledge, however that manifests itself within your discipline or disciplines.

Contents


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.

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

Indicators of impact:

Examples of impact that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade.

PhD or equivalent professional qualifications/ experience (in vocational disciplines)

References from group leader, supervisors and immediate collaborators

Refereed conference posters/papers

Peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters

Peer-reviewed cultural, artistic or design outputs, as appropriate to the discipline

Occasional reviewer for research-focused journals

Descriptions of impact activities

Participation in policy-focused meetings or events; engagement with UCL Public Policy activities e.g. undertaking a policy placement; evidence of scoping and responding to policy stakeholder needs


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.

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

Indicators of impact:

Examples of impact that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade.

Proactive engagement with research development issues across the faculty

Supervisor or second supervisor experience of research students

Findings supported/invitations extended to disseminate these at conferences and similar

Academic references from across discipline community

Paper co-authored with collaborator with evidence of impact within the discipline

Significant cultural, artistic or design outputs, as appropriate to the discipline

Conference speaker invitations, including as a consequence of submitting proposals to conference panels

Regular reviewer for research-focused journals

Collaborator in research grant application

Successfully co-organised event aimed at an external audience.

Personal contribution to initiative to contribute to equalities and diversity objectives within field

Contributions to Open Source software, large scale computing projects


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.

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

Indicators of impact:

Examples of impact that would be typically expected of an individual working at this grade

Successful supervision to completion of doctoral students

Evidence of positive impact of mentoring of colleagues, including that they have met their career development goals

Research fellowship or award from UK or international funding body

Sustainable research project with funding successes in a competitive context and at a level appropriate to the discipline

Whole monographs, including as editor, where appropriate to the discipline

Cultural, artistic or design outputs with funding successes or other appropriate evidence of impact, in a competitive context

References from national and/or international subject community, including leading figures

Editorial board member of a significant journal in your discipline

Principal investigator of a nationally and/or internationally significant research or research collaboration

Evidence of key role in facilitating the research impact of a wider research team where this is appropriate to the discipline context

Significant income generated through external clinical trials

High-quality research outputs from collaborative research projects of significant standing.

Invited speaker, including keynote, at significant national and/or international events, or invitations to write review articles

Personal impact within cross-disciplinary programmes

Proactive engagement with national policy working groups

Peer reviewer for grant schemes both nationally and internationally

Lead role in the creation of a new research facility or group (where appropriate to the discipline)

Sustained contribution to initiative to contribute to equalities and diversity objectives within field, with evidence of impact

Evidence of impact of research on clinical practice or pathways (translation)

Evidence of impact of research on clinical guidelines (e.g. NICE, Cochrane)


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.

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

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