Reimagining Recruitment
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Vice Chancellor's Office
Abstract
Ask a typical eight-year-old to describe a scientist and they will likely repeat the stereotype of the lone genius: a middle-aged white man in a lab coat. We know that in fact the best research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is produced by collaborative teams of diverse membership who each contribute different skills and perspectives. Nonetheless, the stereotypes remembered from childhood are sadly persistent and research shows they can influence important decisions, especially in recruitment. The vision of this proposal is to reimagine academic recruitment, providing alternative routes for academic research candidates to demonstrate their skills.
To embed real cultural change, it is necessary not just to tell people that they would be better off working with a more diverse team, but to show them. We propose to achieve this by implementing and directing a programme of "incubator" events - academic research workshops in which senior academics work alongside postgraduate students and other early-career academics, potentially with industrial partners, in an accessible and inclusive environment for a period of 3-5 days.
At the same time, we will conduct an interlinked programme of research into the experiences of early-career researchers in STEM subjects and the efficacy of alternative recruitment strategies in academia. This will enable the development and communication of evidence based policy to drive cultural change in science and technology higher education and more widely.
To embed real cultural change, it is necessary not just to tell people that they would be better off working with a more diverse team, but to show them. We propose to achieve this by implementing and directing a programme of "incubator" events - academic research workshops in which senior academics work alongside postgraduate students and other early-career academics, potentially with industrial partners, in an accessible and inclusive environment for a period of 3-5 days.
At the same time, we will conduct an interlinked programme of research into the experiences of early-career researchers in STEM subjects and the efficacy of alternative recruitment strategies in academia. This will enable the development and communication of evidence based policy to drive cultural change in science and technology higher education and more widely.
Planned Impact
The beneficiaries of this project will be:
- Early career academics, especially those from currently underrepresented groups.
STEM subjects unfortunately suffer from outdated and unhelpful clichés of individual genius that are known to correlate with inequality of representation. The incubators will give senior academics and any associated non-academic partners the opportunity to discover the talents of those who may not have made it through a traditional CV sift. Working collaboratively in situ will provide a different and more informative view than the traditional interview/presentation experience that will lead to a broader range of people being considered for postdoctoral positions and permanent academic posts.
- HE institutions and STEM employers.
The cutting-edge research undertaken in STEM subjects is highly collaborative in nature, and across the sector there is generally recognition within management that diversity is beneficial to performance. However, the pace of culture change has been slower than desired for many employers. Breaking the cultural barriers to the creation of diverse teams must start with recruitment - our two work packages will together identify and communicate improved recruitment practices, and implement activities that ensure greater diversity of candidates for junior positions.
- Early career academics, especially those from currently underrepresented groups.
STEM subjects unfortunately suffer from outdated and unhelpful clichés of individual genius that are known to correlate with inequality of representation. The incubators will give senior academics and any associated non-academic partners the opportunity to discover the talents of those who may not have made it through a traditional CV sift. Working collaboratively in situ will provide a different and more informative view than the traditional interview/presentation experience that will lead to a broader range of people being considered for postdoctoral positions and permanent academic posts.
- HE institutions and STEM employers.
The cutting-edge research undertaken in STEM subjects is highly collaborative in nature, and across the sector there is generally recognition within management that diversity is beneficial to performance. However, the pace of culture change has been slower than desired for many employers. Breaking the cultural barriers to the creation of diverse teams must start with recruitment - our two work packages will together identify and communicate improved recruitment practices, and implement activities that ensure greater diversity of candidates for junior positions.
Organisations
- University of Bath (Collaboration, Lead Research Organisation)
- Heriot-Watt University (Collaboration)
- University of Hertfordshire (Collaboration)
- Oxford Brookes University (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET COUNCIL (Collaboration)
- Ulster University (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
Publications
Corbett E
(2024)
"That's just the way it is": bullying and harassment in STEM academia
in International Journal of STEM Education
Litzellachner LF
(2023)
How harassment is depriving universities of talent: a national survey of STEM academics in the UK.
in Frontiers in psychology
Meyer J
(2025)
Increasing diversity in STEM academia: a scoping review of intervention evaluations
in Studies in Higher Education
| Description | The key take-home messages from this research are that efforts to retain ECRs in STEM academia need to focus on: a. improve employment contracts to provide security and ability to plan; b. embed ECRs in wider systems of support to provide minority group members with multiple opportunities for positive experiences and mentorship; c. address negative experiences and perceptions of organisational climate, associated with institutional failures on bullying and harassment; d. provide encouragement and support for the evaluation of interventions, to improve the evidence-base for what works. |
| Exploitation Route | Through the published outcomes being implemented. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Chemicals Construction Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics Energy Environment Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Security and Diplomacy Transport |
| Description | Our Reimagining Recruitment research project team included an Associate Dean of Research and a senior member of the HR department. We have worked with them and our HR department more broadly to think through the implications of our research evidence for our policies, practice and culture across the University, and to use this evidence to make improvements that affect our ECRs' experience. There are two key findings from the research that have informed our work: 1. Atomisation. The problem of being recruited to a culture where ECRs are isolated and dependant on limited set of relationships and role models, and where norms of competition conflict with collaboration and collegiality (Absence of positive culture). 2. Bullying and harassment. The structured nature of experiences that undermine ECRs sense of belonging / fit including microaggressions through to more overt bullying and harassment. (Presence of negative culture). Below are changes to University of Bath policy and practice, designed to better integrate staff (particularly early career researchers); create structures and support for positive workplace cultures; and develop approaches to bullying and harassment that address power imbalances. Some initiatives include: · Developed a Research Culture Action Plan that places collegiality and recognition of research as a collective endeavour, at the heart of all that we do. · Promoting the recruitment of ECRs to research groups and/or teaching teams that can provide multiple points of connection, and investing in our research groups (labs, centres, institutes). · Further utilised the Incubator approach - Our original research concept was based on observations of improved outcomes from using the Maths Department incubator approach to engaging and recruiting ECRs - we have tried to extend this approach wherever relevant. · Reviewing and improving PhD student arrangements - this includes building in a 6-month review point that includes reflecting on the effectiveness of study-relationships with supervisors and facilitates changes to supervision · Improving induction and career development for Early Career Researchers - we have improved information for ECRs on probation with the creation of a new portal / hub and a revised appraisal linked into the Researcher Development programme for PDRAs and PGRs. · Updated the Dignity and Respect policy and rolled out training across the university with attention to ECRs experiences. · Implemented a new Report and Support tool for bullying and harassment which enables anonymous and third-party reporting and implemented a new Resolution Framework that seeks to recognise and address social power dynamics. We continue to be engaged in knowledge transfer activities designed to impact the wider HEI community (e.g., with SWDTP, AdvanceHE, and HEPI). In light of the call for evidence-based practice, we have confidence that our recently published systematic review of peer reviewed evaluations of EDI interventions in HEIs will have considerable impact on our industry. We published a pandemic recovery article in THE https://www.timeshighereducation.com/career/academic-workshops-how-we-build-back-better. The Department of Mathematical Sciences has recently been awarded a Gold Athena Swan award. This award both exemplifies the changes that took place within the Department but also itself represents a form of impact directly because the knowledge that we are AS Gold is expected to engender a greater sense of pride in our credentials and further development of our related policies/thinking. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural Policy & public services |
| Title | Dataset for "How Harassment is Depriving Universities of Talent: A national survey of STEM academics in the UK" |
| Description | We recruited 835 faculty members from 40 universities in the United Kingdom (UK) via our networks within UK STEM departments. Participants were drawn from various STEM departments, including biological science (18%), computer science (7%), engineering (28%) mathematical science (16%), and physics (13%). Respondents completed an online survey in which details about their employment were collected at the beginning and additional demographic information was collected at the end. The middle section of the survey contained measures of: identity and career perceptions; staying in academia; collaborative working style, received opportunities; workplace diversity and inclusion and affective workplace climate; experience of harassment; and assessment of a workshop intervention. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://researchdata.bath.ac.uk/id/eprint/1271 |
| Description | Beyond the car: Future mobility in Bath |
| Organisation | Bath and North East Somerset Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We collaborated with Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) to run a 3 day incubator looking at future mobility options for Bath. This event was attended by approx 45 people - 15 stakeholders from the local community i.e. B&NES policy makers, Royal United Hospital, public health and local Councillors. We organised and ran the event, recruited participants and led the sessions. The event was run as a collaborative incubator using the guidelines developed through the Re imagining Recruitment programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | B&NES worked with us to develop the workshop and helped identify the problems that we would present. The provided lists of participants to attend and gave talks during the event. B&NES also provided the venue for us to hold the event and contributed to the catering costs. |
| Impact | The collaboration led to a 3 day multidisciplinary workshop attended by 45 people. The workshop was run as a collaborative incubator and the feedback from the participants was generally really positive and met the project goals of running an inclusive event. The workshop identified a number of short and medium term projects that could form the basis for on-going collaboration between the University of Bath and the various stakeholders. The event was multi-disciplinary - the workshop was attended by policy makers from various organisations and researchers working in mathematics, statistics, engineering, psychology and policy. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Enhancing the Future of Transport and Urban Infrastructure: How to engineer smart, sustainable and healthy cities? |
| Organisation | Oxford Brookes University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are partnering with Oxford to to run a 3 day virtual incubator. This incubator will bring together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, guidelines for how it should be run, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. The project team also attended the event. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator will be run by in accordance with our guidelines. Oxford Brookes are recruiting a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | This virtual collaborative incubator workshop offers a three-day, hands-on event exploring real world problems in the research area of transport and urban infrastructure for smart, sustainable and healthy cities. It brings together a broad range of participants from academic, public policy and industry bodies to identify the barriers and opportunities in three main thematic areas, namely urban emissions, public transport and urban green spaces. Expert guest speakers will present the current state of the art and research gaps in subject areas such as ICE vehicle emissions, electric vehicles and battery technology, emission related health concerns and green city planning. Participants will collaborate to generate ideas that have potential to bridge gaps and improve the wellbeing of city inhabitants. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Growth and division in mathematics and medicine |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We partnered with UCL to run a 3 day collaborative incubator in mathematics and medicine. This incubator brought together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, guidelines for how it should be run, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. The project team also attended the event. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run by UCL in accordance with our guidelines. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | The collaboration led to a 3 day multidisciplinary workshop attended by 35 people. The workshop was run as a collaborative incubator and the feedback from the participants was generally really positive and met the project goals of running an inclusive event. The collaboration was multi-disciplinary - the workshop was attended by biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians and statisticians. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Light@Bath |
| Organisation | University of Bath |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We ran a two day incubator with the Physics department for researchers who work in photonics with those who use light in their research in order to exchange ideas, solve problems, and generate new research projects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run in accordance with our guidelines. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | The output was a 2 day collaborative incubator attended by a diverse mix of around 30 participants. Proposals for short research projects were developed at the work shop. These resulted in 4 small grants being awarded as seed funding for a 12 month period. These grants are: 1) The FluoroFlex:Open, 3D printed fluorescence microscopy for cell imaging £3,000. 2) Hyperspectral endoscopy. £2,500. 3) Non-invasive assessment of topical bioavailability of dermatological drugs using optical fibres and Raman spectroscopy - £2,500. 4) Exeter Bath optical metamaterial knowledge transfer - £1000. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Mental Health Datathon |
| Organisation | Ulster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are running a virtual Datathon with the School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems at Ulster University on the subject of mental health from 22-24 March 2021. This event will bring together academics at various career stages to work on problems associated with mental health and COVID-19, using the power of data science. The datathon is organised by experts in the fields of data science, computer science, engineering and psychology. We have provided grant funding of £15,000. We have provided guidance and support to the team organising the Datathon and will attend the event to provide support as needed. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Ulster have organised the event, including recruiting speakers and participants and will run the Datathon. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary - computer science, maths and psychology. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Microalgae and microtechnologies |
| Organisation | Heriot-Watt University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are partnering with Heriott Watt to run a 3 day online collaborative incubator in Microalgae and microtechnologies. This incubator should take place in May 2021 and will bring together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, on-going support and guidance for the incubator organiser, guidelines for how it should be run, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator will be organised by Heriott Watt including recruiting a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organising the speakers and the problems. They will provide information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | None yet. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Neuroscience Data Challenge |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We partnered with University of Bristol to run a 5 day collaborative incubator in neuroscience. This incubator brought together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, guidelines for how it should be run, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. The project team also attended the event. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run by the University of Bristol. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the data challenges. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | The collaboration led to a 5 day multidisciplinary workshop attended by 40 people. The workshop was run as a collaborative incubator and the feedback from the participants was generally really positive and met the project goals of running an inclusive event. The workshop lead reported that he will run similar events next year if he can get the funding as he saw real benefits for the PhD students in particular. The collaboration was multi-disciplinary - the workshop was attended by experimental neurosciences, computational neurosciences, mathematicians and statisticians. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Open hardware from academia |
| Organisation | University of Bath |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We partnered with University of Bath Physics department to run a 3 day collaborative incubator. The workshop brought together academics that already make their equipment designs Open Access, and others who are interested in learning more about the implications. The workshop was designed to encourage new collaborative hardware projects, and to foster a discussion about how to improve the academic impact of open science hardware. This incubator brought together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics, along with with legal and industry experts. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, guidelines for how it should be run to create a diverse and inclusive event, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. The project team also attended the event. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run by the physics department in accordance with our guidelines. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | The University of Bath hosted "Open Hardware from Academia", an international workshop looking at open source hardware developed within academic institutes. The event brought together academics from all career stages alongside legal and industry experts to discuss topics in an inclusive environment. The workshop was run as an "incubator", with panel discussions to set the scene, and the majority of time in collaborative discussion sessions on topics identified by the participants. During the event, a number of topics were discussed including the legal aspects how hardware designs can be shared openly while still allowing companies to commercialise the results and build on the innovations, to the open source toolchain needed to make open source designs accessible to all. These discussions are ongoing and will form the basis for future collaborations. The workshop also had panel discussions to focus some of the discussion with participation from: • Javier Serrano - leader of the hardware and timing group at CERN • Adrian Bowyer MBE - founder of the RepRap project • Jenny Molloy - Shuttleworth fellow at the University of Cambridge • Alison Parker - Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars • Andrew Katz - Moorcrofts Corporate Law • David Beet - Commercialisation Officer, University of Bath The workshop was organised by the Bath Open Source Hardware group, including Dr Julian Stirling, Dr Joel Collins, and Dr Richard Bowman from Physics, and Dr Jérémy Bonvoisin, Rafaella Antoniou and Dr Pen-Yuan Hsing from Mechanical Engineering. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Probability meets biology |
| Organisation | University of Bath |
| Department | Department of Mathematical Sciences |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We ran a 5 day trailblazer collaborative incubator with the department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Bath that explored issues at the interface between probability theory and biology. Participants worked in groups to formulate and solve problems. The workshop was attended by 45 academics at all career stages, who either work in probability theory and are interested in biological applications, or have interests in biological models that could have stochastic elements. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run in accordance with our guidelines. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | This was a multidisciplinary collaboration between mathematics, statistics and biology. The output was a 5 day collaborative incubator attended by a diverse mix of 45 participants. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Star formation across the universe |
| Organisation | University of Hertfordshire |
| Department | Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We partnered with University of Hertfordshire to run a 3 day collaborative incubator. This incubator brought together a diverse mix of PhD, Postdoc and more senior academics from largely separate research fields of galactic and extragalactic star formation, including observers and theorists. We provided funding for the incubator via the Reimagining Recruitment project, guidelines for how it should be run, on-going support to the incubator organisers to help them run the incubator. The project team also attended the event. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The incubator was run by the University of Hertfordshire in accordance with our guidelines. They recruited a diverse mix of participants to attend the event and organised the speakers and the problems. They provided information about the participants attending for our research and facilitate access to the participants that are being interviewed as part of the wider study. |
| Impact | The collaboration led to a 3 day multidisciplinary workshop attended by 60 people. The workshop was run as a collaborative incubator and the feedback from the participants was generally really positive and met the project goals of running an inclusive event. The collaboration was multi-disciplinary: the workshop was attended by researchers working in the largely separate research fields of galactic and extragalactic star formation, including observers and theorists. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | THE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We published a piece online with Times Higher Education discussing the finings of our research and pointing to our guidance documents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.timeshighereducation.com/career/academic-workshops-how-we-build-back-better |