Harper Adams University lecturer’s expertise to help boost excellence in research across the UK

Posted 16 March 2021

Harper Adams University lecturer Claire Toogood has been appointed to the HR Excellence in Research peer review team.

A Harper Adams University lecturer’s expertise is being drawn on to help boost excellence in research at Higher Education institutions around the UK.

Claire Toogood, a Lecturer in the Land, Farm and Agribusiness Management Department at Harper, has been appointed to the HR Excellence in Research peer review team by Vitae – the global leader in supporting researchers’ professional development.

In her new role, Claire will form part of a UK-wide group of experts which Vitae will draw upon when examining institutional submissions for the HR Excellence in Research award – which gives public recognition to research institutions that have made progress in aligning policies accordance with a set of key principles which support best practice for researchers across the sector.

Institutions that secure the award are given the right to use its icon - demonstrating their commitment to implementing fair and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures for researchers.

Claire will be drawing on a wealth of experience in her new role, including her previous work with Harper Adams as a Researcher Developer.

She said: “As Researcher Developer I worked with PhD and MRes students to shape a personal development plan for their individual training and development needs. I also developed and promoted a range of training and development events to suit the needs of our students.

“Research qualifications may lead to a career in an academic setting, but can equally result in technical research work in industry, specialist communication or policy development roles, or a wide range of other opportunities both in the UK and overseas.

“This diversity of potential outcomes was fascinating - and helped me to develop my knowledge of the research taking place at Harper Adams, which has supported me as I moved into the role of Lecturer.  Being able to talk about some of the real-world research happening right now has been really helpful!”

As part of the Vitae external peer review team, Claire will work alongside two colleagues, each selected on their roles and experience, and evaluate institutional submissions for the award – matching the submissions to a Concordat which aims to support career development for researchers.

She added: “Being able to play a part in building a better UK research community is exciting, and I am looking forward to making my contribution.

“The role means I’ll see the good practice that is taking place in a wide range of institutions - and help them to develop this work even further.

“It will be a great opportunity to use my experience of supporting researcher development at Harper Adams in a wider way, supporting excellent activity in researcher development across the UK.”