Dr Anne Adams
Role
Anne is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Educational Technology. As a co-investigator in the Catalyst project she utilised her breadth of experience in public and industrial technology research to support digital engagement in the project. In particular this included supporting the Catalyst digital engagement researcher, Ann Grand.
Dr Hilde Stephansen
Role
Hilde was a Research Associate on the OU’s Catalyst project. She is now based at the University of Westminster where she lectures in Sociology.
Hilde’s role on the Catalyst was linked to two projects: to the Catalyst and to Creating Publics. Through her contributions to these projects explored new ways of conceptualising and enacting public engagement with social science research.
Hilde contributed to the delivery and development of a Creating Publics research ‘pilot’, called Participation Now. This involved translating the research aims of the project into a specification and design for a new digital platform for public engagement with research. She then helped translate insights drawn from this research pilot into the context of the Catalyst project and to others beyond.
Dr Nick Mahony
Role
Nick was one of five co-investigators working on the Catalyst project. His main roles on the project were to:
Professor Richard Holliman, The Open University. Credit: Jane Perrone.
Role
Richard is Professor of Engaged Research at the Open University and Principal Investigator on the Engaging Opportunities Project. Prior to this he was the Open University’s Champion for Public Engagement with Research from 2012-2105. He was both the academic lead and a co-investigator on the OU’s Public Engagement with Research (PER) Catalyst (Holliman, et al. 2015).
Richard had overall operational responsibility for co-ordinating and leading all aspects of this action research project, and helping to shape strategic objectives for OU public engagement with research.
As the university’s champion, Richard was based on secondment in the Research Scholarship and Quality Unit. Alongside his role in co-ordinating and leading the research phases of the project, he was also responsible for connecting the work of the PER Catalyst with the university’s decision-making forums and senior managers, including the Faculty Deans and Associate Deans for Research, and Research Centre Directors.
Dr Richard Holti
Role
Richard was a Co-investigator on the Catalyst team, responsible for guiding the project’s approach to working with organisational and cultural change, and the use of action research approaches for achieving change. He is based within the Department for People and Organisations within the Faculty of Business and Law.
Dr Trevor Collins
Role
Trevor was a co-investigator on the OU’s Catalyst project. He co-ordinated the learning work package within the project, and is also involved in the communication and digital engagement packages.
The learning work package was concerned with identifying the existing development opportunities for research staff and students across the university with regard to public engagement, as well as identifying gaps where additional support could be provided by the university or external sources (e.g. the UK research councils, Vitae, JISC or the NCCPE).
Fiona McKerlie
Role
Fiona was the project manager on the Catalyst project. Her main role was to provide project support to the principal investigator, catalyst champion, advisory board and wider project team, and monitor progress to plan.
Professor Eileen Scanlon
Role
Eileen was a co-investigator on The Open University’s Catalyst project. She co-ordinated the communication work package, working with Trevor Collins. Eileen worked to facilitate the development and adoption of effective practices and tools for staff, students’ and publics’ engagement with research. She was also involved in the learning and digital engagement work packages.
Eileen brought a wealth of experience to these aspects of the project, e.g. through her research where she has explored the use of tools and technologies for public engagement with research, through her contributions to science communication teaching and training programmes, and through her research into the uses of digital technologies in distance learning.
Prof Tim Blackman
Tim Blackman was the Principal Investigator on the OU’s Catalyst project (now Vice Chancellor at Middlesex University). As PI Tim acted as a high-level strategic champion for the project, ensuring senior management commitment to delivery of the programme.
Dr Richard Holliman, The Open University’s Champion for Public Engagement with Research
Research with people at the centre
Champion’s blog; star date 2013.07.17. This is the blog of the OU’s RCUK-funded Catalyst, ‘An open research university‘. But our mission isn’t to boldly go. Rather, our three-year mission is to embed the principles, values and reflective practices of public engagement within the research culture of Open University researchers. This requires all OU researchers to think more strategically about how we plan our research.
This requires us to think (yet again, I know) about culture change…
“If you’re the University’s Champion for Public Engagement with Research can you tell me how many people it takes to change a university’s research culture?” I guess the obvious answer is, “I don’t know at the moment, but I do know that those involved really have to want to change.”