BU Research Blog

BU has adopted the VITAE Researcher Development Framework to help you identify your strengths and prioritise for personal and career development, inform discussions with the supervisory teams and consider what skills and experiences will enhance career prospects and how to articulate capabilities to future employers.

 By monitoring and recording your development activities within the RDF, you will be able to:

• aid self-reflection and set aspirational goals
• choose the most appropriate formal and informal development
• assess opportunities provided by BU and look for development opportunities externally
• prepare for one-to-one progress reviews, appraisals and career
• prepare for development conversations with Supervisory Team
• consider how skills and experiences will enhance career prospects
• highlight, articulate and evidence the transferability of their skills in their CV, in job applications and at interviews.

As a Postgraduate Researcher at BU, you are required to engage in a personal programme of researcher development throughout the duration of your enrolment. This is not formally credit bearing, however you are required to compile evidence of specific training and development courses undertaken, as well as evidence of personal development through independent activities undertaken as part of your research.  The process is as follows:

1. Discussion of individual training needs with supervisory team at initial supervisory meetings to prioritise development activities throughout the course of the research.
2. Identify most appropriate mechanism for developing identified training needs
3. Record development on overview sheet and complete record sheet for each development activity
    – outline the activity, the skills gained from the activity and how the skills can be applied
   –  Supervisors to be sign off
4. Review individual training and development needs as part of the Annual Monitoring Process
5. Develop and maintain portfolio of research activities

Many generic research methodology and skills development sessions are offered centrally by the GraduateSchool and RDU and details will be communicated via the Research Blog.

 Specific and in depth methodological training should be offered by the Academic Schools or identified externally.  Other independent development activities may include:

• Attendance at externally organised Researcher Development activities (e.g. Vitae events)
• Participation in specific training related to individual research projects
• Participation in internal Seminars and Conferences
• Participation at external Seminars and Conferences
• Publication of papers
• Wider research activities – organisation of seminars, conferences, etc
• Public engagement & outreach activities