Research Facilitator Jessica Bassett, writes about her role within RDM's Research Strategy and Funding Team and how her role is supporting colleagues across the department.
After studying Forensic Biology and Biochemistry at university and spending over eight years as a Forensic DNA Analyst, I decided to trade in my lab coat and move to the University of Oxford as a Clinical Trials Administrative Assistant. Since then, I’ve held a few operations and administrative roles across the University, which eventually led me to join RDM’s Research Strategy & Funding Team in October 2024.
Research Strategy & Funding Team… What do we do?
Our team supports a wide range of activities, from internal university funding applications and intermediate fellowship submissions to larger coordinated bids. We also manage the Novo Nordisk Fellowship Programme and contribute to the career development of researchers across RDM.
I mostly support researchers in the WIMM, NDCLS and IMD with their fellowship applications, which includes obtaining Head of Department letters of support and arranging mock interviews. My colleague Nuala supports researchers in CVM and OCDEM, but we’re a close-knit team and often help each other out during busy periods.
The Research Facilitator role has given me a chance to interact more directly with researchers; something that had mostly been missing in my previous University roles. It’s also opened a whole new avenue of learning, from horizon scanning for funding opportunities to supporting the REF2029 exercise and helping implement the department’s Athena Swan action plan.
Supporting Colleagues Across RDM
One area I’ve become particularly involved in is helping researchers develop their independent research groups. This includes implementing the Intermediate Fellowship Framework and providing operational support for RDM’s Academic Career Panel. If you’ve submitted an Intermediate Fellowship Expression of Interest, an application for Principal Investigator status, or have a fellowship mid-point review coming up, there’s a good chance you’ll hear from me!
I also work with RDM’s Career Development Committee to coordinate ideas that support career progression for all staff groups in the department. This year, we’ve welcomed several guest speakers who’ve shared insights into University and national initiatives like the Technician Commitment and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. We’re now looking at how we can adopt and implement their action plans at both departmental and divisional levels.
A Role with Many Moving Parts
Beyond funding, fellowships and career support, I contribute to annual reporting processes like Researchfish collection and support cross-departmental initiatives like the new Cross-Cutting Research Themes.
More recently, I’ve taken on the role of AI Ambassador for the RDM Strategic Team. It’s still early days, but I’m excited to explore how AI can be integrated into our processes and how I can support colleagues in learning about these tools too.
It’s been a varied journey, and I’m still learning every day. It’s great to be part of a team that supports world-class research and the people behind it.
If you’d like to hear more about my role, any of the work I support, or just want to know whether forensic science is as cool as it seems on TV (spoiler: it’s much less glamorous!), please feel free to get in touch.
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27 November 2024