Mark Whelan, Research Culture Manager
Meet Mark Whelan, Research Culture Manager. In this profile Mark tells us about his work leading the central research culture team, the Carers’ Career Development Fund, and about a forthcoming research culture event open to all PGRs and staff in early May.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve worked at Queen Mary
My name is Mark Whelan and I have worked at Queen Mary for almost two years now, leading the central research culture team based in Dept W. I previously worked at the University of Surrey’s Doctoral College, supporting the Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) and Early Career Research (ECR) community with bespoke initiatives and training, but before that I was an academic (a medieval historian) for around ten years, and held teaching and research posts at universities and research institutes both in the UK and in Germany and Austria.
Describe your average day/week
Leading the small central research culture team is very exciting as no day is ever quite the same! Some days I am diving deep into different datasets with Anamaria, the data analyst in my team, and other days I am discussing our next events with Lucy, the research culture officer in my team, or meeting with colleagues who are leading research culture projects across the University. Sometimes I find myself speaking at conferences, raising the profile of Queen Mary’s research culture across the sector, and sometimes I find myself at my desk, at home, or tucked away somewhere in Dept W, writing reports for our committees or sector bodies. I enjoy days where I get out to different campuses (we have no less than nine across London) and see all the wonderful places Queen Mary does research, from the labs of our Whitechapel campus to the clinical centres at West Smithfield.
Are there any key projects you are currently working on that you’d like to highlight?
I would like to highlight one of the research culture team’s flagship schemes that has helped everyone from PGRs to established academics help power their career and their development: the Carers’ Career Development Fund. This scheme is available to any member of staff or PGR with caring responsibilities who need additional financial support to pay for registered care so that they can attend conferences or other important training and development events. The details and conditions are available on the Research webpages – please do apply or get in touch at researchculture@qmul.ac.uk if you have any questions.
What do you see as your role in helping the University achieve its Strategy 2030?
My work as research culture manager directly ties into Strategy 2030’s aim to nurture a world-class research and innovation culture that opens the doors of opportunity to everyone with potential to succeed. I encourage this through (to mention a few ways) supporting colleagues seeking to foster a positive and inclusive research culture across our faculties, developing funding schemes and programmes aimed at improving a particular facet of our research culture, and collecting and assessing data that can shine a novel light on our research culture and provide strategic direction to our institution and its plans.
What’s your favourite place on any of our campuses?
There are so many highlights to pick! But if I had to choose, it would be the cloister of Charterhouse Square on a sunny summer morning, especially because I really enjoy the smell of the linden trees that line the grassy square. I think linden trees are possibly my favourite tree, with its status as the national tree of the Czech Republic (a country whose history I spent much time researching and publishing on in my academic career) and their sweet-smelling flowers which bees and pollinators love, and we need to support the bees as much as possible at the moment!
Do you have any hobbies, pastimes outside of work?
I enjoy my running, and I love the fact that many of my colleagues in the broader research strategy, impact and culture team similarly love their running too! I enjoy running half marathons and I am training hard, when I can (which is not often, as I have two young kids!), to break the 90-minute mark. My current PB (personal best) is just over 92 minutes with my next half marathon booked for this October. Wish me luck!
Is there any Queen Mary training you have that you’d recommend?
I would say that we should all regularly check the Organisational and Professional Development (OPD) platform and just see what training courses are available and tickle our fancy as the range and quality is fantastic. I recently attended a workshop focused on having difficult yet constructive conversations with colleagues that included two actors whom you could direct and instruct live, to see how different conversations and approaches panned out right in front of your eyes. It was both deeply informative and great fun!