Researcher Development Committee

The RDC was convened in 2020 to bring together key stakeholders involved in researcher development from support services (Graduate School, PFDC, POD, EDIC and HR) and research (postgraduate, research staff, academics, Vice-Deans) into one committee.

Since its establishment, the RDC has been pivotal in pushing the researcher development agenda forward. This is evidenced by:

The RDC reports to the University Research and Enterprise Board (UREB).  The Concordat Implementation and Planning Group (CIPG), established as part of Imperial’s commitment to the Concordat, meets bi-monthly and reports termly to the RDC. The purpose of the CIPG is to deliver and implement the actions from the current action plan and to provide guidance on future plans.

RDC Remit

The remit of the RDC is to have an overview of the professional and personal development of researchers (from postgraduate to senior academic leaders).

RDC Purpose

The purpose of the RDC is to:

  • Build a supportive, inclusive, and highly motivated research community across all disciplines, functions, and activities.
  • Focus on the career development of researchers, regardless of career stage or destination.
  • Ensure that a clear thread of support and development runs through all levels of academia at Imperial.
  • Share best practice between service providers to establish a pipeline of support throughout a researchers’ time at the College.
  • Actively encourage researchers to contribute to and shape the support that they receive.
  • Fulfil the College’s obligations to the Concordat. The action plan is monitored and maintained by the RDC.
  • Approve annual Concordat progress reports and updated action plans before being shared with UREB, UMB and Council.

Concordat specific responsibilities

With the College being a signatory to the Concordat to support the career development of researchers (pdf), it is the responsibility of the Researcher Development Committee: 

  • To ensure that the College implements the Concordat Principles and fulfils its obligations under the key responsibilities for researchers, managers of researchers and institution. 
  • To oversee the completion of the Concordat actions as laid out in the Concordat Full Action Plan.
  • To ensure that the action plan complements other key initiatives, such as Race Equality Charter and Athena SWAN.   
  • To monitor action progress termly, with a full report submitted annually to Council, in addition to an updated action plan. 
  • To publish the action plan and subsequent annual progress report on an open website once they have been endorsed by Council.

The full terms of reference for the RDC can be found here: RDC Terms of Reference.

Committee Membership

  • Professor Julie McCann, Vice-Dean (Research) Faculty of Engineering (Chair)
  • Professor Erkko Autio, Chair in Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship, Business School
  • Dr Veronique Azuara, Reader in Stem Cell Biology (Postdoc Champion (Medicine))
  • Harbhajan Brar, Director of Human Resources
  • Dr Nick Brooks, Reader in Membrane Biophysics (Postdoc Champion (Natural Sciences))
  • Professor Lesley Cohen, Associate Provost (EDI)
  • Professor Graham Cooke, Vice-Dean (Research) Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr Catrin Davies, Reader in Structural Integrity of Alloys (Postdoc Champion (Engineering))
  • Dr Liz Elvidge, Head of Postdoc and Fellows Development
  • Nan Fletcher-Lloyd, Research Postgraduate, Medicine (Postgraduate representative)
  • Dr Mushegh Harutyunyan, Assistant Professor in Marketing (Postdoc Champion (Business School))
  • Kani Kamara, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre
  • Laura Lane, Head of Strategy and Operations, Graduate School
  • Susan Littleson, Deputy Director (Organisational Development and Inclusion)
  • Professor Clare Lloyd, Vice-Dean (Institutional Affairs), Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr Wayne Mitchell, Associate Provost (EDI)
  • Dr Maria Paraskevaidi, Research Fellow (Postdoc representative)
  • Nichola Stallwood, Head of Learning & Organisational Development
  • Professor Ramon Vilar, Vice-Dean (Research) Faculty of Natural Sciences
  • Dr Ines Perpetuo, Consultant, Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre (Secretary)