What is your role at Lancaster?

Since gaining a doctorate from Lancaster in 2018, I have worked at the University as Senior Research Associate on two projects (Cinema Memory and the Digital Archive, 2019-2022, and Digital Equity for Older Adults, 2022-2025). Both projects built on my earlier professional practice in web programming and e-learning development, as well as qualitative data analysis skills gained from my doctoral studies.

Can you outline your research interests?

I am most interested in conducting research that lies at the intersection of computing and the humanities, and am particularly committed to exploring the potential and affordances of technologies in deepening understanding, and in improving the day-to-day living practices of marginalised communities.

Why did you apply for the Researcher Career Development (Bridging) Scheme?

I was a named researcher on two bids at the University: Either of these bids, if successful, would have guaranteed my retention at the university for a number of years. Without bridging funding, the time-limited nature of my contract meant I would not have been able to contribute to bid preparation as requested by both leads, due to financial insecurity.

What benefits did the scheme provide?

During my bridging period I contributed to the preparation of two grant applications:

a collaboration between Film Studies and the Division of Health Research building on previous research into cinemagoing on the wellbeing of older adults (for submission to AHRC); and

a bid in preparation by Health Research with a focus on inclusion, health and dementia (for submission to NIHR).

In contributing to the applications I deepened my existing knowledge of the University’s ethics submission process and built understanding of the core principles of open research and data management through liaison with the Library, conducting my own research and completing the University’s online training materials. This ultimately culminated in my taking responsibility for writing the ‘Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation’ section in the AHRC bid, as well as drafting a data management plan for the project. This experience inspired me to recommend using the AHRC project as an exemplar of sharing sensitive qualitative data, a form of meta-research, and my proposal for this has since been included in the bid. I also developed a prototype design for a database-driven tool for health-care practitioners to form part of the project outputs, which was also accepted by the team for inclusion. In addition, I was able to work with a colleague to complete a joint book chapter, which has now been submitted to the editors.

What contributions were you able to make to research culture during the bridging period?

I was able to significantly contribute to the drafting and submission of a large AHRC bid, and was also able to act as a conduit between Health Research and Film Studies to share ideas and concepts relating to possible future research streams. I also evaluated and contributed to another Leverhulme bid exploring the biases inherent in audio-visual archives. In addition, I have increased awareness amongst colleagues of the principles and requirements of open research and RRI, and how to address these. Finally, I have contributed by submitting a book chapter which will form part of the university’s next REF submission.

And into the future?

I am grateful for the 9 weeks’ stability and space the bridging funding gave me to develop my research profile, and for enabling me to contribute to research culture within the university in the way it has. I will continue work on addressing any feedback received from the editors on the book chapter, while waiting to hear the outcome of the AHRC bid and looking for other opportunities. I am aware there is increasing recognition of the importance of technical skills for research staff within the field, particularly in exploring the potential of AI to support shareability and interoperability of research datasets, and am confident of future openings in this area.

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