The Institute for Academic Development is delighted to announce Researcher Realities 2026 is now open for bookings!
What is Researcher Realities?
Researcher Realities is an umbrella initiative that invites conversations among and across the research community about the how’s of research – the lived realities of being a researcher. This includes conversations about the contexts and circumstances that inform decisions, what to do when things go wrong, how to navigate challenges, what success looks like, and much more. These conversations are envisioned to allow best-practice sharing, championing unheard and underrepresented voices, and building community.
Researcher Realities 2026
In 2026, the Researcher Realities event will run on Tuesday 17th March, online
Our event page has the full programme and speaker details: Researcher Realities Annual Event
The event is free and open to University of Edinburgh staff.
Panel Sessions
- Unsuccessful funding applications: What next? – 11:00-12:30.
To have a grant rejected happens a lot; but we don’t often talk about it openly or create space for reflection and action planning. Join this panel for a conversation with Edoardo Ponti, Sukanya Krishnamurthy and Ingrid Obsuth about the realities of having a funding application rejection and how to navigate that unsuccess. Our speakers will share their experiences and approaches with time for questions.
Book your place - Rescue Supervision – 13:30-14:30.
What happens when you take over supervising a PhD student who has previously been supervised by someone else? Join Laura Jeffery, Patrick Hadoke and Jamie Pearce for a discussion of their experience of rescue supervision, what they learned from their experiences of undertaking rescue supervision, and what might be helpful to know to build strong relationships within the new supervisory team – between both supervisors and their research students.
Book your place - Navigating Implicit Knowledge – 15:00-16:30.
Our speakers Omar Alfituri, Nini Kerr, Augusta Rocha and Rob van Glabbeek will share their experiences of navigating the often articulated knowledge that is acquired through experience and practice. Reflecting on their own experiences across different career stages, they will discuss how to make tacit knowledge more visible for themselves and others.
Book your place
Feedback from previous years
This is the fourth time the event has ran, and feedback has shown that it’s been a really worthwhile and positive experience for participants:
“It was a great workshop to hear about experiences and approaches! Thank you!” 2025 Participant
“The presenters were very open, honest and relatable, giving insights into how they reconciled being an academic researcher with being a normal person (i.e., having children, hobbies, monetary concerns etc.)” 2024 Participant
Some responses to the feedback question ‘What insights have you gained or what resonated the most’
“Folks honesty about the difficulties” 2025 Participant
“The diversity of views and experiences and lots of practical tips from people with experience.” 2025 Participant
“That everyone faces the same challenges and good things in equal measure but just experiences them differently and having good mentorship is key.” 2025 Participant
“It largely provided a good sense of the landscape here, confirming many of the issues I am already aware of / am struggling with. Knowing these are common experiences was very helpful!” 2024 Participant
“Hearing the human side was powerful.” 2024 Participant
“I have gotten the motivation that I need to start my research commercialization process after listening to the inspiring story . . .” 2024 Particiapnt
We hope to see many of you at the sessions and please share the information among relevant communities.
Researcher Realities Annual Event Information
