Meet the Research Information and Governance team

Hi Kelly – can you sum up the role of the Research Information and Governance team in one sentence?

Yes, our team is here to develop and oversee the policies, practices, quality assurance and procedures which apply to all Knowledge Exchange and their governance at the University.

Who are the members of your team and your roles?

Our team consists of:

Dr Tina Conkar – Head of Research Information and Governance

Tina leads the Research and Enterprise Service’s support and development relating to governance, policy and information requirements needed for statutory return and government compliance. This spans areas including the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF), Knowledge Exchange Concordat (KEC), Research concordats, research ethics and integrity.

As well as managing the RIG team and our activities, Tina manages the development of University policies that are appropriate and necessary for research and enterprise governance.

Stuart Morris – REF and Research Policy Manager

Stuart manages the REF exercise and provides primary support for our submission to the REF - including data analysis, impact and audits. He also provides secretariat support to the University Research Ethics Sub-Committee.

Kelly Butterworth – Research and Impact Officer

My role is to manage the impact agenda within the University across all areas. I provide advice, guidance, and training to academic staff in relation to impact - and support with collecting, collating and storing evidence.  I also support the implementation of process and practice in relation to information and governance.

Tell us a bit about your career and what led you to this role?

I have worked at the University for 25 years in a variety of roles. I started out working with undergraduate/postgraduate students in course administration and moved on to support students as a Student Liaison Officer - a role I very much enjoyed.

Following a restructure, I took on the role of Research Student Administrator where I specialised in admissions from research applicants.  This led me to move across to the research funding team and I took on the role of Research and Impact Officer.

The role has progressed a lot over the last year. I am now involved in policies and procedures as part of the RIG team - learning new skills and developing my knowledge and understanding every day!

What is your favourite thing about your job, and about working at Leeds Beckett?

Having worked at Leeds Beckett for 25 years, something must be good about working here to have lasted this long! I find the University a very supportive environment to work in - I have worked in several fantastic teams and made some amazing friends for life. You spend a lot of time at work so making it a happy environment is key.

Favourite thing about my job? Good question - it has been a steep learning curve with lots to learn but I have enjoyed the journey, learnt new things and worked with a variety of different people. Being given the chance to take on new projects, knowing I have the support of my line manager, has been very helpful and helped me gain confidence.

Tell us something about you that we might not know?

I am a season ticket holder for Leeds Rhinos and have been to every Super League ground - home and away - even venturing to Catalan!