Meet the Research Development team

Hi Babita, Vicki, Nicoletta and Lex – what is the role of the Research Development team?

We make up the Research Development Managers (or RDMs) and the Research Coordinator half of the wider Research and Innovation team – the other half of which is our Business Development team.

Our team is responsible for supporting, developing and co-ordinating our academic colleagues to apply for external research funding.

Who are the members of your team and what are their roles?

Babita Bhogal – Research Development Manager

Vicki Crossley-Gaunt – Research and Enterprise Development Co-ordinator

Nicoletta Mirachi – Research Development Manager

Lex Riley - Research Development Manager

What support can your team provide to members of staff at the university?

Our team provides a range of support to colleagues applying for external research funding. These colleagues range from new to experienced researchers from across the University. The Research Development Managers are responsible for specific schools and provide hands on support and advice on funding routes available, development of the application and budget and compliance with internal process and procedures when making external applications.

Alongside our team is our Research and Enterprise Development Co-ordinator who facilitates research funding support to Research and Business Development Managers and academic staff.  Her focus is to engage with the research community, support BA Small Grant and Leverhulme submissions - and submissions under £10,000 - to facilitate peer review panels, and provide Research Professional system support and guidance.

We also provide the RiSK (Researcher Intelligence Survival Kit) training portfolio and manage the Research Professional subscription on behalf of the University. This allows colleagues to get funding alerts and news alerts on relevant funding opportunities.

What are your team’s main priorities over the coming year?

Our focus is to increase the number of research funding applications submitted. We want to develop, grow, and nurture the research expertise of the university using a range of different funders.

Tell us a bit about you – when did you start working at Leeds Beckett, what have your previous roles been and your journey to where you are today?

Babita Bhogal – I have been at the University for 21 years. I have worked in several roles that have always been linked to research. I came to the University on a temporary contract for one year working on European Social Fund (ESF) funded projects. This opened a range of new opportunities for me, and I decided to stay on and I’m still here!

Nicoletta Mirachi – I started at the University in 2013 when I moved to the UK from Cyprus. Since I started at the University, I have always been part of the research team/services and had a research funding role - helping academics find funding opportunities and apply for funding. Nine years later and I am still in that role, with more responsibilities and more knowledge and experience!

Vicki Crossley-Gaunt - I began my career here in 2007 as Secretary for two projects within Health, focused on Healthy Ageing. From this my role gained pace and eventually developed into Research Administrator for Health and Social Sciences, working on a range of projects including EU funded research, data/output collection for Research Excellence Framework (REF) submissions, involvement in the embedding of Symplectic to Health and Social Sciences staff, supporting PhD students and short term management of the Research Pool.

A service restructure offered an opportunity to move over to a new role, as Research and Impact Officer, where I felt I had knowledge and experience to add value to the team. From then my role evolved again, to add support to my team and academic colleagues.  I was at a point where I felt I would like to develop new skillsets and gain further experience. Here I am!

Lex Riley – I’ve worked in Research Support/Management for 15 years, with almost five years here at LBU and 10 at the University of Leeds. My areas of specialism are STEM and Health Sciences with an in-depth knowledge of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Research Councils, but also with a broad knowledge of the funding landscape overall. Along with my fellow RDMs I offer expert advice on research funding models and regulations.

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

Babita Bhogal – No one day is the same and the academic community is so vibrant and great at what they do. I am always learning and there are research opportunities in all areas of the University. I believe the research here can be developed to make a difference to policy, people and places and that makes the work rewarding.

Nicoletta Mirachi – Each research application is different and that gives me the opportunity to learn a new thing every day!

Vicki Crossley-Gaunt – I get my “Buzz” from helping people and learning new skills. I am competitive but selflessly, I aim to achieve for the greater good. I am lucky to have a strong team, who are supportive and enable me to be the best I can be. I enjoy seeing academic staff develop their research from paper to practice and sometimes it’s not the awards that show a win it’s engaging with staff and applying- you have to be in it to win it!

As my colleagues say not every day is the same and that is true in Research, it certainly keeps me on my toes.

Lex Riley – I particularly enjoy working with Early Career Researchers – assisting them on the beginning of their path to funding success, and also on the really large bids whereby LBU are starting to make their mark in such a tough funding environment.

Tell us something about you that we might not know?

Babita Bhogal – I gained my BA Combined Social Studies degree part time from the University of Leeds, whilst working full time. This is one of my biggest achievements.

Nicoletta Mirachi – I am a trained body pump and body combat instructor.

Vicki Crossley-Gaunt – Pre-children my biggest hobbies were training and occasionally competing in Muay Thai and K1 kickboxing. I enjoy extreme obstacle courses (Yorkshire Warrior/Tough Mudder – where I was the only woman on my team!).

Lex Riley – I was, back in the day, a decent archer and enjoy reading Plantagenet and Tudor history.