From Academic to Research-Adjacent with Matt Woodcock (Episode 91) – Matt views his pivot as a specialisation, rather than a side-step
For this episode of the Research Adjacent podcast Sarah talks to Matt Woodcock. Matt is Research and Impact Support Officer in the School of English at the University of Leeds. Before this Matt was an academic for nearly 20 years – reaching the status of Professor of Medieval and Early Modern Literature.
Sarah and Matt talk about
- Why he sees his career journey as an ongoing process of specializing in the work he really enjoys
- What it is like to have a 360-degree view of the research process
- His love of editing and the peer review process which led him first into publishing and then to the ARMA Insights magazine
- How empathy underpins the work he does with researchers
Timestamps
- 00:01:01 Introducing Matt and his background
- 00:06:26 Matt’s first pivot into publishing and his love of the peer review process
- 00:09:44 Focusing on the parts of academic work he truly enjoyed
- 00:11:08 Navigating the identity shift from academic to professional services
- 00:12:26 The “360-degree view” of the research process and how it shapes his current role
- 00:15:32 Empathy as the foundation of his work supporting researchers
- 00:18:07 Getting involved with ARMA and editing the ARMA Insights magazine
- 00:22:12 Why he would like to see more academics shadowing research professionals
Find out more
- Connect with Matt on LinkedIn or via the University of Leeds website
Theme music by Lemon Music Studios from Pixabay
