Andrew Cripps is Technical Head of the Small Animal Research Unit at the University of Reading. Andrew has spent his career helping to advance medical science through animal research.

Sarah and Andrew talk about

• All the work technicians do which often goes unnoticed
• What TV gets wrong about animal research facilities and what it’s really like
• Building a career in research despite never going to university
• Why he entered (and won) a research entrepreneurship competition

Find out more

• Find full show notes and transcript on the episode webpage
• Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
• Read more about animal research at Reading
• Learn about how animals are used in research at Understanding Animal Research and the Institute of Animal Technology
• Read about Andrew’s success at the YES entrepreneurial awards

About Research Adjacent

• Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
• Email a comment, question or suggestion
• Leave a voice note
• Post a review on Podchaser
• Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/

Jakob Feldtfos Christensen is a research manager at the Defaktum research centre in Denmark, an independent consultant, host of the Diversity in Research podcast and author of the book Diversity Leadership for Research Managers: A Practical Guide.

Sarah and Jakob talk about

• That diversity isn’t just about staff – it needs to be woven through every part of a research project
• How research professionals can step up and take the lead on diversity and inclusion
• Why more data isn’t the answer and can even make things worse
• The small steps and incremental progress that can lead to big changes over time

Find out more

• Find full show notes and transcript on the episode webpage
• Connect with Jakob on LinkedIn or via the Diversiunity website
• Get a copy of Jakob’s book - Diversity Leadership for Research Managers: A Practical Guide
• Listen to Sarah guesting on Jakob's Diversity in Research podcast

About Research Adjacent

• Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
• Email a comment, question or suggestion
• Leave a voice note
• Post a review on Podchaser
• Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Matt Woodcock 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

Find out more

• Find full show notes, the transcript and timestamps on the episode webpage
• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn or via the University of Leeds website

About Research Adjacent

• Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
• Email a comment, question or suggestion
• Leave a voice note
• Post a review on Podchaser
• Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/

Helen Underhill is the manager of the Research for Transformation Lab at the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute. She is also an independent researcher working on a variety of social justice and international projects from fire safety in refugee camps to young people and museums.

Sarah and Helen talk about

• What it means to do research for transformation and why it’s a slow process
• Power and politics in global research partnerships and why we still have a long way to go
• Her ‘portfolio’ career which meandered through computer programming, adventure travel and school teaching before landing in social justice research
• How she fell in love with the idea that knowledge can be a pathway to creating change

Find out more

• Find full show notes, the transcript and timestamps on the episode webpage
• Connect with Helen on LinkedIn
• Find out more about the Research for Transformation Lab and Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester

About Research Adjacent

• Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
• Email a comment, question or suggestion
• Leave a voice note
• Post a review on Podchaser
• Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/

This special bonus episode is part of Podcasthon 2026 which asks hosts to dedicate an episode to a charity of their choice.

This episode is dedicated to Scottish rewilding charity Trees for Life who I have been supporting through this podcast since 2024. Listen in to hear why, back in 2024 I decided to donate 1% of my business income to charity and how that led to me deciding to plant a tree for every podcast episode released. You'll also hear about why I chose to do this through Trees for Life and the amazing work they do to support nature, create jobs and support rural communities.

Find out more

1. Find out more about Trees for Life and support their work on their website or follow them on LinkedIn or Instagram
2. Visit the Research Adjacent virtual tree grove and donate a tree if you like
3. Read the book ‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree
4. Listen to the Wild for Scotland podcast

About Research Adjacent

1. Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
2. Email a comment, question or suggestion
3. Leave a voice note
4. Post a review on Podchaser
5. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/

Inbal Itzhak is a Senior Knowledge Mobilisation Specialist at the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging. She translates research into accessible insights which improve brain health and care

Sarah and Inbal talk about

1. Why the essence and ethics of participatory research are the same, no matter what you call it
2. The magic that can spark when you find the right collaborators
3. How Inbal decided she wanted to work in knowledge translation before she discovered it was an actual job
4. Recognising and drawing on different kinds of expertise to ensure research gets used and makes a difference

Find out more

1. Find full show notes, the transcript and timestamps on the episode webpage
2. Connect with Inbal on LinkedIn
3. Find out more about the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging

About Research Adjacent

1. Follow Research Adjacent on LinkedIn
2. Email a comment, question or suggestion
3. Leave a voice note
4. Post a review on Podchaser
5. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Research Adjacent Directory Member of the Month: Susan Mandala, Writing Works Consulting

Dr Susan Mandala offers a range of workshops on research writing including her signature offer, How to Really Write Your Literature Review. Other topics include writing academic papers with clear narratives, supporting expert practitioners transitioning into research, establishing consistent writing practices, and improving confidence. Find out more at www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk

Helping you have conversations that move research forwards

When she's not hosting Research Adjacent, Sarah McLusky organises, facilitates and trains people to run events, workshops and meetings that get people talking about research. To find out more about working with Sarah and to book a free call go to https://sarahmclusky.com/