Date/Time
Date(s) - 14/05/2026 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Audience:
Research Leadership Development Consortium (RLDC)
‘Storytelling and Research Leadership: Contextualising and Humanising Support and Advice’
Thursday 14th May 2026
13.00-14.30 (UK time)
Online via Zoom
We welcome experienced academics who are currently leading or aspiring to lead research projects, teams, or departments to join the next session in our series.
Summary
This session will focus on how storytelling can be a key aspect of research leadership through achieving stronger communication and connections with audiences. We have three great speakers who have had successful careers as research leaders and have demonstrated a commitment to supporting the careers of others. Our three speakers, Associate Prof. Ricky Gee, Prof. David Pickernell, and Prof. Piers Thompson, will share their experiences of how they have used storytelling to support their colleagues in developing their research careers, including developing plans, navigating the constraints they face, and retaining adaptability. The floor will then be opened for others in the audience to share their experiences and ask the panel any questions. The objective of the session is to show how storytelling can be incorporated into the audience’s own research leadership roles and practice.
Schedule:
13:00-13:05: Introduction to session (Piers Thompson)
13:05-13:20: David Pickernell
13:20-13:35: Piers Thompson
13:35-13:50: Ricky Gee
13:50 to 14:30: Open Floor Discussion with Audience – In advance of the session, the audience is encouraged to think of their own experiences. This could be in terms of their experiences that could be used as stories to support and encourage other researchers. Equally, it could be those stories from others that aided their development. These can be shared and discussed in this part of the session.
Speaker Bios
Dr Ricky Gee is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Nottingham Trent University whose teaching, research, and media engagement all centre on helping people navigate work and career with greater confidence, critical sociological insight, and agency. His internationally recognised work in critical career studies equips people to think reflexively about their actions, challenges, and opportunities within a complex and often unequal labour market. Through his leadership in global collaborations and his public-facing scholarship, he supports diverse communities in developing more informed and collective approaches to career development.
David Pickernell is Professor of Small Business and Enterprise Development Policy at Swansea University, having also held chairs at the University of Portsmouth and University of South Wales, with extensive experience in research, teaching, and research leadership within UK higher education over the last 32 years. Specifically, he has experience in leading departmental research, research centres, and REF-related leadership roles, with extensive responsibility for supporting and mentoring colleagues in their research careers.
His own work is grounded in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, and enterprise policy, with a particular focus on the role of institutions, universities, and public policy in supporting economic development and business growth. His work is often applied in practice, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches and informed by close engagement with policymakers, practitioners, and industry stakeholders. He has also published widely, having collaborated with many UK and international colleagues to produce over 100 peer‑reviewed journal articles. He has contributed to many policy reports and commissioned research through his extensive funded research and consultancy activities, addressing issues that affect enterprise support and innovation systems.
Piers Thompson is Professor of Local and Regional Economic Development and Head of the Economics Department at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University. He has previously held positions as Director of Research Outputs, Deputy REF Unit of Assessment Coordinator and Department Research Coordinator. In each of his roles, he has been responsible for developing colleagues as researchers and supporting them in their research careers. His own research has concentrated on the influence of softer factors, such as personality and culture, on local development and on activities associated with it, such as entrepreneurship.
If you would like to join our session, please register using the link at the top of the page. We look forward to seeing you!