Researcher Development Portal Researcher Development Hub

Researcher Development Hub

In addition to deep disciplinary knowledge, all researchers need to identify and develop the skills that allow them to plan and conduct research, to achieve their career and employability goals, and to develop as individuals.

The JCU Researcher Development Framework (RDF) has been designed to articulate skills and capabilities in three key areas in which researchers need to develop during their careers:

Each key area is then further broken down into a number of capabilities. Exploring each of the key areas and its attendant capabilities will help researchers to identify areas for your own development. It also offers a useful frame for providers of training to identify where there are gaps in the provision of workshops and other learning material.

As a researcher progresses both through their career and from project to project, skills and capabilities at higher levels of complexity are likely to be needed. Wherever possible, training mapped to the RDF is classified according to a simple three-tiered format: Foundational,  Intermediate, and Advanced.

Researcher Effectiveness

To be an effective researcher, you need a deep knowledge of your own discipline and subject matter together with a number of personal qualities - curiosity, determination, and persistence to name a few.

But these will not be enough without some very specific knowledge and skills around how to best plan, conduct and manage your research project. The sub-categories and capabilities that reside in the Researcher Effectiveness category of the framework are designed to raise your awareness of the types of issues you face when embarking on a research project.

Follow the links to the sub-categories below and you will find helpful information and training opportunities:

Personal Effectiveness

It is highly probable that your research is only a part of your working life.  If you are like most researchers, you are juggling a developing research career with a challenging teaching load and a personal life!

The Personal Effectiveness sub-category contains capabilities that we believe are central to your professional development and career management.

Engagement and Impact

It could be argued that it has never been more important for researchers to engage with others beyond their immediate discipline-based groups. Industry and community engagement are the catchcries of modern research, with ‘industry’ being broadly defined to mean almost any enterprise outside academia.

This sub-section contains information on how to ensure the wider impact of your research and to gain the knowledge and skills you need to work with both your relevant industries and the broader community.