Call for Public Engagement Advocates
The Public Engagement Unit is seeking academic ‘Public Engagement Advocates’ for the academic
year 2013-2014.
The University wishes to encourage a positive culture towards engaged research. Important catalysts
within the university will be our academics who champion public engagement by undertaking
engaged research, sharing their passion for this with other researchers and considering how to
increase the visibility of the engaged research that does take place in Bath.
We have established a Public Engagement Network within the University and are now seeking more
in-depth interactions in certain areas with some of our academics – our Advocates. We want to learn
from our Advocates and their experiences of engaged research and their experiences of being Public
Engagement Advocates.
Areas of work where our Advocates will be involved will include:
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Citizen science
Building postgraduate skills
Inspiring tomorrow’s researchers
Public engagement partnerships with industry
Public engagement with policy-makers
Reward and recognition for researchers
Advocates will:
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Share their experience of and enthusiasm for public engagement with research with other
researchers in Bath, including via the Public Engagement Network website (to be launched in
autumn 2013) and events, and the Public Engagement Showcase (in November each year).
Help to shape public engagement in Bath by working on particular aspects of engagement
(areas detailed below).
Raise their profile for undertaking engaged research within Bath.
Be a supportive group of thought-leaders in public engagement with research using social
media, blogs or other media to share their thoughts and experiences of engaged research.
Each Advocate will work on a specific aspect of public engagement with the Public Engagement Unit
(Dr Joanna Coleman and Ed Stevens) and the Engaged360 Project Working Group (Professor Jane
Millar, Professor Matthew Davidson, Professor Chris Budd and Dr Liz Lyon). Areas we are interested
for our academic Advocates to be involved in are:
1. Citizen Science (working with Dr Liz Lyon and Dr Joanna Coleman)
A citizen science special interest group is being set up in Bath. We would like to extend this to a GW4
group (most likely within the Connectivity and Communications workstream) and develop a network
for sharing learning, developing ideas and regional citizen science projects.
2. Building Postgraduate Skills (working with Professor Matthew Davidson and Ed Stevens)
Developing researchers with skills in public engagement is vital to produce engaged researchers for
the future. Supporting centres for doctoral training to include public engagement is an important
aspect here, along with providing support and opportunities for all postgraduate researchers. A
postgraduate public engagement forum is being setup to involve postgraduates in building a
platform to give all postgraduate researchers a safe place in which to discuss research and engage
people with their research. A model is being tested with the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences, to bring postgraduates, early career researchers and public groups together around issues
of common interest.
3. Inspiring Tomorrow’s Researchers (working with Professor Chris Budd and Dr Joanna
Coleman)
We are supporting the development of undergraduate final-year modules in the Faculty of Science,
introducing the concepts of public engagement and giving the students an opportunity to develop
skills and engage with the research within their department. We are supporting the evolution of the
Bath Taps into Science fair and masterclasses in engineering with the Royal Institution. We are also
working with the Widening Participation Office to build research into the schools activities they are
leading.
4. Public Engagement Partnerships with Industry (working with Professor Matthew Davidson
and Professor Chick Wilson)
This aspect is interested in the dynamics of collaborative university-industry research and associated
public engagement work, to test the barriers and drivers, pros and cons and impacts of joint
university-industry public engagement.
5. Public Engagement with policy-makers (working with Professor Jane Millar and the Institute
for Policy Research)
The focus here is encouraging researchers to engage with the policy sector, building on the best
practice and expertise within Bath. Enabling connections to be made between researchers and
policy makers is key, as well as sharing learning across Faculties and disciplines.
6. Reward and Recognition (working with Dr Joanna Coleman)
Reward and recognition for engagement is important and this area is tackling the inclusion of public
engagement with research within academic role descriptions, career progression criteria and
workload models. Prizes and awards for engaged research and the exploration of other reward and
recognition methods are also included here.
We would also hope that our Advocates would be willing to support the Public Engagement Unit in
developing opportunities and partnerships to enable researchers to engage beyond the University.
Public Engagement Advocates Application Form
Name (incl. title)
Position/Role
Department
Email address
Telephone number
Please tell us why you would like to be a Public Engagement Advocate at the University of Bath (max.
150 words)
Which of the areas of activity are you interested in and why? What would you like to contribute?
(max. 250 words)
Please tell us about your public engagement experience and how engagement is embedded into
your research and teaching (max. 250 words)
Once you have completed the application form, please email it to public-engagement@bath.ac.uk
no later than 5pm on Monday 30th September. If you’d like to discuss the role or if you have any
questions, please email Joanna Coleman (j.m.coleman@bath.ac.uk). Applications will be reviewed by
the Engaged360 Project Working Group and results will be made public shortly afterwards.