Skills I am developing in my new role

I was recently appointed as vice dean for research at my institution, and I am learning as much as I learned in the first months of my PhD. Stepping into this position has made me realize just how much there still is to learn, even after years of navigating academia. The shift from focusing on my own research and teaching to overseeing broader institutional strategy brings with it a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. I find myself developing new skills and gaining insights that were not part of my academic training, but are now essential in this new chapter of my career.

Here are some of the key areas where I’m expanding my skill set:

• Bibliometrics and scienciometrics: I’m diving into the world of publication metrics — not just impact factors and h-indexes, but more nuanced indicators that help assess research quality and influence. Understanding how to interpret these metrics responsibly is crucial when advising on promotion cases, departmental evaluations, or research funding distribution.
• Research Impact and Visibility: From altmetrics to societal impact frameworks, I’m learning how institutions can better understand and support the broad effects of academic work. This includes everything from developing narratives around impact to supporting knowledge translation activities.
• Disciplinary Differences in Research Practice: As an engineer by training, I’m now more deeply engaging with research approaches in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. Each field has its own rhythms, traditions, and evaluation standards — and I’m finding it enriching to learn how diverse scholarly contributions are made and assessed.
• Leadership and Strategic Thinking: Beyond day-to-day management, I’m learning to think in terms of long-term vision. How do we foster a thriving research culture? How do we prepare our institution for the next generation of research challenges? These questions push me to consider broader strategies and institutional goals, and to write briefs on how to move forward.
• Communicating Clearly and Widely: Whether it’s speaking to university leadership, faculty, funding agencies, or the general public, I’m sharpening my skills in tailoring messages for different audiences. Clear communication is essential not just for clarity, but for building trust and collaboration across the institution.
• Facilitating Interdisciplinary Collaboration: I’m learning how to break down silos and encourage connections across departments. This involves creating the right structures, incentives, and informal spaces for cross-pollination to happen.
• Navigating Policy and Governance: Understanding the policies that shape academic research — from data management and ethics to open access, as well as national accreditation requirements — is a steep but necessary learning curve. It’s also an opportunity to contribute to creating better, fairer systems.
• Supporting Early Career Researchers: I’m becoming more attuned to the needs of junior faculty members and thinking about how to strengthen the pipeline of future scholars.

This new role has opened my eyes to the many layers that underpin a strong research ecosystem. While I still have much to learn, I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow into these responsibilities and to support the broader academic community from a new perspective. If anything, this experience has reminded me that academic life is a continual learning process, and that leadership is just another form of scholarship.