The past twenty years has included many significant milestones in researcher development, such as the publication of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, the embedding of the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) and an increasing focus on the career development of researchers through each iteration of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. In this presentation, the reimaging of researcher development will be looked at through several lenses, starting with the origins and ambition of researcher development, asking ‘what did it set out to achieve and has it been successful?’ There is no simple answer to this. The majority of doctoral researchers aspire to an academic career when they graduate, but (often) the larger proportion will go on to be employed in sectors and roles beyond academic research. Therefore, looked at through a researcher lens, a funder lens, or a university employer lens, the ultimate goals of researcher development could look quite different. Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic has put acute pressure on the research system and provides a news lens through which to understand, and potentially find solutions to, some of the chronic pressures on researchers. There have been shifts in perspective and practice both catalysed and accelerated by the pandemic, such as a new focus on the wellbeing and mental health of researchers, researcher development and training that is accessible remotely, and growing ambitions for a culture of responsible research and innovation (RRI). The emergence of new concepts in research, new technologies and dramatic post-pandemic shifts in working environments create an opportunity to reimagine a new researcher development for the next twenty years, that takes the best of what we have done so far and builds towards a more sustainable research system for the future.
