Establishing a Successful Research Program

Barb Morrongiello, Dept. of Psychology (bmorrong@uoguelph.ca) Brian Husband, Dept. of Integrative Biology (bhusband@uoguelph.ca)

General Factors That Affect Research Success - BM

• Understanding expectations of UG/Dept/Discipline• Resources you need• Setting goals based on expectations• Developing a research program structure to meet goals• Identify needs and build research capacity• Identify constraints on/barriers to making progress• Personal attributes • Adopt habits of self-reflection and evaluation AND be willing to make changes

• Communication with admin & other faculty– DOE negotiated to support a research focus– Resources they can provide (reduced teaching?

mentoring you with grants?)

• Expectations of your discipline– Peers and respected colleagues

• Expectations of funding agencies (e.g. Tricouncil)– Kinds of Research activities they value/fund– Scholarly contributions– Training environment

Identify & Understand Institutional Expectations - BH

• Define broad research goals; ideal balance of research activities (multiple projects)

• Research Portfolio (major vs minor, fundamental vs applied, short vs long term)– Opportunities for range of HQP to contribute to

productivity– Sustained research productivity– Resilience to vagaries of funding, research success

• Identify research needs (infrastructure, funding, personnel, collaborators)

Clarify Research Aspirations - BM

• Short (this term), medium (this year) and long- term (within ½ years) goals– Use a calendar to formalize goals x timeline

• Timelines for – Establishing infrastructure (space, eqt, grants)– Building research capacity (grads, undergrads, RA)– Publishing/Presenting findings

Develop Plan for Achieving Goals - BH

• Attracting students• Competing for funding• Acquiring space and equipment infrastructure

USE YOUR RESOURCES for guidance/help:UG research office, more senior colleagues in your dept, past mentors, etc.

Building Capacity - BH

• Know thyself– Strengths, weaknesses, skill gaps

• Find solutions to fill gaps, address weaknesses• Balancing demands: – work-life balance– teaching– service commitments

Identify & Manage Barriers - BM

• Use indicators of success, past goals• Seek honest feedback from peers, Chair, Dean• Opportunities to re-evaluate and adjust– Learn from every failure/disappointment

• Adjust goal?– Scope? Realistic?– Timeline needs adjusting?

• Address gap?– New/different personnel?– New/better infrastructure?

Reflect on Past Activities and Directions- BM