Overview

Join us for an engaging conversation with Dr Ruth Flanagan, Research Impact and Engagement Officer at Queen's University Belfast.  Ruth’s compelling research examined how religious and cultural upbringings influence women’s sexual experiences in Northern Ireland.  She will share insights from her career journey and discuss how she navigated the process of rebuilding her professional identity beyond traditional academic research. 

The session will include a live Q&A, offering attendees the opportunity to ask questions and seek practical advice on navigating academic career pathways.

This session is part of a series of career exploration interviews and panel discussions organised as part of the Research Culture NI project, generously funded by Wellcome.

If you want to be notified of future events, please email pdc@qub.ac.uk. 

Format

ALL WELCOME!  This event is primarily targeted at postdocs and research staff, but is open to anyone who is interested in attending, including individuals of all career stages and roles affiliated to any university or without university affiliation.

In this event Dr Ruth Flanagan will be interviewed by Jill Wright, Research Careers and Employability Officer in the Postdoctoral Development Centre at Queen's University Belfast.  Jill will ask some prepared questions but also relay questions shared by the audience in the event chat and address any pre-event questions received at registration.

This event will be suitable for people who want to attend and listen using audio only, so feel free to join while enjoying a walk or lunch!  Automatically generated captions will be enabled for accessibility to attendees. 

Our Guest

DR RUTH FLANAGAN

Dr Ruth Flanagan pursued a career in research driven by a deep commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering social change in the areas of sexual health and literacy.  Following the completion of her doctorate, she spent a year working in research assistant roles at Queen’s Business School.  However, these positions gradually distanced her from the research topics she was most passionate about.

Despite submitting two unsuccessful funding applications, and initiating a third, Dr Flanagan ultimately faced the difficult decision to reimagine her professional identity beyond the traditional academic pathway.

She has since found her niche in professional research support.  As a Research Impact and Engagement Officer in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Ruth now helps researchers connect their work with broader society, while developing creative strategies to capture and demonstrate impact.  For her, stepping away from academia did not mean stepping away from research, it meant discovering new and meaningful ways to drive change.