Strong research trajectory but seen as a admin/teaching "safe pair of hands" within department - AIBU?

[aridapricot]

I have what I think by most standards is a strong research profile in a Humanities field (3 single-authored monographs as I transition from early to mid career, 5 outputs submitted to last REF, among top 3 in my department for grant capture). Yet in my department I am overwhelmingly seen as an admin/teaching maid-of-all-work, rather than as a strong researcher. I think that a reason for this is that, even though I started my career at this department on a research-only position, I soon found myself doing much more teaching and administration than I should. The first 7 years of my career here I taught in 14 different UG modules (often with little continuity - I was just allocated to cover for whatever colleague was on research or sick leave, although I eventually raised that and I have been allowed to focus on the same few courses each year ever since). I have undertaken a number of administration jobs which are not the glamorous or promotion-conducing ones (research coordinator, impact coordinator, REF stuff), but rather the ones which require you to be able to interpret and implement university rules and regulations and solve the problems that students and administrators constantly throw at you. This year, for the first time ever, I managed to bag a research-related admin role, but it's only temporary and just because everyone else who could do it was on research or sick leave.

I feel increasingly resentful that I am not the person that people turn to when it comes to asking about a research idea, or when it comes to showcasing our departmental research to the outside world in any shape or form (in our Environment narrative for REF, for example, none of my achievements or research fields were mentioned - e.g. I am the only person in my department who is editor of a major journal in our field and yet this wasn't picked up, whereas lesser achievements were). I am the person you turn to when you need someone to cover teaching at short notice or to help you with an incredibly complicated case of a student bombing multiple submissions or taking the wrong courses.

I have raised this with my HoD and they say they disagree with my perception. I've found them really helpful in some respects (e.g. it was them who offered me the research admin role this year, they ask for my opinion on research matters), but they are not a research star themselves, and so I'm afraid that their opinion maybe doesn't count for much in terms of getting respect for my research profile in the department. Gender I think plays a part as well - I am one of very few women in my department, and the only one in my subdiscipline. The perceived research stars are almost exclusively men.

DH says that if I've got a full REF submission and a string of grants surely that's what counts for the things that matter (e.g. promotion) and the rest is a popularity contest that shouldn't bother me. But for the past two or three years this is something I've increasingly resented. I've sat in meetings in which we've discussed taking on PhD students or developing PGT programmes in a certain area, and people have said "oh no but we cannot do this because we don't have any research strengths in that specialism" - when these are areas that I have actual peer-reviewed publications in. I feel ignored, invisible. I lack the confidence to reply in real time to these kinds of situations, I also lack the personality to brag openly (I cannot even bring myself to cite my latest publication under my signature)... thoughts?

In my experience, it’s not so much your work but other people’s reaction to it that builds your reputation. I would start accumulating “peer esteem indicators”. Think of them like Brownie badges. They are the signifiers that you have the skills and the knowledge, especially for people who are not going to go “behind the badge”.

There is also the issue of whether you are correction in your perception, and even if you are, do you care? If it does bother you, maybe work on some stock responses to those sort of comments - it’s not self-promotion, you are just stating a fact.

Honestly? If you could, I would move. You will not escape the perception your current colleagues have, if you stay there, and you will get increasingly resentful. If possible I would move somewhere and act as you mean to go on from day 1 (emphasising research)

OP, I would not be surprised if ingrained sexism is not part of the issue you are facing. In terms of other people’s perception that you are the one to ‘tidy up’, solve the dept problems, be ‘nice’ enough to step in when someone/the dept needs help and not be selfish enough to focus mostly on your research outputs. But I also suspect there may be some internalised sexism in you - why do you not feel able to shout about your significant achievements or say no to admin roles that do not support your research career trajectory?

In terms of solutions, you could look for an alternative role in another organisation but some of the issues that you face may follow you if they are ingrained within you. As an alternative approach, or even to do before you look elsewhere, does your university have a mentorship programme, ideally one aimed at female staff? If they do, I would suggest you join and see if you can find a mentor from outside your dept. to help you. If they don’t then I would still consider approaching a senior member of university staff who displays the attributes you would like to develop and has a strong research profile. I think it may work best if they are a woman, as they are likely to understand the invisible barriers female researchers face, but the right male mentor could work as well. Good luck.

I lack the confidence to reply in real time to these kinds of situations, I also lack the personality to brag openly (I cannot even bring myself to cite my latest publication under my signature)... thoughts?

I have no idea about your field of work or academia, I just happened on this thread in Active.
But the quoted comment leapt out at me. It's not bragging to talk about your achievements, especially in response to a question where they would be relevant - how will people choose you for a role if your achievements aren't out there. Yes, they may be listed on a dusty piece of paper or a computer file, but you need to keep your expertise fresh in colleague's minds. Really this is something you need to work on, especially if you've been pigeon holed at work or even more so if you are going to look elsewhere.

I totally empathise BTW, self promotion makes my toes curl over, I'm exactly the same and have often underachieved as a result.

Sympathies, OP. I find myself in a similar boat. I do a lot of teaching admin (and have even taken on a major central role), but do have strong research programme that many people seem to forget about.

Do you do any collaborative research? I find I'm getting some recognition by (male) colleagues pointing me out when I'm being left off. Recently there was a large grant being organised for which a collaborator was tapped, and a few weeks in he realised that despite it being exactly my specialty, no one had contacted me. He simply CC'd me into the email chain saying "Murmur does this, she should be part" - two weeks later I was Co-PI on the bid (we're still awaiting results...). Although this only works if you're in a field like mine where co-working is the norm.

Other than that, do try to point out that you do things if it comes up in a meeting where you are! Also, perhaps mention in casual conversation your research work - if someone says "how are you doing", you could answer with whatever plus something about your research "good/rushed/tired, helping my PhD student do X/have just finished writing Y/looking at funding Z".

sympathies OP. It can be very hard to change how people see you within a department. A few things that may help

• do speak up if people say that the department doesn't have a certain speciality which you do. If you are shy to say 'I do X', what about 'my PhD student does X'?


• find one or two allies - is there anyone else in a similar position in your department? If so, you can have a pact to speak up for each other as above.


• you could organise a local 1 or 2 day symposium on your topic. Invite a few outside speakers + some colleagues and make sure you have a speaking slot yourself. There can be small pots of grant money for this kind of thing too.


• If there is a department or university newsletter / twitter feed etc, get your work featured. Try to get press coverage for your work etc. your colleagues will read it.


• Move. An extreme solution, but do look at whether there might be a good job elsewhere. It can be better to come into a new place at the top than to work up from the bottom where people see you as the same as you were 5 years ago.

It's up to you to shape your own career, OP. Nobody's going to magically come in and rescue/champion you while you sit back demurely.

You need to speak up! If you leave unchallenged the suggestion that nobody has those skills then how do you expect them to notice you do? That's not bragging but I do think you need to learn to blow your own trumpet- and this is even more important for women.

You need to speak up! If you leave unchallenged the suggestion that nobody has those skills then how do you expect them to notice you do? That's not bragging but I do think you need to learn to blow your own trumpet- and this is even more important for women.

That sounds really tough. I have two suggestions that you may well have thought of already. One is to set up your own personal website (easy to do on Wordpress etc) where you can put up a few pages about your research and achievements. Then you can put that website in your signature. It's surprising how many people will look at it and see the whole range of what you do. My second suggestion is perhaps misplaced, but I would stay silent a bit if you can when tasks are being 'offered'. I imagine that might be a bit uncomfortable? If asked or challenged, you could offer to do anything research related if asked, saying that after a long stint in teaching/admin/citizenship you are now focusing on gaining research admin experience. That has worked for me in the past, might it work for you?

Hi all, thanks for the great tips. I do really need a kick up the bum to do more self-promotion. The other day we were trying to set up a meeting in the department, I said I couldn't do a certain date because I had a conference - a colleague immediately said, unprompted, that he couldn't do the following week because he was giving an invited lecture in a very prestigious place and then he was organizing the first conference EVER in a subfield he's apparently invented. I am really amazed at how self-promotion comes so naturally to some people - I guess I'll never be like this colleague (whom tbf I find a bit insufferable - but he does get noticed and gets ahead thank to things like these) but some of the practical tips here are very good.
What has made things difficult the last couple of months, paradoxically, is that this spring-summer I'm having more invited talks and keynote lectures than ever. I do research in three rather distinct areas and this year, for the first time, I've had invitations for all three. People whom I've admired since I was a PhD are now approaching me and saying they really admire my work... so it's great to have this recognition (and externally I've had more success with promoting myself on social media) but sometimes it's coming back to the department and the drudgery, where people only seem to remember me when there is some mega disaster with mitigating circumstances or grades, and it's a bit though.
Something else I've thought of doing (apart from the great suggestions in here) is to set up a sort of "research group" in my department - in some cases that I know this just involved setting up a website under the name, say, "Research Group on Postmodern Basketweaving", on the website you cite everyone in the department (incl PhD students) whose topic is tangentially related to the theme, you organize a seminar series or a one-day conference, there aren't really any masive resources needed, and I know people for whom doing something like this really helped achieve some visibility.
Leaving for another place is a possibility. Jobs in my area, and at the right seniority level (I'm not so desperate as to start back on a research fellow or research assistant job) are few and far between, I've applied for a couple but nothing came out of it. But yes, this is something I intend to keep doing. I feel that the dynamics with some of my colleagues are now settled (i.e. them piling up things on me) and I find it difficult to reverse them.

I’ve recently had experience of a female leadership/ development programme and mentorship which is transforming my outlook and confidence. See if there’s anything like that for you?

I feel your pain. I don't have your number of publications (impresive!), but my first book was 'field changing' (in my teeny tiny sub-discipline). I get quoted all the bloody time at the conferences I go to. But my research is virtually invisible in my dept because I'm the only one in my field (also humanities). I'm also incredibly intellectually isolated at work and have little opportunity for collaboration within my institution (without giving up all my own reseach interests). Like you, roles in my field are very few and far between and I'm extremely lucky to have the job I do. So moving is extremely unlikely to ever happen.

I try to focus on the positives: I have a job, when so many humanities depts are being decimated at the moment; it's commutable from where we want to live as a family; my colleagus are lovely (if completely disinterested in my research); the university I work at has done a lot of work to improve staff morale and the general atmosphere in the past 5 years and it's actually worked; etc.

In your situation, I'd start saying 'no' to all the crappy stuff people keep asking you to do. Can you talk to your HoD about people piling stuff on you? 'Mega disasters with mitigating circ and grades' sounds like stuff that should be being dealt with by admin/ assessments staff anyway?? Be more vocal about your achievements. The research group is a really great idea - it will help a lot with visibility inside and outside your institution...

Solidarity, and watching replies with interest as I am in a similar situation.