Responsible Research & Representation R3 at UoN
As part of the R3 Network we are also exploring responsible research, culture and representation in the context of the academic research ecosystem at the University of Nottingham. We will examine issues around responsible representation, engagement/policy & research culture. Our aim is to be able to provide insights that will have a positive impact, inform and support the development of strategy and policy. Our vision is be leader in this area, supporting other organisations and projects in by developing an inclusive, responsible research ecosystems for all.
This part of the network focuses upon Responsible Research and Representation at the University of Nottingham.
It is Directed by Alan Chamberlain, with the support of Prof Katherine Lineman PVC for People and Culture. Our core group brings together a range of people working in the Representation, and Research Culture area at the University of Nottingham: Rachel Van Krimpen, Debra Fernshaw, Charlie Davis, Favour Borokini, Oliver Butler, Harry Moriarty
This network will initially focus on issues pertaining to engage in:
Responsible Research Culture, this forms the backdrop for this network
This will feed into our ‘inclusive by design' approach.
Social Capital as influencing representation and position.
Authenticity in Research – Creating Representative Research Teams.
EDI in context - appreciating the range of representation in research, intersection & interplay.
Our current projects:
Our next steps will aim to look at:
Responsible Researcher Representation (valid) offers authenticity:
- Feeds into regulation activities as more truthful.
- Feeds into Policy and Law as having a ‘real world’ relation to the issues.
Inclusive Engagement and Communications are part of Research and Responsible Representation.
We're taking part in the Innovation Showcase 2024, organised by the amazing Fourth Portal at Gravesend. We'll be running an 'open session' curated by Dr Alan Chamberlain which will ask people to think about what a Fair Future might look like for them, their community, the environment, economy... As part of the event we'll be engaging with the public and Dr Glenn McGarry will be interviewing people to see what they think about AI, fairness and what is important to them. Can this inform policy in a more representative authentic co-created way? Favour Borokini is a PGR the University and will be discussing Afro-futures, VR and representation, and Victor Ngo will be discussing his research with looks at design and the interaction between children and robots.
Power and Privilege in Academia Podcast
Coming Soon - Dr Alan Chamberlain (University of Nottingham) and Dr Peter Winter (were invited to take part in the Power and Privilege podcast series. The episode was hosted by Dr Matimba Shana. Topics such as; ethical public engagement, socio-economics, class, responsible research, employment conditions (fixed-term contracts) and funding were covered. This was really enjoyable, but I think that it made all of us think about the precarious nature of having a career in academic research, and the changes that a range of stakeholders would need to put into place to make the system more sustainable - this would be a complete research culture shift for some in the sector.
Speculative Research Culture Futures
Dr Alan Chamberlain and Dr Charlie Davis are currently developing a workshop (which will be hosted in conjunction with the Imagination Lab - Lancaster University) to use generative AI to explore issues around representation, cultural capital, cruel optimism in academia across job families and the 'tactics' that people use in Higher Education. We are also interested in ideas of implicit knowledge and making knowledge on how to aspire and navigate the complexities we come across. This will be a mixture of practical and theoretical discussions which will help us to understand the ways in which we might use more experimental approaches to understand this complex area.
Let’s Work Together
"Get in touch so we can start working together" - Email Alan Chamberlain
Dr Alan Chamberlain
The R3 Network is supported by the following Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council projects.
AI UK: Creating an International Ecosystem for Responsible AI Research and Innovation (RAI UK), (RAKE Responsible Innovation Advantage in Knowledge Exchange) [grant number EP/Y009800/1]
Horizon: Trusted Data-Driven Products [grant number EP/T022493/1]
UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub (The TAS RRI II project) [grant number EP/V00784X/1]