Research Culture Uncovered

(Episode 163) Two Identities Postdoc and YouTuber, One Scientist: Inside the World of The Quantified Scientist

🎙️ The #ResearchCultureUncovered podcast team is excited to share our latest episode featuring Dr. Rob ter Horst — postdoctoral researcher and the creator behind the popular YouTube channel The Quantified Scientist! Join host Ged Hall as he chats with Rob about his fascinating dual life as a researcher and YouTuber, exploring what it means to treat yourself as an experimental subject, running a YouTube channel at the same time as a demanding postdoc and the benefits and challenges of both. 🔹 Discover how Rob's self-tracking journey with weekly brain MRIs, EEG sleep recordings and testing wearables grew from his scientific curiosity and how that has benefitted both his research and his YouTube identities. 🔹 Learn how Rob used wearable technology data and rigorous testing methods to communicate complex data analysis concepts to a broad public audience, and in his university teaching. 🔹 Hear reflections on the realities of balancing a demanding postdoctoral position with running a growing YouTube channel and podcast — and the honest conversations Rob is having with himself about the long-term sustainability of doing both. 🔹 Explore the cultural challenges researchers face when engaging publicly online, from navigating negative comments and Reddit threads to maintaining scientific integrity while building a content business. To connect with Rob: * The Quantified Scientist YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@TheQuantifiedScientist] * Check out his LinkedIn profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-ter-horst-90756a4a/] * His Fit for Science podcast [https://www.youtube.com/@FitForScience] that he co-hosts with Stephan Reichl * His website https://www.robterhorst.com/ [https://www.robterhorst.com/] All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: 1. Research Impact [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/60d10ee0-197a-4648-a3ea-55458f799776] with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/hallged.bsky.social]and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgedhall/]) 2. Research Impact Heroes [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/c2f4fdc5-ee6a-4f39-8bdd-84c66f9ea3fc] with Ged Hall 3. Open Research [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/859c3801-ad5d-41e8-a8f5-bad2b278692f] with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/nickshepp.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicksheppard/]) 4. Research Careers [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ed099aeb-00b5-4bec-b0e3-a4c059dfb826] with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ruthwinden.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthwinden/]) 5. Research talent management [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/687a0477-5846-4db4-936c-ac53a4484adb] 6. Academic Failure [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/36ece93f-61f8-4260-b0b1-5da73333872d] with Taryn Bell (follow Taryn on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/tarynbell.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtarynbell/]) 7. Meet the Research Culturositists [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/f62132a4-2297-4af5-a659-288dccc47220] with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/emmaspary.bsky.social]and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaspary/]) 8. Research co-production [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/599ab0c4-5878-4ef9-bedd-dca5cff5dc77] 9. Research evaluation [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/e83123ea-b1c6-463b-98d8-5e964afb07eb] 10. Research leadership [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/33415149-cfbb-4cbc-aaf8-4e9a98e1af54] 11. Research professionals [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/1249a4ac-e38d-4019-ae42-07620eda1dbf] Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researcherdevleeds.bsky.social] (new episodes are announced here), @openresleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/openresleeds.bsky.social], @researchcultureuol.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researchcultureuol.bsky.social] Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/research-culture-uncovered/] (new episodes are announced here) Leeds Research Culture links: 1. Researcher Development and Culture Website [https://researchersupport.leeds.ac.uk/] 2. Our Concordat Implemention plans and progress [https://researchersupport.leeds.ac.uk/the-concordat/] 3. University of Leeds Research Culture Statement [https://sway.office.com/34Cy6nshbNsWwHl2?ref=Link] 4. University of Leeds Responsible Metrics Statement [https://sway.office.com/eoaz5y0gPuNaGma4?ref=Link] 5. University of Leeds Open Research Statement [https://ris.leeds.ac.uk/research-excellence/open-research-statement/] 6. University of Leeds Research Culture Strategy - launched September 2023 [https://researchculture.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/116/2023/09/University-of-Leeds-Research-Culture-Strategy-Report-1.pdf] 7. Public Engagement with Research [https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-public-engagement] If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode get in touch: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk [researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk]

(Episode 162) Can we trust the evidence? Spotting problematic research in healthcare

In this thought‑provoking episode, host Dr Emily Goodall speaks with Dr Jack Wilkinson [https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/jack.wilkinson], Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trial Statistics at the University of Manchester. Together, they explore the growing challenge of problematic and fraudulent research polluting the published literature, what it means for trust in evidence, and how the research community can respond. From “paper mills” to AI‑generated publications, this episode shines a light on how research integrity is being challenged—and what researchers, reviewers, and institutions can do to protect it. Key themes * The scale of problematic research is growing: Fraudulent and low‑quality studies, driven by paper mills, AI and pressured research environments, are increasingly entering the literature. * Quality checks don’t guarantee authenticity: Peer review and standard appraisals focus on quality, but often miss whether research is authentic. * Structured tools can help spot issues: Tools like INSPECT‑SR guide peer reviewers to identify inconsistencies, implausibility, and red flags. * Culture and incentives drive the problem: Publish‑or‑perish pressures and limited transparency make problematic studies more likely and harder to detect. Final reflections This episode raises an important challenge: if publications are the currency of academia, what happens when we can’t fully trust them? Dr Wilkinson’s work shows that while the problem is complex, there are practical steps we can take, from better tools and reviewer support to systemic cultural change, to strengthen trust in research. Find out more: * INSPECT-SR PrePrint: [https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.03.25334905v1 ] a tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials, medRxiv 2025. * INSPECT-SR: Resources for users [https://inspect.sr ]. * A recording of the Introduction to INSPECT-SR workshop [youtu.be/0uNB7j1CshY] is available on YouTube. * Dr Jack Wilkinson on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/jdwilko.bsky.social ]. * Our open research playlist [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/859c3801-ad5d-41e8-a8f5-bad2b278692f]. If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast app, via Podchaser, or by submitting an online review form. Podchaser: https://lnkd.in/eQYbzZ65 [https://lnkd.in/eQYbzZ65] Online Review Form: https://lnkd.in/eeXFE249 [https://lnkd.in/eeXFE249]

(Episode 161) Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Research Culture in the UAE and Beyond

The #ResearchCultureUncovered podcast team is excited to share our latest episode featuring a fascinating conversation with Professor Adel Ahmed. Adel worked in the UK higher education for over 20 years before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2015. Join host, Ged Hall, as he reconnects with his former colleague to explore research culture in the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 🔹 Discover how higher education in the UAE is strategically designed rather than historically inherited — built around national development priorities, societal impact, and economic diversification, not just rankings and publications. 🔹 Learn about the UAE's ecosystem of federal, semi-government, private, and international branch campus universities, and how this model is spreading across the MENA region. 🔹 Hear how outcome-based evaluation frameworks are reshaping what research success looks like — moving beyond citation counts to measure real-world impact, industry collaboration, and student participation in research. 🔹 Explore what it's really like to move from the UK to the UAE as an academic, and why breaking down silos, embracing interdisciplinary working, and thinking globally while acting locally are at the heart of research culture in the region. Listeners can connect with Adel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-adel-ahmed-3998a841/] Items mentioned in the episode: * Overview of the UAE Higher Education Sector: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) https://www.mohesr.gov.ae/En/pages/home.aspx [https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mohesr.gov.ae%2FEn%2Fpages%2Fhome.aspx&data=05%7C02%7CG.Hall%40adm.leeds.ac.uk%7C79d312fac45841e2bdd708debc25459f%7Cbdeaeda8c81d45ce863e5232a535b7cb%7C0%7C0%7C639155065691619702%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=spsNk2nV7%2BdPAGHFBZmmt0rolDTvIFEBLR2uUa7nfzc%3D&reserved=0] * UAE’s quality assurance agency: Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) https://www.caa.ae [https://www.caa.ae] * Information Related to the Outcome-Based Evaluation Framework (OBEF) –https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Outcomes-based-Evaluation-framework-University-Guide.aspx [https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Outcomes-based-Evaluation-framework-University-Guide.aspx] * OBEF University Guide (PDF) full details https://www.caa.ae/PORTALGUIDELINES/OBEF%20University%20Guide%20(Version%2011.5)%20(English).pdf [https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.caa.ae%2FPORTALGUIDELINES%2FOBEF%2520University%2520Guide%2520(Version%252011.5)%2520(English).pdf&data=05%7C02%7CG.Hall%40adm.leeds.ac.uk%7C79d312fac45841e2bdd708debc25459f%7Cbdeaeda8c81d45ce863e5232a535b7cb%7C0%7C0%7C639155065691688498%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BFk4MfSuxjPDC4qcNqbu2Y%2Bq7RgwvAXfjuOZAizpmrA%3D&reserved=0] * UAE Licensure and Accreditation Framework https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Licensure-and-Accreditation.aspx [https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Guidelines/Licensure-and-Accreditation.aspx] All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: 1. Research Impact [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/60d10ee0-197a-4648-a3ea-55458f799776] with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/hallged.bsky.social]and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgedhall/]) and Alix Brodie-Wray (follow Alix on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alix-brodie-wray-b61069111/]) 2. Research Impact Heroes [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/c2f4fdc5-ee6a-4f39-8bdd-84c66f9ea3fc] with Ged Hall 3. Open Research [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/859c3801-ad5d-41e8-a8f5-bad2b278692f] with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/nickshepp.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicksheppard/]) 4. Research Careers [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ed099aeb-00b5-4bec-b0e3-a4c059dfb826] with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ruthwinden.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthwinden/]) 5. Research talent management [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/687a0477-5846-4db4-936c-ac53a4484adb] 6. Meet the Research Culturositists [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/f62132a4-2297-4af5-a659-288dccc47220] with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/emmaspary.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaspary/]) 7. Research co-production [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/599ab0c4-5878-4ef9-bedd-dca5cff5dc77] 8. Research evaluation [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/e83123ea-b1c6-463b-98d8-5e964afb07eb]

(Episode 160) Meta-Research Uncovered: The Role of Research Enablers

What does it mean to do research on research — and what role do professional staff play in it? In this episode, Alix Brodie-Wray is joined by Dr. Chris Daley (LSE) and Dr. Amy Milligan (Saïd Business School, University of Oxford) to explore the world of meta-research and why research managers, administrators, and enablers have a vital part to play. We cover: 🔬 What meta-research actually is (and why it matters) 💡 How professional staff bring unique, ground-level expertise to the field 📊 The growing investment in meta-science — including the UK Meta-Science Unit's funding tripling to £49 million 🎓 Whether you need a PhD to get involved (spoiler: you don't) ⚖️ The very real time pressures and how to navigate them 🌍 What the future holds for research enablers in this space If you work in research support, management, or administration and have ever wondered whether your skills could contribute to something bigger — this one's for you. 🎧 Listen now: [link] Contributors Alix Brodie-Wray (follow on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alix-brodie-wray-b61069111/]) Dr Amy Milligan (follow on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-flanders-milligan-9792926a]) Dr Chris Daley (follow on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-daley]) Links and Resources: Research on Research Institute video on ‘what is metascience? [https://researchonresearch.org/new-video-series-what-is-metascience-and-why-does-it-matter/]’ Past, Present and Future of UK Metascience. Short history of metascience in the UK context [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685bcd40c07c71e5a87097d1/the-past-present-future-of-uk-metascience.pdf] Association of Research Managers and Administrators: Meta-Research Special Interest Group: Meta Research – ARMA [https://arma.ac.uk/dashboard/network/special-interest-groups/meta-research-nonmembers/] Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researcherdevleeds.bsky.social] (new episodes are announced here) @openresleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/openresleeds.bsky.social] @researchcultureuol.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researchcultureuol.bsky.social] Connect on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/research-culture-uncovered/] (new episodes are announced here) 📩 If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk [researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk]

(Episode 159) Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR): a comedy podcast with Dr Louise Saul

In this episode Nick talks to Dr Louise Saul, Network+ coordinator for CaSDaR (Careers and Skills for Data Driven Research) [https://casdar.ac.uk/], a UKRI-funded initiative aiming to professionalise and build community around data stewardship in the UK. They discuss shared work through the Open Research Competencies Coalition (ORCC) and Louise’s previous UKRN role as an ORCA (Open Research Coordinator and Administrator) at the University of Southampton, supporting open research training and implementation. Louise discusses using stand-up comedy to communicate research and open research ideas, and outlines her career path from biotechnology and a PhD in protein crystallography through multiple postdocs, teaching, and into open research and data. She explains meta-research as “research on research,” including a study on what authors include in methods sections and implications for reproducibility. Louise shares some of her data-management "horror stories," and highlights sector-wide challenges: unclear career pathways and progression for research-enabling roles, which CaSDaR addresses via funding, events, and resources. Links: * CaSDaR (Careers and Skills for Data Driven Research) [https://casdar.ac.uk/] * Ruby Carr Comedy [https://www.rubycarrcomedy.com/] * UK Reproducibility Network [https://www.ukrn.org/] * (Episode 129) UKRN Train the Trainer: accelerating the uptake of open research practices across academic disciplines [https://research-culture.captivate.fm/episode/ukrn-train-the-trainer-accelerating-the-uptake-of-open-research-practices-across-academic-disciplines] * (Episode 123) Valuing Diverse Research Outputs: The Hidden REF and the 5% Manifesto with Simon Hettrick [https://research-culture.captivate.fm/episode/valuing-diverse-research-outputs-the-hidden-ref-and-the-5-manifesto-with-professor-simon-hettrick] * Sonrai - Irish Data Stewardship Network [https://datastewards.ie/] If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast app, via Podchaser, or by submitting an online review form. ✍ Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/research-culture-uncovered-4959637?utm_source=captivate&utm_medium=podcast_page&action=rate] ✍ Online Review Form [https://forms.office.com/e/6effjgmmM6] All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists: * Research Impact [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/60d10ee0-197a-4648-a3ea-55458f799776] with Ged Hall (follow Ged on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/hallged.bsky.social]and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgedhall/]) * Research Impact Heroes [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/c2f4fdc5-ee6a-4f39-8bdd-84c66f9ea3fc] with Ged Hall * Open Research [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/859c3801-ad5d-41e8-a8f5-bad2b278692f] with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/nickshepp.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicksheppard/]) * Research Careers [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ed099aeb-00b5-4bec-b0e3-a4c059dfb826] with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ruthwinden.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthwinden/]) * Research talent management [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/687a0477-5846-4db4-936c-ac53a4484adb] * Meet the Research Culturositists [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/f62132a4-2297-4af5-a659-288dccc47220] with Emma Spary (follow Emma on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/emmaspary.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaspary/]) * Research co-production [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/599ab0c4-5878-4ef9-bedd-dca5cff5dc77] * Research evaluation [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/e83123ea-b1c6-463b-98d8-5e964afb07eb] * Research leadership [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/33415149-cfbb-4cbc-aaf8-4e9a98e1af54] * Research professionals [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/1249a4ac-e38d-4019-ae42-07620eda1dbf] * Academic failure [https://player.captivate.fm/collection/36ece93f-61f8-4260-b0b1-5da73333872d] with Taryn Bell (follow Taryn on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/tarynbell.bsky.social] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtarynbell/]) Follow us on Bluesky: @researcherdevleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researcherdevleeds.bsky.social] (new episodes are announced here), @openresleeds.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/openresleeds.bsky.social], @researchcultureuol.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/researchcultureuol.bsky.social] Connect to us on LinkedIn: @ResearchUncoveredPodcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/research-culture-uncovered/] (new episodes are announced here too). If you would like to contribute to a podcast episode get in touch: researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk [researcherdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk]