Day Two – Research

Posted on | September 15, 2008 | No Comments

Guest post by Emily Potter. Emily is an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne. Her current research, funded by an ARC Discovery Grant held with Professor Paul Carter, focuses on the poetics of place, and the work of public art in the remaking of environments. She is co-editor of Fresh Water: New Perspectives on Water in Australia (MUP, 2007) and co-convenor of the Cultural Research Network Early Career Researchers Node.

As the posts by Mel and Clif have indicated, ‘State of the Industry’ is developing its program through conversation. Below are some broad themes proposed so far for Day 2 of the conference, which will focus on Research. The theme of ‘research’ lends itself to a theoretical and practical approach: questions concerning methods and cultures of research, as well as its practice across different career models and within current funding regimes.

Themes for discussion might include:

- Current expectations of research output vs realities of academic workloads; balancing teaching and research

- The pursuit of ‘measurable’ outcomes: how can cultural research stand its ground in this current climate?

- What are the new models of research that are emerging in our fields?

- What research can do – its real world effect; research impact, ‘applied research’

- Communicating research to the audiences that it effects

- The ethics of research practice

- Interdisciplinary research collaborations – methods and practices; difficulties and challenges

- Funding regimes; ARC and beyond; international opportunities for research collaboration and funding. Have funding regimes caught up to the realities of academic work cultures?

- The impact of short-term contracts and sessional teaching positions on the opportunities for research and to obtain research funding; the need to have these difficulties and experiences heard

- Research-only careers: particular challenges and opportunities; how possible is research-only as a long term career option? What new career models are emerging?

- The disparity of career/promotion opportunities between research-only (particularly ARC funded) and teaching and research staff; the implications of fixed-term contracts on career progression

- The ‘lost generation’ of cultural research: those PhD graduates unable to attain work in the academy: where are they? What are they doing? How can we reconnect with their expertise and experience?

- Research careers outside the academy: what are these? How to develop them?

We welcome reflections on any of these issues as well as further suggestions. Volunteers or ideas for speakers are also being sought.

Category: State of the Industry 2009

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