Our Institute team is comprised of engagement and events professionals who can provide advice and support to researchers from postgraduate level up who are looking to undertake engaged research activities.
We hold expertise in designing and delivering effective research events and festivals activities, in research communications activities, and in the processes and practices that lie behind the generation and delivery of impactful socially engaged research.
We provide a range of opportunities and resources that support researchers to raise the visibility, quality and impact of their engaged research.
The AHRI Quick Guides to Support Engagement & Impact Activities
We are pleased to bring you the below guides that will help you in your engagement and impact activities.
Go Engage - a quick guide to assist with planning a research or research-led teaching event with the Arts and Humanities Research Institute or one of our research centres.
Go Virtual - a quick guide that takes you through all the steps to consider when planning an event online.
Go Green - a quick guide to how to ensure your event is sustainable and falls in line with King’s Vision “to make the world a better place”.
Go Evaluate - a quick guide to assist you in methods and benefits of analysing your event using various forms of evaluation.
Go Film - a quick guide to creating video content to showcase reasearch and research-led teaching.
Go Podcast - a quick guide to podcasting for researchers and benefits of planning content as well as using suitable software.
Go Adapt: A quick guide for creating engaging online presentations and talks by Dr Joseph Fort, King’s College Organist & Director of the Chapel Choir, and Lecturer in Music
Go Genealogical: Written by Prof. Gonda Van Steen, Koraes Chair, with the input of many intercountry adoptee voices, this guide talks about the genealogical turn of Prof Van Steen's work during the Covid-19 lockdown and provides steps for researchers to unlock genealogical knowledge. More information on Prof. Van Steen's research: Adoption Reckonings and Understanding Life Histories, based on interview with Marina Thomas (20 May 2020, released 12 Nov. 2020).
Go Design: A quick guide to the fundamentals of Website Design: a useful skillset for academics communicating research online by Sarah Crofton
Go Learn: A quick guide to Action Learning Sets by Dr Ed Stevens, Manager, King’s Arts & Humanities Research Institute.
Go Tweet: A quick guide to Twitter for academics.
Go Social: A quick guide to Social Media Marketing by Dr Michelle Fletcher, Research Assistant on the Visual Commentary on Scripture and Research Fellow, KCL.
Go Webmaking: A quick guide to using the web as a medium for public engagement in humanities research by Dr Jonathan Gray, Lecturer in Critical Infrastructure Studies, KCL.
Go Diverse: A guide to foster good practice in diversity and inclusion across research and engagement activities, by Samantha Cater.
These include:
Each year, we provide a diverse range of professional development workshops for those researchers looking to develop skills in socially engaged research and / or to raise the profile of their research through communications and impact activities. We either use our in-house expertise to deliver these workshops or we source external experts.
Previous workshops we have delivered include: ideas generation activities for innovative research projects, how to create successful podcasts, how to design effective festival activities, skills for facilitating successful research collaborations and video skills for researchers.
Please see below a list of the upcoming workshops and for further details on how to register please click on the link below.
Crafting A Circular Economy Virtual Workshop: Principles and Practice - by Dr Lauren England & Julian Leedham
4.00pm - 5.30pm Friday 1st May 2020
Check back on this page regularly for the latest upcoming workshops. Or follow us on Twitter or sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about our offerings.
AHRI Professional Development Workshops
The Faculty’s Impact Manager, Ana Rita Rodrigues (ar.rodrigues@kcl.ac.uk), can advise on all impact-related issues with regards to grants, including Pathways to Impact statements. However, if you are developing a research project that involves extensive civic or public engagement activities, then Dr Ed Stevens (Research Institute Manager, edward.stevens@kcl.ac.uk) can advise.
Ed is also able to advise researchers interested in applying to public engagement-specific calls (e.g. the annual Being Human Festival or the British Academy’s Rising Star Engagement Awards).
The AHRI team can provide advice on how best to evaluate engaged research activities.
We offer research communications support with the aim of increasing the profile and visibility of Arts & Humanities research and researchers, in particular interdisciplinary and socially engaged research online.
We have training bursaries available for researchers who wish to learn more about how to conduct socially engaged research online or to enhance their research communication skills online. Please see our 'Funding' page for further details.
In order to enable researchers to develop engaging digital content we offer the use of some easy to use equipment for making podcasts and short social media videos. We have an iPad, lapel mic and tripod available to borrow for videos and a Blue Yeti Pro microphone and headphones available for podcasts. Please email ahri@kcl.ac.uk if you would like to borrow these.
A useful guide when starting to think about using social media for research is this one from the NCCPE:
What works engaging the public through social media
Requests for Faculty research-focused events support should go through the Faculty Events Team. The Faculty Events Team can support academic staff with the organisation of their research-focussed events. Through a light touch application process, they aim to support as many events as possible across the Faculty and can offer guidance and advice at any stage of your event planning.
Contact: ahevents@kcl.ac.uk
You can find full details here:
Events management and marketing
King’s Engaged Research Network (KERN) aims to foster a growing community of researchers interested in developing and sharing best practice for engaging diverse audiences with research. It offers monthly newsletters, opportunities to get involved and information on funding and resources. KERN is open to researchers, clinical and technical staff and postgraduate students at the university.
King’s Engaged Researcher Network
King's Digital Lab (KDL) has collaborated extensively across the Faculty, providing technical consultancy and helping to develop digital research methodologies for many projects. Any research that might benefit from the innovative use of technology is of interest and KDL are keen to be part of conversations that address challenging questions as early as possible. KDL's guidance can help to ensure that your workshops and projects are fully appraised of the state-of-the-art practices in design and software development.
If you think your work will benefit from a technical perspective, please do let KDL know as early as possible via kdl-info@kcl.ac.uk. And you can find out more about their work at https://www.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/