Impact Fellows

Supporting Arts & Humanities researchers to develop and evidence their research impact

Launched in 2023, the Faculty of Arts & Humanities Impact Fellows’ programme has supported 27 researchers across three cohorts to develop and think through the impact of their research with intensive expert support, including funds for seminars or marking buy-out.

Led by Dr Lesley Paterson of MESH Associates and Susanne Buck of Flow Associates, fellows have been supported to generate impact and evidence collection plans with relation their research and, in the process, developing a supportive, interdisciplinary network of peers interested in impact.

Through the programme, the fellows -

• develop impact plans linked to existing or planned research projects

• learn about all forms of impact, enhancing impact literacy and evidencing skills

• identify enablers and barriers to achieving impact

• join a supportive interdisciplinary cohort for shared learning

• build skills to support departmental colleagues in understanding impact

Fellowship structure

Core Fellowship support activities (April to June)

Following introductory, online 1-1s between each fellow and Lesley & Susanne, a face-to-face session takes place for the cohort to meet one another, to discuss plans and to explore and share motivations and challenges with regards impact. This is followed by four sessions exploring the breadth and diversity of impact. Each session includes opportunities for discussion, reflecting on how the content fits with roles and understanding, and facilitates the development of impact and evidence collection plans. Sessions provide a mix of face-to-face and online delivery and cover the following topics

• Understanding & framing impact [impact definitions, flavours & frameworks] – 1.5hr session delivered online.

• Pathways to impact [who, how, why, when] – 1.5hr session delivered online.

• Planning & mapping your impact projects [articulating and mapping your inputs, outputs & outcomes] – 3hr session delivered face-to-face.

• Counting what counts: Evidencing impact – 3hr session delivered face-to-face.

Responsive Fellowship support activities (October to December)

These support activities are developed and designed in response to a needs analysis and ongoing discussions with fellows. Activities could include one or more of the following:

• Opportunities to reflect upon / critique impact thinking, work and plans.

• Opportunities to explore REF impact case studies.

• Action learning sets (structured formats for resolving impact issues / challenges as a group).

• Any other impact-related topic that the cohort wishes to explore.

• Each Fellow also receives two 1-1 coaching sessions with Lesley & Susanne, benefiting from tailored advice and support based on their own specific impact work. The Fellowship concludes with a reflection and celebration event.

Our fellows

2025 cohort

• Professor Ruvani Ranasinha (English)

• Dr Elisa Sampson Vera Tudela (Languages, Literatures and Cultures)

• Dr Alfie Bown (Digital Humanities)

• Dr Edward David (Theology & Religious Studies)

• Dr Rikke Amundsen (Digital Humanities)

• Dr Gethin Rees (Digital Humanities)

• Dr Ella Parry-Davies (English)

• Dr Mark Gotham (Digital Humanities)

• Dr Red Chidgey (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

• Dr Priyanka Basu (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

2024 cohort

• Dr Chris Manias (History)

• Dr Reza Zia-Ebrahimi (History)

• Dr Martina Zimmermann (English)

• Professor Fay Bound Alberti (History)

• Dr Daniel Mandu Thomaz (Languages, Literatures and Cultures)

• Professor Elselijn Kingma (Philosophy)

• Dr Jamie Hakim (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

• Dr Karen Brien O’Kop (Theology & Religious Studies)

• Dr Lindsay Allen (Classics)

• Dr Munira Cheema (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

2023 cohort

• Professor Ellen Adams (Classics)

• Dr Aqeel Abdulla (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

• Professor Sarah Bowden (Languages, Literatures and Cultures)

• Dr Tamsyn Dent (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)

• Dr Hannah Murphy (History)

• Dr Barbara McGillivray (Digital Humanities)

• Dr Iain Smith (Film Studies)

What our fellows say

The fellowship has proved a huge success with the faculty subsequently agreeing to core fund the programme from 2026 onwards.

This has been a very positive experience. It has really made me understand how to think about impact in relation to my research and how to construct an impact plan.

This was a great experience for building confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm in project design and impact implementation in the broadest possible sense.

The sessions have been invaluable in helping me to understand how to approach impact and in planning for future activities.

Impact & outcomes

The fellows have already put their learning into practice in terms of tangible actions taken, and / or have firm plans in place to further their impact aspirations and ideas.