Who's who in NMES Professional Services: The Research Impact Team

Name: Verity Buckley

Title: Research Impact Lead

Bio: I’m Verity, I joined NMES in June 2023, having been at King’s since 2020. My background is in research-related professional development and impact monitoring and evaluation. I developed this experience in the charity sector, where I led a portfolio of professional development projects for researchers contributing to the SDGs.

Bucket List: Last year, a friend inspired me to create an actual 100-item bucket list! My three most recent ticked off items are paragliding off Table Mountain, “running” (read: walking) a half-marathon and getting a dog (Koda). I’d love to do “40 countries before 40” but Koda has us UK-bound for a while, so the next best one is to visit all 15 UK National Parks (somehow, I’ve only done 4!).

Role in the Department: Together with my REF Impact Officer, Frankie Leung, our role is two-fold – the primary focus is oversight of the development of Impact Case Studies for the next REF. This involves working with Departmental leads to curate long-lists of academics, and co-ordinate targeted support to deliver, evaluate and file evidence relating to their impact. Given we have a slightly long run up to REF2029, I will also be co-leading the brand-new Faculty Impact Strategy. This outlines broader impact related initiatives for researchers, regardless of their involvement in REF. By pulling together and evaluating related support from both the Faculty and the wider College, I hope to facilitate a more holistic approach to research impact in general.

Name: Frankie Leung

Title: REF Research Impact Officer 

Bio: I'm Frankie, a new Research Impact Officer who joined NMES in January 2024. Before coming to King's, I provided administrative and research support at various universities, such as Brunel, the University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Baptist University, and the Education University of Hong Kong. I have gained rich experience in preparing project reports, as well as conducting both qualitative and quantitative studies independently. Additionally, I have four years of experience in preparing coordinating REF submissions.

Bucket List: My dream is to take a Trans-Atlantic or World cruise to visit different continents. It would be great to explore the world and create shared memories together with my family.

Role in the Department: In NMES, I am responsible for supporting our faculty in preparing ICS submissions (Panel B, UoA 8 to 12) and assisting with research support interviews, workshops, and drafting ICSs for our faculty. My team and I also play a bridging role in helping researchers connect with potential funders and partners to facilitate impact. If you have new ideas for building research impact, or need any assistance in research impact planning, you are welcome to share your ideas with me anytime.