Scottish Parliament hosts Crucible researchers

Glasgow Caledonian University's future leaders in the Crucible career development programme met with politicians and stakeholders during a visit to the Scottish Parliament.

Thirteen early career researchers from across the University shared their research interests and expertise with Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher and Further Education and Minister for Veterans; and Jenni Minto, Minister for Public Health and Women's Health.

They were given a grand tour of the Parliament building and the opportunity to observe First Minister's Questions. This was followed by a meeting with representatives from the Clerk's Office and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, where they received invaluable information on how to work effectively with policymakers and their teams.

Crucible Lead and Co-Director of ReaCH Professor Carol Emslie said: "Our Crucible early career researchers were fantastic at the Scottish Parliament. Their short pitches about their research were compelling and enabled them to provide ministers with useful insights into our world-leading applied research. I'm delighted that the ministers' teams have already contacted Crucible participants for more information on their research areas and ways to work together.

"We are extremely grateful to Bob Doris and his team for organising the visit to the Parliament, and for the generosity of ministers Graeme Dey and Jenni Minto for the time they spent to support our Crucible research leaders of the future."

This year's Crucible participants are Glasgow Caledonian University's Vicky Joshi, Elaine Duncan, Liam Butler, Anika Hoque, Kirsten Trayner, Martha Canfield, Elaine Coulter and Lucyna Gozdzielewska from the School of Health and Life Sciences; Katy Proctor and Rosalind Parr, from the School of Business and Society; Sennan Mattar and Andrew Wilson, from the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment; and Nicola Irvine, from the Yunus Centre.

Dr Katy Proctor, a senior lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "I did not anticipate how much I would get from taking part in the Crucible programme. I now feel like I can kickstart my professional aspirations with the focus and confidence that I need."

Dr Elaine Duncan, also a senior lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "I was blown away by the whole experience and learned so much. I want to express my thanks to Carol and the whole team for organising the training and look forward to working with the Chief Scientist Office for the Scottish government as part of the Crucible programme."

The three-day Crucible Research Leaders of the Future programme is open to post-doctoral early career researchers across the University. On days one and two, the programme participants learned to effectively communicate their research and were able to put their knowledge into action by making connections and exploring future opportunities to work with policymakers.

Find out more about the Crucible training programme: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/reach/crucibletraining