One university thinking with Laura Breen (Episode 81)

Laura is prioritising collaboration over competition to help develop impactful research projects.

Laura Breen is Research Development and Impact Manager at the University of Manchester where she helps bring together diverse, multi-partner research teams to tackle big challenges.

Sarah and Laura talk about

1. Prioritising collaboration over competition and convening creative relational spaces
2. Her journey from museums and ceramics to universities and impact
3. How the impact agenda and REF are shaping research culture and even artistic practice
4. The importance of empathy and intuition in how she works

Find out more

1. Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
2. Laura is leading on Engaged Research at the University of Manchester - you can see what this looks like via some case studies and videos on participatory research. The University of Manchester has also just released their strategy for 2025-35 which includes research impact as one of it's 5 main themes.
3. Find out more about the Impact Ignite Conference that Laura is speaking at in late November 2025

About Research Adjacent

1. Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky
2. Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz
3. Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter
4. Email a comment, question or suggestion
5. Leave Sarah a voice message

Mentioned in this episode:

Member of the Month: Duncan Yellowlees, DY Training

Let’s put rubbish presentations in the bin – where they belong. Get in touch with Duncan for specialist research presentation skills training www.duncanyellowlees.com