Dr Deeptima Massey: transforming research culture at BSMS

A shortlisted candidate for the ‘Professional Services Research Culture Leadership’ Award in 2024, Deeptima’s story exemplifies how people across our research community can provide invaluable contribution towards a thriving research culture.

Deeptima was recognised for her work in curating an outstanding series of enriching workshops at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), with the highlight being a flagship, all-day Research Culture Symposium, featuring an inspiring lineup of speakers. Here, she explains her approach, shares the motivation behind her work and her hopes for the lasting impact of that main event.

In a little over two years, Deeptima has organised over 70 workshops for BSMS, always striving to deliver something meaningful. “We try to offer workshops every other week," she explains, “whether it’s something on impact, open research, funding support, academic writing, impact, career pathways or research ethics. We focus on finding the gaps and needs within our research community and offer something in that space.”

Recognising the importance of breaking hierarchies to build community, she is careful to make sure that no one gets left out: “We always make sure that everyone is invited, from PGRs to ECRs, clinical fellows, faculty, technicians and colleagues from within professional services. We want to empower individuals, build research excellence and cultivate a flourishing community within BSMS.”

A supportive environment

When Deeptima was pursuing her PhD in Migration Studies at Sussex 20 years ago, active discussions about improving research culture were uncommon. However, she reflects on that time fondly, believing that the supportive environment and individuals she encountered then are a significant reason for her long-standing commitment to Sussex.

Over the last two decades she has built a successful career supporting fellow researchers in Professional Services across three different Schools in various roles, all of this experience shaping her commitment and motivation today. “Leading by example and integrity are the key things in the service, as well as looking after people’s needs, boosting morale and making sure they have a real sense of belonging,” she says. “I am particularly passionate about supporting the next generation of researchers, PGRs and ECRs, to ensure that they feel supported and that their training and professional development needs are being met.”

During a period of change for BSMS, Deeptima sensed that it was the perfect time to bring everybody in her School together to talk about the research culture. She explains, “It was a time of transition in many ways. We had just appointed a new Dean, there had been other changes in research leadership, and we were all still learning the best version of this new normal way of working after Covid restrictions.”

Reflecting research priorities

Deeptima designed the Research Culture symposium programme to complement and reflect the priority areas in our Research Culture Enabling Plan. The resulting event included four sessions spanning the following themes, all led by external speakers who delivered inspiring talks:

1. Collegiality, Collaboration and Courage (Prof Etlyn Kenny, Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, University of Birmingham).
2. Embracing Open Research (Prof Etienne Roesch, Institutional Lead for Open and Reproducible Research, University of Reading).
3. Impactful research (Saskia Gent, Director, Insights for Impact).
4. Belonging and Wellbeing (Dr Kamna Patel, Development Planning Unit, Faculty of Built Environment, University College London)

The day proved to be a success on many levels; it was attended by over 90 colleagues from across BSMS and prompted many insightful discussions. Deeptima confirms, “After many years, this was the first time we as a School had come together to focus on our research culture, to engage in dialogue, identify strengths and voice concerns. One of our objectives was to encourage the participants to take ownership of their part in building a strong and successful research environment. By the end of the day, some attendees had already identified a step or a measure they would take to improve things, which was clearly a positive outcome.”

Another core goal was to identify specific areas for the School to collectively work on going forward, using insights from the event to reflect the shared vision and priorities of the BSMS research community. Deeptima says, “These are to improve our open research practices; to make our grants submissions competitive; to develop an inclusive research culture; to support our ’younger’ or next generation of researchers and to create healthy lives by doing impactful research.”

When asked what she thinks are the key elements that support and strengthen a positive research culture and her thoughts on Sussex’s current landscape, Deeptima concludes, “Effective leadership and adequate resources are essential to build a positive Research Culture that lasts. It is an everyday experience, where everyone feels valued and can thrive. I’d like to see the university create more opportunities for collaboration between academic and Professional Services staff - breaking down hierarchies and fostering a more collegial and dynamic environment.

“I’m really pleased that we have the Sussex values as a shared foundation – something positive we can all get behind and build upon.”