In this episode, host Ruth Winden speaks to Claire Brockett, Professor of BioMechanics at the University of Sheffield about becoming an academic leader whilst staying true to herself. Claire openly shares the lessons she has learnt in becoming an academic who does excellent research AND who makes the professional and personal development of the next generation of engineers a priority.Key Takeaways:Empowering Leadership & Authenticity: Claire emphasises the importance of staying true to oneself in academic leadership roles. She describes how she balances research priorities with fostering a supportive community, valuing compassion, and individual growth in academic teaching and research. Supporting PhD Students: Claire's compassionate support for PhD students—particularly during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic—highlights her dual role as both an organisational representative and a mentor who offers pastoral guidance.Balancing Work and Personal Life: She shares insightful strategies for maintaining a balance between different academic priorities, including setting personal boundaries, negotiating workload, and guiding students towards self-reliance to enhance their learning outcomes.Learn more about Claire's work and impact from her University of Sheffield profile and LinkedIn profile. All of our episodes can be accessed via the following playlists:Research Impact with Ged Hall (follow Ged on LinkedIn)Open Research with Nick Sheppard (follow Nick on LinkedIn)Research Careers with Ruth Winden (follow Ruth on LinkedIn)Research talent management with Tony Bromley (follow Tony on LinkedIn)Meet the Research Culturositists with Emma Spary (follow Emma on LinkedIn)Research co-productionResearch LeadershipResearch EvaluationConnect to us or leave us a review on LinkedIn: 

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