Alison Newby

In my academic role, my special interests are in engagement and the impact of research, striving to make the complex both simple and accessible to the specialist and non-specialist alike. I design and execute focused mini research projects on race relations themes showcasing material from the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre where I'm based (an open access facility that is also University-facing), often interweaving complementary resources from other collections and institutions. I contribute public engagement orientated copy to the Centre's blog under the pseudonym The Roving Reader, and am producing under my own name a 'Research Skills' series aimed at promoting insight into how the Centre's collections can enrich the work of students and researchers.

In my role as an ILM-qualified internal coach, I contribute to the University's coaching capacity geared towards staff (academic and PS) as well as researchers. I am currently a Lead on the committee of the Staff Development Forum (SDF) #coachingHE Tweetchat (a developmental tool for coaches in UK HE) and maintain a personal blog on coaching at http://newbycoachlive.wordpress.com. My writing on coaching has also appeared on the SDF blog, and has been published in Times Higher Education and the International Coach Federation's Coaching World.