Research Cultures

We envision our research culture as a community that brings together the diverse, vibrant cultures already thriving within our Schools, disciplines, and partnerships. Rooted in respect for these existing practices, our Community of Research Cultures centres around a collaborative approach that promotes effective ways of working to enhance collegiality, professional growth, and ethical standards. By embracing shared standards of excellence, fostering collective problem-solving, recognising diverse contributions, and using evidence to guide culture change, we create a cohesive yet flexible research environment that is distinctly Aberdeen. Together, we advance a research culture that is inclusive, adaptable, and prepared to meet the future needs of our University and the broader society.      

Emerging Research Culture Priorities

Following consultation with those involved in research across the University, and building on evidence from recent surveys - including the 2024 Staff Survey, annual Postgraduate Research Experience Surveys (PRES), and the 2025 Culture, Employment and Development of Academic Researchers Survey (CEDARS) - we identified twelve key institutional needs to address in the University of Aberdeen to support the inclusive, vibrant and productive research cultures that we aim to foster.

For each identified need, we used a Theory of Change approach to clarify the long-term impact we aim to contribute to, set clear outcomes that describe the changes we want to see, and identify activities that are most likely to deliver those outcomes. This provides a coherent, evidence-informed basis for evaluation and shared learning as the work develops. Activities listed here are illustrative rather than exhaustive, and reflect work already underway or planned in the near future.

On each of the pages related to the four Ways of Working that are central to our Research Cultures Strategy – Shared Standards of Excellence; Collective Problem Solving and Sharing Good Practice; Recognising Contributions and Supporting Career Development; and Developing Evidence-Informed Approaches to Culture Change – you will find the three logic models relating to that way of working.

For more information on strategically planning change and developing logic models, see our Culture Change Companion on our Evaluation Support page.