Kelly Louise Preece is the Researcher Development Manager for PGRs at the University of Exeter. She leads on the provision of professional development for PGRs across all subject disciplines and campuses.
Her route into researcher education has been a circuitous one. She started her career as a Dance academic in 2009, working at the University of Leeds and the University of Northampton before she ‘retired’ as a dancer and academic in 2015. As the result of what her career consultant colleagues call ‘planned happenstance’, she ended up taking a role as a Researcher Development Manager at the University of Exeter in 2015. Since then, she has dedicated herself to educating and supporting researchers, and to developing structures and systems that support those struggling with their mental health. In doing so, she is developing the next generation of emotionally intelligent, resilient, and self-aware academics.
Kelly takes a holistic and inclusive approach to Researcher Development, designing training programmes and learning inventions that support the researcher as a person. This has included innovations in online and blended learning, sector leading writing support and a seminal article on self-care for researchers. This approach draws on Kelly’s experiences as an academic, her chronic illness and struggles with her mental health. In 2019 Kelly was awarded Senior Fellowship of Advance HE in recognition of her expertise in PGR training and development, and regularly publishes her educational practice and research.
She is active on social media, tweeting about her practice and experiences in HE @Preece_Kelly, runs the successful podcasts Researchers, Development and the In-betweens and Beyond Your Research Degree and the website www.researcher-development.co.uk. Alongside her publications and conference presentations, Kelly’s work has been shared in a number of outlets including The Guardian, Office for Students, Red Brick, WonkHE, The Hidden Curriculum in Doctoral Education, and jobs.ac.uk.
In recognition of her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity, Kelly is currently seconded as a Research and EDI Manager, co-ordinating the University of Exeter’s working group and action plan to make their research processes and practice more fair, equitable and just.