Achieving impact from real world research: the rise of the scholar activist

We live in challenging times with many things that worry, upset and anger us. Many of these issues motivate researchers to investigate what is and what might be, this is certainly true for me. There are many requirements of researchers. They must plan and conduct high quality, robust, credible research and advance knowledge. We disseminate and more recently attempt to evidence the real world impact of these research efforts. But is this enough? Research is not the answer to issues of injustice, but it is a support for social justice. Researchers then, in positions of power and privileged to conduct investigations, have responsibilities to do as much as they can with their findings. Disseminating in an academic journal may be a goal for the REF aspirant academic, but arguably, does nothing for the people whose voices we represent. This seminar will argue for researchers to become scholar activists, tracing a brief overview of activism, epistemological injustices, and more importantly, examples of successful scholar activism and practical (baby) steps to take to be bolder as a researcher in the world