Striving for academic, research and career development in a postdoctoral programme

Acknowledging transitions.

Authors

  • Orla Power-Grant University of Limerick https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5771-9839
  • Ciara Lane EPISTEM, National Center for STEM Education, School of Education, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
  • Ann MacPhail Doctoral College, Office of Vice President Research, University of Limerick, Ireland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1875-0582

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18552/jorma.v5i1.1157

Keywords:

Research excellence, Postdoctoral researcher, Career development, Mentoring, Professional development

Abstract

What is new?

This paper explores how universities can design and implement a structured, programmatic approach to postdoctoral researcher development. While postdoctoral researchers are critical to research ecosystems, support is often fragmented and inconsistently delivered. This study presents an original evaluation of a holistic postdoctoral development programme designed to enhance research leadership, research performance, professional visibility, mentorship and career development.

What was the approach?

The initial cohort of programme participants took part in a longitudinal evaluation conducted over 18 months. Data were collected across three phases (beginning, mid-way (9 months) and at the end (18 months)) of the programme using interviews and focus groups involving postdoctoral researchers, research leaders and steering committee members. Analysis focused on three key areas: development of research leadership, enhancement of research performance, and growth in personal responsibility for career development.

What is the academic impact?

Findings demonstrate that participants developed greater confidence, leadership capacity, research autonomy, and researcher identity over time. They reported improvements in grant writing, publications, collaborations, conference participation, and career planning, supported by mentoring, structured development activities, and cross-disciplinary engagement. The study also identified challenges related to programme expectations, communication, and flexibility.

What is the wider impact?

Academically, this research contributes new evidence on the value of a structured and holistic approach to postdoctoral development. More broadly, it provides practical guidance for universities, research leaders, researcher developers, and policymakers seeking to strengthen research talent pipelines through sustainable, equitable, and impactful postdoctoral support programmes.

Author Biographies

Orla Power-Grant, University of Limerick

Dr Orla Power-Grant is a Research Funding Officer within the Faculty of Education Health Sciences at the University of Limerick. She holds a PhD in Food Science and Health. She provides targeted support across national and EU programmes of key strategic priority for the faculty. She is passionate about the development of a research ecosystem and in particular supporting early career researchers including developing their funding track record. Orla has led a number strategic initiatives designed to enhance the competitiveness of the Faculty in securing external research funding.

Ciara Lane, EPISTEM, National Center for STEM Education, School of Education, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Dr Ciara Lane holds a PhD in mathematics education. At the time of completing this work she was a postdoctoral researcher in mathematics education at EPISTEM National Center for STEM Education leading a Higher Education Authority project to design and develop professional supports for mathematics teachers. Ciara’s research interest is chiefly in mathematics education, including mathematics-related affect, teacher education (initial, continuing and out-of-field) and STEM education.

Ann MacPhail, Doctoral College, Office of Vice President Research, University of Limerick, Ireland

Professor Ann MacPhail is Associate Vice President Doctoral College at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Ann was previously Assistant Dean Research and Head of an academic department at the University of Limerick. Ann’s research revolves around (physical education) teacher education professional development and learning communities, instructional alignment and curriculum. Ann maintains a commitment to supervising PhD candidates and has more recently established a research agenda across the University that captures the experiences of doctoral candidates.

 

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Published

20-07-2026

How to Cite

Power-Grant, O., Lane, C., & MacPhail, A. (2026). Striving for academic, research and career development in a postdoctoral programme: Acknowledging transitions. Journal of Research Management and Administration, 5(1), 2026072002. https://doi.org/10.18552/jorma.v5i1.1157

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Research Management and Administration

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Orla Power-Grant, Ciara Lane, Ann MacPhail

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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