Henley Wide Seminar- How has the pandemic and Brexit impacted academic working lives and the university’s where they work? Evidence from Business Schools and Economics’ academics in the UK

You are cordially invited to attend a Henley Wide lunchtime research seminar by Professor James Walker.

The seminar will be held in person in the ICMA building however, please follow the link below (Join Microsoft Teams Meeting) to join the seminar online for participants who cannot attend in person.

Please note: Lunch and refreshments will be provided at 1.30pm in the Old Atrium, outside G03/G04 in ICMA. It is important that you confirm if you are attending in-person to assure enough catering is supplied on the day. If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know as soon as possible.

Date: Wednesday 9^th February 2022

Time: 14.00-15.00pm (lunch at 13.30 see above)

Where: Room 150, ICMA Building

Title: How has the pandemic and Brexit impacted academic working lives and the university’s where they work? Evidence from Business Schools and Economics’ academics in the UK

Presenter: Professor James Walker

Abstract

While COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to the international scientific community, the UK academic community has also been impacted by potential opportunities and challenges associated with Britain’s exit from the European Union. Building upon an earlier survey of evidence, that examined the impact of COVID-19 during the months following the first complete lockdown in the UK in March 2020, a survey was undertaken prior to the identification of Omicron in November 2021 and provides an opportunity to obtain up-to-date evidence of five critical issues facing universities in the UK:

1. How academics perceive Brexit and its potential impacts on the academic labour market? For example, are those who were considering leaving the EU also more productive researchers suggesting that in the longer-term Brexit may ‘hollow out’ UK research.

2. How much more are academics Working from Home and why?

3. How academics’ ability to effectively perform and disseminate their research has altered as face-to-face activity returns? Who has been most effected and how persistent are the impact of the pandemic on working lives? Are certain disciplines and multidisciplinary areas under fire?

4. Has academics’ ability to perform their teaching role been permanently altered by their experience of the pandemic? Are instructors learning to love or learning to loath remote teaching?

5. How have academics’ levels of engagement evolved over the pandemic?

Who should attend?

The work has important implications, as the findings can inform the University's research (including internationalisation and dissemination), teaching and learning, and Working from Home policies on these hot button issues. The work should be of interest to university managers and policy makers from these domains and academic staff. In addition, those interested in how these topics are impacting upon the University of Reading and the wider sector.

Note that the seminar will be based upon working papers, published work from the project, and a recent report that we drafted for participants that provide a summary of those findings which can be found here.