Own your expertise.
Plot your path.
Be the researcher you want to be.
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Dr Narelle Tunstall
PhD thesis: Comparative genomics & signal transduction of Odorant Receptors in Drosophila.
Current role: Founder & Director, Empirical Careers Pty Ltd.
How I got here: Forensics Administrator. Medical Scientist. Research Assistant. PhD candidate. Postdoctoral Fellow. Research Manager. Business Founder. Company Director.
One of my natural talents: I am really good at seeing, connecting and arranging ‘the dots’ to help others see the big picture (e.g. in a grant to present a clear and compelling ‘story’).
The problem I’m currently addressing: Helping researchers secure funding and navigate challenges in their careers.
Why I think it’s important: Research makes the world a better place, whether it’s informing policy, changing practice or making new drugs or gadgets, etc. If I can help researchers achieve their goals, then we will all gain from that!
How I’m innovating to drive change: I’m constantly learning from different sources, including the small biz community. I love meeting new people and learning new skills and ideas, so I can pass them on to others.
How has your leadership built capacity: I love connecting the ‘dots’, including people! I was a co-founder of UQ’s Research Administrators Network (back in the 2000’s) and also a co-founder of the OG ARC ITTC manager network (now broader ITRP network). I love that both networks continue to this day, supporting the sharing of information about best practice research management.
The impact I’ve had so far: In essence, I think of myself as a research facilitator. Through Empirical, I’ve helped hundreds of researchers across diverse disciplines improve their grant writing skills and win funding ($350M and counting), that ultimately leads to more research impact. I’ve also supported Centre Directors and ADRs across various Uni roles.
What I need to continue having impact: I want to speak with talented researchers across diverse careers, and profile their stories, so I can inspire other PhD grads to see the many ways they can use their reserach skills and experience to have impact, even if it’s not how they first imagined...!
How my research skills show up in everyday life: Instead of making solutions in the lab, I now love mixing fabric paints and doing ‘experiments’ in my own ‘wet lab’ (aka studio).
The most interesting place I’ve been: Antarctica. It was really cool… ;)
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