What did they expect? The affective, relational and structural dimensions of “good” research culture in postdoctoral supervision

Across European research systems, there is growing policy interest in improving what has come to be known as research culture. While poor research culture, particularly that experienced by postdoctoral researchers, has been linked to negative wellbeing outcomes, bullying and overwork, there remains limited clarity around what “good” research culture is, how it is experienced and how it is produced. In this article, we explore how postdocs define and conceptualise contributions to “good” research culture by reviewing postdoc nominations of their principal investigators (PI) or research group to a celebratory event for good practice. Inductive analysis of nomination and interview data suggest that “good” research culture and supervision taps into affective, relational and structural dimensions, with postdocs reporting how they value feeling safe, respected and as though their PI has accepted some responsibility for their career development and prospects. Interviews with the nominated PIs also highlight the challenges they experience in balancing the needs of their postdocs with the parameters for academic success and progression set by institutions and the structures of project-based work. By identifying how value systems that prioritise competition can define researcher priorities, expectations and the identification of what feels good, the paper contributes to debates around policy and theory, and highlights the difficulties associated with evaluating “good” research “culture” to raise questions about the direction and implementation of research culture initiatives.