Earlier this month, Dr Joanne Caldwell, School Business Manager at the University of Salford, presented her latest research at the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conference. Her paper, “On the Edge but Not There Yet”: Exploring the Liminal Space of Higher Education Professional Services Staff and Research, sparked thoughtful discussion among delegates from around the world.
Held at the University of Nottingham, the conference brought together academic and professional services colleagues who are all contributing research that shapes the future of higher education.
Exploring the liminal space
Joanne’s research sheds light on a topic that often sits in the margins of higher education discourse: the dual position of professional services staff who also identify as researchers. Her presentation unpacked the tensions, contradictions and opportunities that emerge when navigating these two worlds.
Drawing on current literature surrounding the “third space,” Joanne examined how staff who work across organisational boundaries often inhabit a hybrid professional identity. While this concept is well established in relation to roles such as technicians, academic developers and research staff, there remains a notable gap when it comes to professional services staff who conduct their own research or even supervise PhD students.
An autoethnographic lens
Using autoethnography, Joanne analysed her own experience as a senior professional services manager and published researcher with a career spanning central administration, academic schools and research-focused roles. This reflective approach allowed her to highlight the sense of “outsiderness” felt by many professional services colleagues who contribute to the academy but are not always recognised as part of it.
She identified several challenges faced by staff on professional services contracts who undertake research or support doctoral supervision. These include:
- Questions surrounding credibility and expertise
- A lack of consistent terminology to describe professional services researchers
- How this workforce is positioned and perceived within the academy
- The realities of working across traditional academic–administrative boundaries
Towards more inclusive research cultures
Joanne concluded her presentation with practical recommendations for how professional services staff can more confidently and effectively engage with research and supervision. She emphasised the importance of building collaborative relationships across institutions to support high-quality research practice, regardless of job title or contract type.
As Joanne explains:
“It is essential that research comes from all sectors in higher education. There is important work taking place within professional services across the sector that can be published as case studies, for example, which will help staff learn from these studies and implement changes; it is not just about empirical research. As co-editor of Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, I actively encourage professional services colleagues to publish and share their work.”
Looking ahead
Joanne’s research also builds on a podcast she recorded with the late Dr Adnan Bayyat in 2024, where they explored the idea of a single higher education contract—one that defines responsibilities without categorising staff as “academic” or “professional services.” Although provocative, the concept raises important questions about how institutions can better foster collaboration, recognise expertise and enable all staff to meaningfully contribute to the academic mission.
Her work opens up a critical conversation about identity, boundaries and recognition in higher education, and highlights the untapped potential of professional services staff as researchers, leaders and partners in shaping the sector’s future.