#225 Research Management - The Hidden Work

The Hidden Work of Research Managers w/Isabel from RISE Processum Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Isabel Burdallo from RISE Processum to talk about the hidden work of research managers. We start from a simple but important gap: what many people think research management is, and what it actually is in practice. From the outside, the role is often reduced to administration, paperwork, budgets and compliance. Isabel explains why that is only part of the picture. In reality, research management is also about translation: translating research ideas into fundable structures, funding rules into workable decisions, and institutional constraints into something project teams can live with. From there we go deeper into the invisible tasks that make projects hold together. Isabel shares how this role often means stepping into complex situations, spotting risks early, smoothing communication between very different people, and handling the kinds of coordination, timing and compliance issues that nobody notices when they go well. We also talk about why this work is still so often misunderstood inside research organisations, how the role differs across countries and institutions, and why research managers need to make themselves more visible — not out of ego, but because the profession deserves clearer recognition for the value it creates. Time codes: 02:03 Guest introduction and fly in 05:45 What People Think vs Reality 12:52 The Hidden Tasks – What Actually Happens Behind the Scenes 25:21 Why It’s Invisible and the Human Side 36:47 Navigating and Owning the Role 42:28 Advice 44:08 The toughest challenge