Occupying a ‘third space’: Research trained professional staff in Australian universities

Abstract

Despite the expansion and professionalisation of university administration overthe past 20 years there has been no scholarly study on the extent to which universities,which promote the value of generic skills from research degrees to prospective researchstudents and their employers, capitalize on the research and transferable skills of PhDgraduates later employed in the university sector as professional staff. Findings from thisstudy of research-trained professional staff at one research-intensive Australian universitysuggests that these professionals are using their research and generic skills in managementroles, to the benefit of the university. In the context of the knowledge based economy, thisstudy suggests that universities could benefit from actively targeting the products of theirown system for professional roles.