Nikita Burke

Work-related 

What’s your job title? 

I am Programme Manager for Evidence Synthesis Ireland (ESI) and Cochrane Ireland (www.evidencesynthesisireland.ie).

We are an all-Ireland centre based out of NUI Galway. We are funded by the Health Research Board, and the HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

Our aim is to raise awareness of the importance of evidence syntheses in making good decisions in healthcare, from commissioning services to treating patients. We build evidence synthesis capacity through workshops, webinars, Fellowships and studentships. We have hosted over 50 events and 30 webinars to over 7000 participants in the past three years.

How long have you been working here? 

I came to NUI Galway in 2005 to study science and the campus immediately felt like home. I completed my PhD here during which I spent some months researching in Madrid, then spent over two years in Canada doing postdoctoral research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. I returned to NUI Galway to work in 2018 and joined ESI in October 2019.

What does your day-to-day look like? 

One thing I love about this job is that every day is different. You could be placing Fellows on high-impact international reviews, strategising with the team, developing the training programme for the next year, working with international collaborators, starting a new scheme from scratch, monitoring progress of the programme, or negotiating complex contracts with international partners. I am also responsible for overseeing budgets, measuring and reporting research impact, including impact case studies.

I use my experience and skills in research, management, coaching, strategy, and collaboration to ensure success of ESI. Each project presents unique challenges and opportunities. The diversity of the work ensures that every day is different, and I focus on ensuring ESI is reaching our targets, going in the right direction and that the team is working well together.

What motivates you at work? 

We have a fantastic team led by Prof Declan Devane, so every day is an adventure! Everybody works hard, respects and supports one another, and we share the vision of making research better. It’s a collaborative environment where we are all supported to grow. As our vision is improving the lives and health of the public, that is the ultimate motivation.

What’s the most exciting part of your job? 

When we work with the public, it brings energy and new perspectives that changes the direction of the work we do. Also, whenever we can improve the general public’s understanding of evidence synthesis and help them to make decisions about their own health - that’s always exciting.

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? 

In March 2020, we formed the Emergency Evidence Response Service with our colleagues at the HRB-Trials Methodology Research Network and a range of collaborators. The outputs and impact from this team during COVID-19 was phenomenal, including evidence syntheses that informed World Health Organisation guidelines and Department of Health national policy. I was really proud to be a part of this team during COVID, as we were doing work that contributed to the global response, and ESI ensured that clinicians, students and researchers got the opportunity to build their capacity, knowledge and network in evidence synthesis.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position? 

Sometimes, research staff are perceived as transitory, or “separate” to other University activities. But research staff are a key part of University life and contribute significantly to the national and international profile of NUI Galway by attracting major funding, enhancing rankings, performing research that improves lives, collaborating with international colleagues, delivering teaching and contributing to service through committees and outreach.

It can be challenging and stressful working on fixed term contracts as contracts depend on getting external funding. But being a researcher is an incredibly rewarding and important role.