Research is powered by technical talent — and recognition is finally on the rise

When I was 18, I didn’t know what a technician was.

Fresh out of secondary school and determined to pursue higher education, I needed to work to afford it. A job advert for a junior medical technician in the immunology department at the University of Nottingham, UK, caught my eye. As a salaried position offering tuition-fee support for further study, it looked like a practical path forward, so I applied.

I got the job. And it changed my life.

I became an integral part of a research group — supporting undergraduate and postgraduate members of the laboratory and contributing to the delivery of research while studying for a degree in biomedical sciences, supported by my employer. Balancing full-time work with part-time study was challenging, but what I learnt at university helped me to progress in my role, and the practical knowledge I gained at work brought my studies to life.

In those early days, it struck me how central the technical team was to the success of the research. Our senior technician seemed to know everything: every method, instrument, protocol and reagent. Everyone relied on her — undergraduates, postdocs, professors. And yet, beyond our group, no one seemed to know she, I and many other technical professionals existed.

That contradiction stayed with me. How could a group of people so essential to teaching and research be so invisible?

Fast forward 25 years, and I’m now director of technical strategy, overseeing the strategic direction, workforce planning and professional development of the University of Nottingham’s 550-person technical community. I also lead national efforts to transform how technical workers are recognized and supported across the United Kingdom’s research and education landscape.

Over the past decade, there has been encouraging recognition of technical talent and investment in the profession in the United Kingdom. But many of the challenges I faced as a junior technician — limited visibility, unclear career progression and the absence of a strategic approach to workforce planning — remain barriers for technical staff around the world. A letter I co-authored in Nature in 2016 called for greater recognition of technicians’ contributions to research and urged the sector to rethink how technical expertise is supported and valued.

I’m still working to change that — with a growing community of individuals, institutions and funders.

The case for change

Research doesn’t happen without technical professionals. In fields ranging from bioinformatics and software engineering to instrument design and blockytical chemistry, they are the backbone of research across universities, and they are just as crucial in sectors such as health care, manufacturing, energy and the creative industries. Whether developing vaccines, building prototypes or advancing clean technologies, technical professionals drive innovation across the economy. In academia, technicians train and mentor the next generation of researchers through hands-on teaching, skills development and day-to-day guidance. In the United Kingdom, a growing coalition of institutions and funders is raising awareness and triggering cultural change in how technical staff are valued.

For example, academic institutions that sign up to the Technician Commitment, which I founded in 2017, commit to partnering with their technical community to improve visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability. More than 120 universities and research institutes are now signatories. Some of them, including the University of Liverpool and University of Warwick, have introduced  professional promotion pathways, designed to mirror those for academic staff. In these schemes, career progression is based on technical expertise, leadership and contribution to research, teaching or innovation. Nottingham is due to launch such a programme next year. Other institutions have introduced professor of practice  roles for senior technical specialists. These are strategic tools to attract and retain highly skilled individuals who underpin research, sending a powerful message: technical careers are valued, and technical talent is worth investing in.

Global momentum

Although this work began in the United Kingdom, it’s increasingly becoming a global movement: institutions in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand have recognized similar challenges in their own systems. In 2023, the University of Sydney in Australia became the first international signatory to the Technician Commitment. Others followed. We’re now building a global community of practice through Universitas 21, an international network of research-intensive universities, to share expertise, build partnerships and support international collaboration on technical careers.

What we’ve learnt

So, what does it take to make change stick?

First, you need leadership — from not just technicians, but also institutional decision-makers. I’ve had strong support from senior colleagues at Nottingham, who understood the importance of this work, and from external stakeholders and funders. It required careful framing — presenting technical workforce development not as a problem to be fixed, but as an opportunity to strengthen research, improve efficiency and unlock talent.

Doing outreach work and large-scale organizing took me out of my comfort zone — but I now realize that’s often where the most meaningful progress happens.

Along the way, I have learnt — and continue to learn — how to persuade others, communicate strategically and navigate complex institutional systems, while remaining aware of the day-to-day challenges of technical staff.

Second, you need evidence. The TALENT Commission, our 2022 review of technical staff and our wider research base gave us the data, stories and credibility to make the case for change — to funders, policymakers and university leaders alike.

And third, you need community. That sense of visibility and voice was clear earlier this year when the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy co-hosted the Royal Society’s first conference dedicated to technical professionals in its 365-year history. The event —  Recognising and Developing Technical Talent: Strategies for Growth and Development  — brought together academic, industry and policy leaders to examine the challenges in the profession and to explore strategies for building skills, visibility and leadership. The involvement of engineering and aerospace company Rolls-Royce, headquartered in London, as a co-host reflected a shared recognition that technical talent underpins innovation across the economy — not only in universities, but in all forms of industry.