As part of a project on the social production of social science research, 19 research
administrators (RAs) in five Canadian universities were interviewed about work,
careers, and professionalization. While rarely featured in the higher education
literature, RAs have become an important source of assistance to academics, who
are increasingly expected to obtain and manage external research funding. RAs
perform multiple roles, notably assisting with the complexities of grant-hunting as
well as managing ethical clearance, knowledge mobilization, and related activities.
Aspects normally associated with professionalization include organizations that
control entry, higher degrees in the field, and clear career paths, all of which are
somewhat compromised in the case of RAs. Nevertheless, most of the participants
regard research administration as a profession, and we argue that it is more
important to focus on the sensemaking and identity formation of these mostly female
staff than to apply abstract criteria. Although their efforts do little to challenge a
culture of performativity in the academy, and indeed may be regarded as supporting
it, the RAs have defined for themselves a praxis dedicated to easing the burdens of
the academics, helping one another, and contributing to the greater good of the
university and the research enterprise.This work has been funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435β2017β0104)