Rebecca Jarrett

Background

Rebecca currently works full time for Cranfield University as Head of HR Operations and Resourcing and is undertaking a Doctorate in Business Administration with Cranfield School of Management.  Rebecca is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (FCIPD). Prior to commencing her doctoral studies in 2019, Rebecca gained an MBA from the University of South Australia in 2013.  Her first degree is an MA in Languages (Interpreting and Translation) from Heriot-Watt University.  Rebecca's professional HR career to date has been spent in public, private and HE sectors in the UK and Australia working for a range of organisations, including start ups.  Her current role spans HR and EDI with a focus on Recruitment and selection.   In addition, Rebecca has held board positions with not for profit organisations and is currently a trustee of the WildLife Trust (Beds, Cambs and Northants).

Current activities

Rebecca's doctoral research is exploring the underrepresentation of certain groups in academic roles in Higher Education, and the link with the tacit model of an ideal academic and universities' selection practices. Rebecca collaborates with the Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre.

The proposed doctoral  research is aimed at addressing the real world problem of the underrepresentation of certain groups in academic roles in universities in the UK.  

Research is being carried out to answer the following Research Questions:

RQ1 What is the implicit model of the ideal academic worker held by selection panel members?

RQ2 How does this model relate to underrepresented groups?

RQ3 How does this manifest in universities’ selection practices?

The methodology is a qualitative case study of different subject matter disciplines within one postgraduate university in the UK (Cranfield). Repertory grid interviews of selection panel members will be carried out to elicit the constructs underpinning the concept of an ideal worker. Nonparticipant, direct observations of selection practices in action will then be carried out.