Staff Profile

I came to Newcastle University in 2009 after 15 years as a Lecturer and the Senior Lecturer in Italian, Cinema and Translation at different institutions in the UK.

At Newcastle I work for Researcher Education Development (RED) within our multidisciplinary School X where I have a number of roles and responsibilities:

Degree Programme Director for the PG Certificate in Research Training

HaSS FacultyTutor (Pastoral)

Academic Lead for the PhD Support Circle initiative

Chair of Board of Studies

Admissions Tutor (with Jen Tarr)

In 2022 I moved onto a Teaching and Scholarship contract and have been pursuing my interests in Researchers wellbeing and support as based in Happiness science and positive psychology

My teaching mainly supports researchers during their PGR journey. I am responsible for all Induction activities for all stages and am DPD for the PG Certificate in Research Training. I am also module leader for HSS8021 Theories and Methods for Research and typically also offer sessions on:

Inductions

Managing a PhD

Dealing with Impostor Syndrome: a radical toolkit

Give yourself a break: self-compassion (even) for academics

Happiness in Academia, a practical guide

Translating Text and Data for Researchers

Completing a PhD

Preparing for the Annual Progress Review

I am on a Scholarship career path and my interests are in Researchers Support and Wellbeing and I am passionate about working with our PGR researchers on co-creation projects.

Here is what I have been up to recently:

2023/2024

Building a Community, a project to support stage 1 PGRs during the pandemic, since evolved in our Peer Pastoral Support Groups. Read a blog entry about it

here https://microsites.ncl.ac.uk/casestudies/2021/04/15/building-community/

I have successfully trained to be a certified Happiness Facilitator https://www.museumofhappiness.org/teach

Our team won the coveted 2021 CATE award for collaborative work https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/cate-team/hass-pgcert-research-training

I have been funded by the Faculty Education Education Fund to create a toolkit of resources for early stages PGR. With my colleagues Zack Gray, Harriet Palin and Chang Liu we wrote, edited and recorded 12 short instructional videos aimed at answering the most frequent issues our students presented during Peer Pastoral Support Groups session. These videos are now available on Canvas and have been disseminated to all three Faculties in the Institution.

• Article

  • Humphrey R, Marshall J, Leonardo L. The Impact of Research Training and Research Codes of Practice on Submission of Doctoral Degrees: An Exploratory Cohort Study. Higher Education Quarterly 2012, 66(1), 47-64.

• Book Chapter

  • Leonardo L. Non sarà il caso di ri-cominciare a parlare di "neo-neorealismo"? Il caso di "Anche libero va bene". In: Scala,CB; Rossini,A, ed. New Trends in Italian Cinema: "New" Neorealism. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, pp.95-104.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Hetherington R, De Blaquiere G, Aitchison K, Atkinson M, Robinson L, Bedford R, Leonardo L, Stevenson L, Cotterill S. Adapting Research Student Training and Development to Integrate Personal Development and Wellbeing Support for Research Students. In: UKCGE Annual Conference 2021. 2021, Virtual: UKCGE.
  • Cotterill S, Hetherington R, De Blaquiere G, Leonardo L, Humphrey R, Emmerson W. PGR Training Needs Analysis: joining up training, ePortfolio & personal development planning. In: Education for Life: Celebrating Partnership, Encouraging Innovation: Newcastle University Learning and Teaching Conference. 2018, Newcastle: Newcastle University.
  • Leonardo L. 2007 Tradurre poesia: identità e diversità nell’opera di Eugenio Montale traduttore di Eliot e Hopkins. Riflessioni su l’anguilla. In: IDENTITA’ E DIVERSITA’ NELLA LINGUA E NELLA LETTERATURA ITALIANA, Atti del XVIII Congresso dell’A.I.S.L.L.I, Lovanio, Louvain La Neuve, Anversa, Bruxelles 16-19 luglio 2003. A cura di . Firenze, Cesati, Vol. 3° pp. 73-85. In: IDENTITA’ E DIVERSITA’ NELLA LINGUA E NELLA LETTERATURA ITALIANA. 2007, Lovanio, Louvain La Neuve, Anversa, Bruxelles: Cesati.