Some research changes the world. Not because it appears in the highest-impact journal or receives the most citations, but because it finds its way into conversations, classrooms, boardrooms, policies, communities, and decisions. This has led me to wonder whether we sometimes ask the wrong questions about research impact.

Rather than asking, “How can I increase my research impact?”, perhaps a more interesting question is, “Is my scholarship flourishing?”

When researchers hear the words research impact or knowledge mobilization, the conversation often turns quickly to outputs. A podcast. A website. A social media presence. A public lecture. A policy brief. These can all play an important role, but they are not the goal in themselves. They are simply different ways in which scholarship can extend beyond the boundaries of academia and connect with the people and communities it hopes to serve.

Flourishing scholarship looks different for every researcher. For one person, it might mean developing long-term partnerships with practitioners. For another, it could involve creating opportunities for policymakers to engage with years of accumulated evidence. Someone else may discover that a podcast opens unexpected conversations, while another researcher realises that a stronger narrative around their body of work or a redesigned faculty profile better reflects how they want their research to be understood. There is no universal formula because meaningful impact grows from the research itself, the people involved, and the change the researcher hopes to see.

This is why I have never thought of research impact as simply a communications exercise. I see it as a creative process. The most rewarding conversations I have with researchers begin with questions like:

• Who needs to know about this work?
• Where could these ideas make the greatest difference?
• What opportunities have I not yet considered?
• What kinds of conversations do I hope my research will inspire over the next five years?

Exploring these questions rarely results in a standard communications plan. Instead, they uncover possibilities. Sometimes that leads to new partnerships, a public engagement initiative, or a creative way of communicating years of scholarship. Sometimes it means designing practical systems that make knowledge mobilization feel achievable rather than overwhelming. The destination is different every time, but the process almost always begins with curiosity.

Perhaps this perspective comes from my own background in ecology. Healthy ecosystems do not flourish because we force them to. They flourish because the conditions are right. Diversity, relationships, resilience, and opportunities for growth all contribute to a system that can thrive. I think research works in much the same way. When researchers have space to think creatively, meaningful collaborators, a clear sense of purpose, and practical ways of sharing their work, research impact often emerges as a natural consequence rather than something to be manufactured.

That is the part of this work I enjoy most. I work as a thinking partner, creative collaborator, and implementation partner. Sometimes our work begins with a single conversation over coffee. Sometimes it develops into a collaborative process of exploring ideas, identifying opportunities, designing an impact pathway, and creating practical ways to bring those ideas into the world. Every collaboration is different because every researcher, every discipline, and every programme of research is different.

Universities are increasingly asking researchers to demonstrate research impact (or the “journey” of that research) and meaningful knowledge mobilization. Those expectations are important, but I don’t believe they have to become another administrative burden. Done thoughtfully, they can become an opportunity to reconnect with why the research matters in the first place and to consider how it might contribute beyond academia in ways that are both authentic and personally rewarding.

So I’ll leave you with the question that started this reflection: Is your research flourishing? If that question resonates with you, I’d be delighted to explore it together. Whether you are beginning a new programme of research, bringing together decades of scholarship, or simply wondering what comes next, sometimes a single thoughtful conversation is enough to uncover possibilities that have been there all along.