Simon Hettrick
Professor Simon Hettrick is Director of Strategy at the Software Sustainability Institute, and a Director of the Southampton Research Software Group.
Simon Hettrick
28 January 2026 - Manchester Research IT team meeting, Online ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195
The role of hidden roles in research
If we don't recognise everyone who is vital to research,
we limit our ability to conduct research.
www.software.ac.uk
Use software
Fundamental to results
69%
92%
n=417
Who's writing all the software?
Researcher
Software
Engineer
Research
Software
Engineer
>10,000 RSEs worldwide
Image courtesy Dan Katz
2013
2025
https://society-rse.org/community/rse-groups/
We are not alone
-
Research Outputs [*]
-
Research Impact [†]
-
Research Environment [‡]
* It's not actually called this, it's called the "Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding"... but I'm amongst friends
† They called this one "Engagement and impact"
‡ And this one's actually called "Strategy, People and Research and Environment"
157 universities
Publications are the Bhurj Khalifa
Height = 830m
Exhibitions are a typical UK house
~ 5m
Software is a matchbox
~ 5cm
(standing on its side)
Publications are Thrust SSC
763mph
Exhibitions are a horse
~ 20mph
(cantering not galloping)
Software is a snail
~ 0.05mph
Publications are a Blue Whale
~ 120,000kg
Exhibitions are a Crocodile
~ 750kg
Software is a Dachshund
~ 7kg
What's your problem with papers?
People who are
vital to research
People who are named in publications
Academics
RSEs, Technicians,
Librarians, Data
Stewards, PRISMS,
RMAs... and more
The Venn of academic importance and recognition
Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome
- Charlie Munger
Recognising all research outputs and all roles needed to conduct research will make research more equitable and more effective.
Recognising all research outputs and every role that makes research possible
www.hidden-ref.org
Text
This will allow the submission of outputs by any staff member, including non-academic staff.
Staff
Also staff
https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-research-councils-2024-11-ref-brings-on-board-initiative-championing-hidden-research
https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenREFCampaign/podcasts
NTOs
Not-traditionally submitted outputs
If we recognise everyone who is vital to research,
we advance our ability to conduct research.
Hidden REF Competition
Launches May 2026
Submission deadline mid-September 2026
Award Ceremony November 2026
www.hidden-ref.org
Hidden REF Community Call
Shaping a Healthy Research Culture: Your Experiences, Our Future
https://hidden-ref.org/resources/community-calls/
Thank you!
ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195, AHRC Grant no: AH/Z000114/1
Licence
© Simon Hettrick. These slides are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Image licences are available on the next slide
Link to slides
https://slides.com/simonhettrick/the-role-of-hidden-roles
sjh@ecs.soton.ac.uk
Image credits
CC-BY images courtesy of Simon Hettrick:
- RSECon16 committee
- RSEs welcome here
- RSE revolution
- Research culture
- Humans are no lasers
- Smoky room
- Research culture lever
- Starry REF
- REF classroom
- Academic money dance
- UK Map
- REF outputs chart
- Academic walking to hole
- Oscar
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The answer is 42
-
Boy in playground
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No publications bouncer
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There is a better way
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NTO Assessment Guidelines
-
NTO awareness and experience
-
The road ahead
Unsplash licensed images (https://unsplash.com/license):
Other images:
- Devil's tower: courtesy Steve Wrzeszczynski
- Matchbox: courtesy Donna Brown
- UK House: courtesy jorge percival
- Cantering horse: courtesy sheila swayze
- Snail: courtesy krzysztof niewolny
- Blue whale: courtesyventi views
- Crocodile: Paul Crook
- Daschund: courtesy Hayden Patmore
- Woman and books: daniel
- RSECon25: courtesy of Society of RSE
- Bhurj Khalifa: standard licence Shutterstock
- Thrust SSC:
- Carrot on stick: public domain
- Leila Whitworth: courtesy of Leila Whitworth
- Emily Sena: courtesy of Emily Sena
- Fiona Macpherson: courtesy of Fiona Macpherson
- Hidden REF banner: courtesy of Hidden REF
- Festival of Hidden REF: courtesy of Hidden REF
- What the REF?!: courtesy of Hidden REF
- Liverpool NTO workshop: courtesy of Hidden REF
- RSE2016 attendees: courtesy of Society of RSE
The role of Hidden Roles
By Simon Hettrick
The role of Hidden Roles
The growth of RSE has created a more sustainable world for people who want to help advance research with software. It’s been so hugely successful that I couldn’t stop thinking about why it didn’t happen earlier. The answer, I believe, lies in our restrictive research culture that clings to a model of research that no longer applies in the modern world. Changing that culture relies on rethinking how we measure what success means in research and, to do that, we launched a new campaign called the Hidden REF. I’ll talk through the history of this campaign and how we’re trying to create a research culture that recognises all research outputs and everyone involved in their creation.
