Sarah reports from the Festival of Hidden REF held in Birmingham on 8 October 2025. This episode features contributions from organisers, speakers and participants including Hidden REF committee members Simon Hettrick and James Baker sharing the story behind the event Previous Hidden REF competition winners Laura Henderson and Lorraine van Blerk highlighting hidden roles in research Speaker Elisa Collado and participants Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Alix Brodie-Wray and Nick Sheppard sharing their takeaways and what still might be missing from the conversation   Find out more Read the full show notes and transcript on the podcast website Connect with guests Simon Hettrick, James Baker, Laura Henderson, Lorraine van Blerk, Elisa Collado, Emily Ennis, Jo Williams and Alix Brodie-Wray or Nick Sheppard Find out more about Hidden REF on their website or follow them on LinkedIn. You can find the list of hidden roles that Simon mentions here. Listen to the What the REF?! podcast   About Research Adjacent Where are you listening from? Share a pic and tag @ResearchAdjacent on LinkedIn, Instagram or BlueSky Fill out the research-adjacent careers quiz Sign up to the Research Adjacent newsletter Email a comment, question or suggestion Leave Sarah a voice message