2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In this Lessons Learned paper, we present the design and outcomes of a professional development program that guides pre-tenure engineering faculty and their research groups through the process of intentionally cultivating a values-driven research culture. We explore how collaborative practices - including values discovery, expectations setting, and reflection on group norms - both surface and disrupt entrenched patterns such as misaligned expectations and prioritising productivity over mentorship and well-being. The professional development program, Radical Humanity in Research, aims to support the human dimensions of research, creating more inclusive, equitable, and supportive research environments, while ultimately enhancing group performance.

Early-career faculty face the challenge of building productive, impactful research groups, usually without formal training in leadership, management, or mentorship. Despite an expressed interest and need for training, most faculty learn to lead a research group by trial-and-error or imitation, leading to uneven student experiences, preventable conflict, and lost time. To close this gap, the Radical Humanity in Research (RHR) professional development program creates a structured environment over multiple weeks to support researchers in implementing evidence-based concrete practices such as: cultivating an inclusive lab climate, making values and expectations explicit, and using participatory decision-making. RHR is unique in that skill-building and development occur within the actual context of work - the research group - rather than through traditional cohort-based models that focus on individuals outside of the research environment. Incorporating the entire research group reduces pressure on faculty to establish culture alone. It also helps build common skills and language and fosters individual investment in the daily functioning of the research group. The program consists of faculty and trainee-specific kick-offs, professional coaching for faculty, and three 2 ¼ hour workshops centered on collaborative values discovery, mutual expectation setting, and reflective practices. Each workshop also incorporates skill-building in listening, feedback, goal setting, and accountability. The formal program concludes with a capstone and celebration highlighting accomplishments from each research group.

Over the past semester, eight research groups participated in the program. Early evidence suggests that the program is feasible to implement within the rhythms of research labs and that group-created artifacts, such as values statements and expectations documents, can spark meaningful conversations that extend beyond the workshops themselves. Participants reported clearer communication and a better sense of trust within their groups. At the same time, the pilot surfaced challenges, including how to coordinate sessions for different-sized groups and how to sustain momentum once the structured intervention concludes. This Lessons Learned paper will present both the strengths of the RHR approach and the challenges observed through facilitator reflections and internal evaluation, including pre-post surveys and artifact collection. By highlighting what worked and where tensions remain, we provide faculty developers and faculty building research groups with actionable practices, cautionary notes, and design principles to guide implementation and scale-up. The preferred presentation format is a talk.