Drawing on experience managing the £3M Faraday Institution LEAP Project at the University of Cambridge, Alex Kersting explains what makes research delivery different from traditional PMI contexts. Research teams are diverse, autonomous, and highly specialised, with PhDs, postdocs, and early‑career researchers working across multiple institutions. Progress is non‑linear, stage gates rarely exist, and deliverables – papers, datasets, prototypes – often evolve as discoveries unfold.

Participants will gain a practical understanding of how traditional project management differs from research project management, including how to plan under uncertainty, influence without authority, measure progress, and communicate complex science to diverse stakeholders.