While there is a substantial body of literature on academics' development as teachers, investigation of their development as researchers post-PhD is rare. This study undertook an investigation of academics' ways of understanding their own growth and development as a university researcher. Four qualitatively different ways of understanding research development emerged: (1) Becoming confident as a researcher; (2) Becoming recognised as a researcher; (3) Becoming more productive as a researcher; and (4) Becoming more sophisticated as a researcher. The first category of development was seen as most relevant to the early stages of an academic career, when doing a PhD or during one's first academic appointment, but may also re-occur at later stages of a career during changes in research direction, etc. The last three categories are seen as relevant to all career stages, including more advanced stages as well as the early stages of a research career. Comparisons between academics' ways of understanding their growth and development as a university researcher and as a university teacher are also presented.