Questions about learning and resources

Three particular questions that I had, and hopefully could learn from you are:

  1. I feel like UX people are immersed with on-going UX trends/methodologies, and what are some resources that you have found helpful (besides this community)?

  2. As I came from a Human Factors engineering background (which means I have spent more time studying people and less time producing products), is there any suggestions on how to gain solid experience in UX research?

  3. I claim myself to be a UX ‘researcher’ more than a ‘designer’, but I also felt that research is part of the design process, so I wonder if this difference actually exist in the industry? And if yes, will employers be looking for different skills there?