I had some fantastic programme administrators when I was studying at the University; I graduated in Archaeology and History in 2013. It's nice to be able to give back to the students now.
I currently work in executive support as part of University Corporate Services team.
I’m the Head of the School of the Built Environment My remit is to provide academic leadership and management within the School. I am also the Programme Director for our MSc Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments course.
I actually came to Reading in two spells. The first time was in 2001 as a master’s student, and a year later I was hired as a Research Assistant before I left to pursue my PhD in 2004. I came back in 2009 as an Academic Fellow, and then in 2011 I became a lecturer.
I started as an Assistant Research Development Manager in January 2016. We work with researchers who wish to apply for research funding and support them with their applications. I was a student here before (studying politics and international relations) and graduated in 2003, so it's nice to come back.
I'd been working for various NHS trusts for about six years and felt that I wanted a change from NHS research into university research. We're lucky because we get to see lots of fresh research that is coming through in the very early stages.
I work in the Department of Meteorology, researching major changes in climate in the past. Through this research we can understand the impact past climates had on prehistoric people, as well as the impact these people had on the climate.
My partner, Richard, is also an academic, which can make family life tricky because we both travel a fair bit and work rather long and odd hours. It helps, though, that the work is interesting and enjoyable, and that the University supports flexible working.
