Providing outstanding support for our schools' research and innovation ambitions

Hello, I am the Associate Director for Research and Innovation, and my role is to lead a brilliant team of Business Development and Research Development Managers to enhance our research culture and reputation through supporting schools to achieve their research and innovation ambitions. This includes supporting schools with the development of bids from a range of funders to increase our income, training and development of academics and building partnerships with a range of external organisations across a range of mutually beneficial collaborations.

Tell us a bit about your previous roles and what attracted you to this new job at Leeds Beckett?

I worked in plant sciences research for a number of years at Rothamsted Research and the University of Nottingham where I did my PhD and postdoc.

I then worked in the chemical industry before commencing a Medici Fellowship at Keele University to gain skills in research commercialisation. I stayed on as Busines Development Manager at Keele for five years until 2013, when I moved to the University of Manchester as a Business Engagement Manager for the Faculty of Humanities.

My role was to build a team to increase research and innovation income across the Faculty. In 2019, I changed role - looking after Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) funding, the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) and the Knowledge Exchange Concordat (KEC), as well as business intelligence and management information across business engagement and knowledge exchange.

I was attracted to this current role as it represented an opportunity to step up to a leadership role that utilises my skills and knowledge but with lots of room to grow. I was also very interested in gaining experience in an institution that has big research ambitions but is earlier on in the journey than a research-intensive institution.

What are you most looking forward to about the new job?

I am really looking forward to helping LBU achieve research and innovation success in strategic priority areas, including in income generation and staff development. I am excited to be leading and developing the team to work together to achieve their individual and team potential, so that we can provide an excellent support service to schools to achieve their research and innovation goals.

What will be your main priorities in your new role over the coming academic year?

My main priorities are to invest in and build my team and to spend time understanding school research and innovation priorities through liaising with Deans and Directors of Research, so that we can provide the outstanding, targeted support they need.

This will include identifying and supporting larger, collaborative strategic funding opportunities, supporting collaborations with a range of new and existing partners and working in new and effective ways to deliver excellent support to schools.

I will also be learning about the relevant processes and systems that are in place to deliver these priorities from other Research and Enterprise Service colleagues and other Professional Services staff.

How have you found your first few months working at Leeds Beckett?

In my first few months at Leeds Beckett I have been really impressed with the strategy, structure and ambition to deliver outstanding research alongside excellent teaching. I had heard good things before joining, but this has really impressed me.

Tell us something about yourself that we may not know!

Something you may not know is that I have been a volunteer youth worker for almost 30 years and currently run a youth project where I live in Manchester.

Our young people are challenging, brilliant and full of energy! The last few years I have taken part in the Greater Manchester 10K to fundraise for the club so that we can deliver a range of activities for our young people.