Spotlight on UCL staff

This week we speak to Sarah Yardley, Associate Professor of Palliative Medicine in the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, about the importance of relationships in shaping care and why time by the ocean is her secret to recharging.

This week we speak with Professor Maria Wyke, Chair of Latin at UCL, about seeing the world of antiquity on the big screen, the power of visiting somewhere new to refresh your mind, and what UCL does better than Oxbridge...

Katy Redfern, Director of Access and Student Funding, reflects on her journey at UCL, the importance of widening participation, the impact of supporting students to thrive and succeed and her Lego-filled home.

This week we speak to Shauna Scott, Communications Manager in Estates, about bringing UCL’s spaces to life, her upcoming RIGE secondment, and the small rituals that keep work joyful, including the morale-boosting power of dog photos.

Isaiah Mogado tells us about his role as a Schools Engagement Assistant, supporting young people through widening participation programmes, and reflects on how his Filipino heritage and east London roots inspire his commitment to giving back to the communities that shaped him.

This week we speak with Dr. Stergios-Aristoteles Mitoulis, Associate Professor in Engineering, about the importance of putting people at the centre of research, being inspired by the intellectual legacy of ancient Greece, and how sport and a good ocean view can refresh the mind.

To celebrate Brain Awareness Week 2026, we speak to Dr Sara Ajina, a Senior Clinical Research Fellow investigating vision recovery following an acquired brain injury, such as a stroke or trauma.

This week we speak to Eloise McDay, Head of Student Support and Wellbeing Services (Events and Campaigns), the team dedicated to helping UCL students with personal, emotional and psychological concerns.

This week we speak to Atalanta Hersey, Education Manager for Postgraduate Taught Programmes in the Faculty of Laws and a member of the team behind the new EASE Induction Hub, about people-centred leadership, operational excellence, and supporting colleagues to thrive.

This week we spoke to Jamila Kabir, an Immersive Technician from east London about supporting storytellers with Virtual Reality, 360 degree film, and her own storytelling. The interview comes as we celebrate three years of the UCL East London Scholarship.

On her 19th work anniversary, we chat to Head of Access and Widening Participation (AWP), Lucie March, about leading one of the largest AWP teams in the country, why a daily Wordle break is essential, and how to take part in AWP’s new consultation.

On UCL's 200th birthday, and ahead of Jeremy Bentham's 278th birthday on 15 February, we chat to legendary philosopher Jeremy Bentham himself * about UCL's Bicentenary, a trip to New York, and a remarkably intellectual cat...

Dr Tobias Ruttenauer is Associate Professor in Quantitative Social Science at UCL’s Social Research Institute, researching climate justice and environmental inequality. Read on to discover the CLEAN seminar series and a joke that captures the perils of incomplete data!

Emma Cardinal-Richards is an Enterprise Architect for Research, helping shape the digital services that support research and innovation across ISD and Advanced Research Computing. She chats to us about supporting the development of the Digital Strategic Plan – and Blackadder!

This week we chat with Pro-Vice-Provosts for Inequalities, Professor Lauren Andres and Professor Victoria Austin, about the impact of their role and their mission to reduce inequalities in the UK and globally.