What brought you to work at SSEES?
I had been working for a local council, but I was missing Higher Education and had begun looking for a new role when I got the call asking me if I wanted to interview for SSEES – of course I said yes immediately and was thrilled when I was asked to join you all last September. UCL is the fourth higher education institute I have been able to work with, and this sector truly has my heart.
If you weren’t working in academia, what would be your dream job?
I would love to work for a publishing house. I have always been an avid reader and was lucky enough to certify as a Proofreader and Copy Editor during the pandemic. I really enjoy editing work whenever I get to do it, so it would be a dream job for me.
Can you tell us a bit about your current role and what you were doing before you arrived here?
My current role as the Operations and Resources Coordinator is glorious mix of health & safety, estates, compliance, finance, resource management, IT, and daily requests that keep me on my toes and I absolutely love it. Prior to joining SSEES, I worked in social housing repairs, project managing programmed repair and upgrade work to social housing properties across an outer London borough – I am definitely not someone who looks for quiet, boring roles!
Outside of work, how do you unwind?
Outside of work I read extensively and spend a lot of time with family; we have 3 grandchildren and one on the way, so it is a fun and hectic time. I also powerlift 3-4 times a week and absolutely love it
If you could recommend only one book, what would it be?
That is so tough, but if I had to choose just one it would be “What you are looking for is in the Library” by Aoyama Michiko. It is one of the most beautiful, gentle books I have ever read, that reminded me of the importance of individual people’s stories and will stay with me for a very long time.
What is your biggest professional achievement to date?
I worked as the editor on a graphic novel series that was eventually published, and so I am in the credits of the book. The author kindly sent me a copy, and I have never felt so proud of myself as the day I saw my name printed inside that front cover.