How long have you been involved with the Faculty of Brain Sciences and what is your current role?
I joined the Faculty of Brain Sciences in March 2023 as the Executive Officer of the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Center (DCAL). However, I was part of the Faculty years before as a student. In 2015, I completed an MSc at DCAL, and subsequently I did a PhD at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and DCAL.
What aspect of your work most excites you and why?
In my role at DCAL, I am honoured to lead the Professional Services Team, which comprises two deaf professionals, Afshan and Calum. I consider myself fortunate to have such talented individuals on my team. Their unwavering commitment to improvement and excellence is a constant source of inspiration, and I learn from them every day. Although we face challenges from time to time, we always work collaboratively to overcome them, and our teamwork is a critical element in our success.
What working achievements are you most proud of?
I have only recently joined the team. However, my most recent achievement before joining DCAL as the EO was completing my PhD while being pregnant. I actually had my viva a week before giving birth. In this new role, I am proud to have taken on new responsibilities. One of my first responsibilities was to oversee the relocation of the entire building within a week of starting my role. It was a significant responsibility, but thankfully everything went smoothly.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that people might not know
I love dancing, in fact I used to be a professional Flamenco dancer. I started to dance when I was 2 years old. I was also part of the UCL salsa team when I was a PhD student,
What’s the best advice you would give your younger self?
Enjoy and learn from every stage of your life. Throughout our lives, we have different roles, we will have ups and downs. However, I believe it is essential to always try to enjoy what we do and learn from it. If something is not bringing you any joy or personal growth anymore, you should try to change it.
Biography
I am the Executive Officer at DCAL, where I lead a team of Professional Services staff and work closely with the PALS HR & EDI Team Manager and the Director of DCAL. My primary responsibility is to oversee the overall management of DCAL, including planning, organisation, and diverse management tasks. I also provide support for PALS-wide initiatives related to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
Before joining PALS, I completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and DCAL here at UCL. During my PhD, I focused on understanding why a significant proportion of deaf individuals struggle to learn how to read, while others excel at it, and made comparisons across different languages (Spanish and English) and stages of reading development.
I’ve also had extensive working experience in non-academic roles, supervising and leading teams and providing administrative support in different centres, such as a health rehabilitation centre in Mexico and the Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre in the University of Oxford.
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), I have witnessed many of the challenges that deaf individuals face in our society, making my role at DCAL especially meaningful. I am also deeply committed to raising awareness of biases towards minorities and reinforcing the importance of treating everyone equally, regardless of their language, country of origin, physical appearance, and other factors.