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There are over 70 Mental Health First Aiders across UCL. All first aiders have completed two-day Adult Mental Health First Aid training from MHFA England, delivered by UCL trainers.
We encourage all first aiders to make themselves visible by displaying the posters available through MHFA England and using stickers provided by UCL Wellbeing.
UCL Chemical Engineering Mental Health First Aiders
Our team of Mental Health First Aiders include Academics, Researchers and Professional Services Support Staff.
- Meet the team
- Marietta Bamidi
TEACHING AND LEARNING ADMINISTRATOR
E: chemeng.teaching.admin@ucl.ac.uk
I am a Teaching & Learning Administrator for the department. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider since October 2020. I am keen to support students and staff with their mental health wellbeing and raise awareness about the importance of mental health in the workplace. I like to go for walks, read and listen to music as well as bake to de-compress and take care of myself after a stressful day.
Sudeshna Basugupta
Senior Teaching fellow
I am a senior teaching fellow in the department associated with the M.Sc. Global Management of Natural Resources programme. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider since July 2020. Our mental health seldom gets the attention it deserves. I am keen to support students and colleagues if need be, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. For my own wellbeing, I like to dance, go for walks and practice yoga to help me relax.
Elton Dias
TEACHING FELLOW
I am teaching focused lecturer who works mainly with Y1 students within the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP). I have been a mental health first aider for some time now and I believe prevention is the best cure. Acknowledging that everyone has both physical and mental health is the first step and taking the right steps to take good care of ourselves, physically or mentally. For myself, exercise is a crucial part of my life as it plays a big role in my wellbeing. I also like long walks in the countryside and the occasional mindfulness session. I welcome anyone to approach me and have a chat over tea, or ice cream, whichever you prefer.
Vivek Dua
Deputy Head (Education)
I am Reader in Chemical Engineering and Departmental Tutor. In my Departmental Tutor role, I have an oversight of the welfare of the students in the department. I teach 1st and 3rd year undergraduate students and postgraduate students. One of my current research interests is in healthcare engineering - I strongly believe that chemical engineers have the depth and breadth to make this world a better place to live. I chair departmental extenuating circumstances panel and staff-student consultative committee. I enjoy spending time with family, reading books on popular psychology, and playing cricket and board-games; I think these activities, proper time management and taking short breaks helps in my wellbeing.
Adella Forder-Gore
TEACHING AND LEARNING ADMINISTRATOR
E: chemeng.teaching.admin@ucl.ac.uk
Hi! I am Teaching and Learning Administrator for MSC CPE & GMNR students. I am a certified Mental Health First aid champion and a certified Mental Health First Aider. I have been in student facing roles within a few universities for 14 years, most of these years I have supported students with various Mental Health illnesses and have worked very closely with triaging for Counselling and wellbeing services.
I am very passionate about supporting the mental health movement and making sure that I can support as many people as possible; that being said I am also a keen advocate of making sure I maintain a routine of self-care and that those around me are practicing this too.
Stefan Guldin
Associate Professor and Head of the Adaptive & Responsive Nanomaterials Group
I am an Associate Professor and Head of the Adaptive & Responsive Nanomaterials Group. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider since June 2020. Regardless whether you are a student, researcher or member of staff - university life is undoubtedly exciting but can also be overwhelming. This is a dominant topic for many of us, so let’s talk about mental health and look after each other in the department. For my own wellbeing, I try to engage in outdoor sports where possible.
Ralph Hick
Departmental Safety Officer
Hello! I am the Departmental Safety Officer for Chemical Engineering, a trained mental health first aider, and a Wellbeing Champion. In an ideal world everyone would feel healthy and safe, both at the university and away from it. However, we must acknowledge that this is not always the case and it can be really difficult to stay mentally healthy. To this end I am happy and available to listen, provide support, and give advice to anyone in the department who needs it.
Beth Hills
SENIOR TEACHING & LEARNING ADMINISTRATOR
E: chemeng.teaching.admin@ucl.ac.uk
I work with undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research students in the department and I am a line manager so I want to be able to support people when they are facing challenges, no matter how big or how small. That can include challenges with their own mental health. On a personal level, The MHFA training helped me understand the importance of self-care (which can build on small steps like taking a walk or reading a good book) and gave me confidence to support my family after my father died from cancer last year. My parents had been married for over 40 years, so it was a huge change for my mother. In addition to checking in with her regularly, I supported her in finding the bereavement counselling service with the shortest waiting list in her area.
Lizzie Howie
EIL CENTRE ADMINISTRATOR
I’m the Centre Administrator in the Electrochemical Innovation Lab. I completed the Mental Health First Aid training in June 2020 and I’m keen to work with students and colleagues to break down some of the stigmas still associated with mental health. I try to keep mentally healthy by making sure I talk to my close friends and family about my mental health. I also find that regular exercise and mediation has a positive effect on my wellbeing.
Katy Le Lion
DEPARTMENTAL MANAGER
I am the Department Manager for Chem Eng and I completed my Mental Health First Aid training in November 2020. Looking after my own mental health is an ongoing process and as a gay woman, I am acutely aware of how mental health issues can disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community. I am passionate. about supporting anyone, both students and staff, who is looking for a little bit of help to improve their own mental health.
Isobel Mackay
Teaching fellow
I am a Teaching fellow working across both MSc programmes in the department (but with a primary focus on Global Management of Natural Resources). I have been a certified Mental Health First Aider since July 2020 and am available to support all students in the department, as well as my colleagues. I think it is incredibly important to highlight the importance of mental health and wellbeing and that it is something we all deal with at some point. I try to stay mentally healthy by ensuring that I have dedicated screen free time each day, normally in the form of either reading or crafts. I also recognise the importance of reaching out to friends and family when I am not OK, but also seeking support from my work network.
Alex Norori-McCormac
Lecturer
E: a.norori-mccormac@ucl.ac.uk
I’m a Lecturer and the deputy director of the MSc in Global Management of Natural Resources. I’ve been in the department since 2016 and I’m heavily involved in all aspects of the programme, including pastoral roles.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and it’s great that so many are now aware and able to help out and provide advice, myself included. Breaking down those stigmas that exist is critical because we want you all to be able to ask for help and advice when you need it. We all experience stresses and pressures in our lives, and it’s really important to talk about it. We’re all here for you, so take advantage of it.
I manage my mental health through lots of exercise and sticking to specific hours for work and for time off. As someone with a defined anxiety problem, I’ve learnt to find a balance that allows me to live my life to the fullest. The first step is opening up – after all, what you might be feeling is very human!
Ademola Odunsi
Lecturer (Teaching) MSc. Design
E: a.odunsi@ucl.ac.uk
I am a Lecturer (Teaching) working with both MSc and undergraduate students in the Department. I have been a certified Mental Health First Aider since April 2021. Whereas, the state of our mental health can easily go unnoticed compared with our physical health, both need to be looked after. One in four of us will experience a mental health issue in any given year. Therefore, mental health is something we should get comfortable talking about openly without stigma. We should deliberately look out for, look after and support one another- I am keen to support students and staff alike, so please do reach out if you want to talk or you just need someone to listen.
For my own mental well-being, I enjoy a mix of talking to family and friends, long walks in the park, singing and listening to soothing classical choral musicJustin Siefker
Teaching Fellow
I'm a Teaching Fellow with a general focus on the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP). Even pre-CoV, mental health and wellbeing have always played a major role in how we experience university life. During the era of the Connected University, maintaining balance has become ever more important for successfully achieving our goals and objectives. For my personal wellbeing, I actively disable notifications and disconnect from email.
Eva Sorensen
Head of Department
I’m the Head of Department in UCL Chemical Engineering. I have been a mental health first aider for many years, mainly related to supporting students who for whatever reason are finding themselves in situations where they need more support and help to manage their mental health and their studies. I manage my own mental health through long walks and by actively switching off from work together with family and friends.
Mark Tilse
Doctoral Students Administrator
I am the Doctoral Students Administrator in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the first point of contact for all postgraduate research students. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider, having qualified in April 2021. I am keen to support students in whatever way I can and have personally benefited from broad experience of life as a postgraduate student, including its potential difficulties, having studied at several different universities in the UK and Germany. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Hannah Tipple
LISTAR PROJECT MANAGER
I’m LiSTAR Project Manager within the EIL group. I’ve struggled with mental health problems for most of my life, and have years of experience in navigating the various pathways to support – I'm always here if you need support, advice, or soothing cat videos. I manage my own mental health through a combination of medication, support from loved ones, and... soothing cat videos.
Seema Walker
TEACHING AND LEARNING ADMINISTRATOR
E: chemeng.teaching.admin@ucl.ac.uk
I’m the Teaching and Learning Administrator for Undergraduate Year 1’s and EC Secretary for the Chemical Engineering Department. I maintain my mental health through healthy eating, exercise, meditation, positive affirmations and talking to family/friends. I’m a newly qualified MHFA, my aim is to be a source of support for students and to provide information on services they can access.
Yang Lan
Lecturer in Chemical Engineering
I am a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider since April 2021. We all have mental health and, just like our physical health, it needs looking after. Feel free to drop me an email or Teams message if you want to chat about mental health. I am always available to support our students and staff as a friend. For my own wellbeing, I take regular exercises and enjoy chatting with my friends and family.
PhD student support only
Ami Shah
PHD STUDENT
I’m a PhD student in the Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory group. Having gone through some form of depression in the COVID lockdown period and luckily coming out of it, I would like to share my experience and help others who may be going through similar situations. As of November 2020, I am now a trained Mental Health First Aider. I am looking forward to using the skills from the course to help others, raise awareness and break down the stigma associated with mental health.
Solomon Bawa
PHD STUDENT
Hello! I am a PhD student in the department, a certified Mental Health First Aider since November, 2020. Mental health has strong correlation with performance level within the academic sphere. I am passionate about the mental well being of students within the department, as such I am accessible and ready to spare time for a talk.
Ibrahim Abdinur
PHD STUDENT
Zahraa Hussain
PHD STUDENT
E: zahraa.hussain.20@ucl.ac.uk
Jia Di (Ed) Yang
PhD student
Hello everyone! I am a PhD researcher in Chemical Engineering. I completed my MHFA training in November 2020. I know school and life can be tough sometimes as I was struggling with stress during my undergraduate studies. Now that I am an approved MHFA, I would be glad to help out those in need. I believe having a meaningful hobby and keeping it up can highly improve and maintain one's mental health. My hobby is motorcycling and exercising and I always find my zen while undertaking these activities. I am looking forward to speaking with you!