When did you take up this position? What was your position beforehand?
I joined UCL in 2020 to take up a teaching position in the Department of Natural Sciences.
My early educational background was in mathematics, then after a brief stint in software development I undertook a PhD in computational neuroscience. Immediately prior to joining UCL, I was undertaking postdoctoral research in computational neuroscience at a research institute in Japan.
Tell us about your work at UCL - how do you spend your days, and what makes your role different to similar positions elsewhere?
Work in the Department of Natural Sciences is extremely varied. As well as the bread-and-butter teaching work, I get involved in more or less everything required to run a medium-sized undergraduate programme, from training PGTAs to curriculum design and pastoral support for a year group of students.
I was recently appointed Admissions Tutor for our programme, which has involved learning a new set of ropes and to some extent some entirely new skills.
What are some of your favourite things about working at UCL? How have you found it different to previous jobs?
Working with a small group of dedicated colleagues on essentially one big task – the delivery of a quality educational experience for about 500 students – has been very satisfying, and quite different to my previous jobs, which were much more narrow and technical roles.
It’s really nice to have the freedom (if not always the time) to think about how my work contributes to the ‘big picture’ of supporting the personal and professional development of our students.
Can you tell us about any research or projects that you’re currently working on?
Natural Sciences is currently developing our newly-redesigned programme which will launch in 2027. As well as delivering some of the core teaching on the new programme, I’ve been involved in planning and designing the curriculum, and as Admissions Tutor I’m at the leading edge of promoting the new programme to applicants.
Next month I’ll be going into some local schools to get some feedback on the new programme from prospective students. Talking to students (about something other than assessments) is of course the best part of my job as a teacher.
Have you always been based in London? If not, when did you move here, and how did you find adapting to living in London?
This is the first time I’ve lived in London, and prior to moving here I was based in relatively remote places such as Okinawa and New Zealand. My plans to enjoy the breadth of cultural and entertainment opportunities available in London were swiftly curtailed, first by a global pandemic and then by the birth of my two children. On the other hand, I’ve certainly learnt to appreciate London’s many many lovely parks!
Finally, tell us about your non-work life. Do you have any hobbies, or favourite places to go in London?
These days my hobbies have to fit around my kids. Happily, we seem to enjoy the same things such as music, camping and cycling. I’m currently trying to organise a summer holiday which combines all three.