Spotlight on Kathryn Walsh

What is your role and what does it involve?
I’ve only been in post 3 months, so still finding my way around UCL (The organisation – and the buildings too!). My role is about ensuring that our organisational policies and processes support and promote innovation & enterprise activity at UCL. I also keep close to the knowledge exchange policy landscape in Research England and the Research Councils, to make sure that UCL is in a good position to access funding support.  I chair the Knowledge Exchange and Innovation funding committee – a real privilege to see some of the amazing ideas coming through from academic colleagues. If people aren’t aware of this then they should check out: Knowledge exchange and innovation funding.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
I started at UCL in November 2018. Before that I was Director of the Enterprise Office at Loughborough University. 

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
I think I’ve got greatest satisfaction from recruiting good people and seeing them develop. Probably more lasting impact than any specific initiative. 

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?
Top of my to-do list is ensuring that UCL is well positioned to respond to the government’s forthcoming Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). The KEF is all about how we work with research users outside the University to make a positive difference. It will help Research England tell the story about the importance of the contribution of Universities to economic, social and cultural life of the country.  The KEF lines up well with our existing Innovation and Enterprise strategy “Transforming knowledge and ideas into action”.  But we will have more work to do on policies, processes and data capture to ensure that our KEF performance reflects the fantastic work that I’m seeing at UCL.  

If anyone would like to contribute to our institutional submission on the KEF consultation, then details of how to do so can be found here.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Favourite album:  Bio (or anything else) by Swedish group Väsen
Favourite film: Difficult choice but probably something by Pedro Almodóvar for black humour, maybe Volver or Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. 
Novel: An almost impossible choice but I’d recommend Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music as a good read. 

What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?
Q: Why don’t you ever see elephants hiding in trees?
A: Because they’re so good at it.

Who would be your dream dinner guests?
After last year’s 100 years celebrations, I’d love to have a group of suffragette campaigners to reflect on progress. 

What advice would you give your younger self?
I’m not sure that my younger self would necessarily take any notice! 

What would it surprise people to know about you?
For the past couple of years, I’ve been learning to play a Swedish musical instrument called a nyckelharpa (sometimes referred to as a cross between a violin and a typewriter). Still work in progress….. 

What is your favourite place?
I’m hoping there are more places to discover, but the Islands of the Swedish archipelago are up there on my list.