Spotlight on... Tansy Jones

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am the Director of Operations for Population Health Sciences and lead the direction and development of professional services teams across the Faculty, including strategic planning and operationalising support for our academic mission. Key to this is aligning the delivery of our support functions in partnership with central support services and ensuring the needs of our communities, including staff and students, are represented. I represent the Faculty through the Professional Services Leadership Team forums and contribute both individually and collectively with the ten other Directors of Operations to many committees and decision-making processes across the University.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I started working at the Institute of Education (IOE) in 2012 and joined UCL when the two merged in 2014. In that time I’ve worked in a number of roles, starting in education administration, managing a number of discrete projects and events and then working across a broader range of operations management. My previous role was as Institute Manager at the GOS Institute of Child Health and Deputy Director of Operations for the Faculty, which gave me a great insight into how the Faculty works prior to starting in this post. I am really delighted to have been able to stay in within Population Health Sciences as I moved to the Director of Operations role.

What working achievement/initiative are you most proud of?

There are a number of things that I delivered at the GOS Institute of Child Health that I’m proud of including developing a local excellence award for Professional Services staff and a fund for Early Career Research staff to support them with access to a range of career development opportunities.

Tell us about a project you’re working on now that’s top of your to-do list?

There are a few big projects that I’ve started working on since I began in this role on 1 March, including starting the review of how some of our functional areas of support in Education and Marketing and Communications are delivered in our Institutes, with a focus on ensuring equity of support and experience for staff working across our Faculty. I am involved with the development of the Global Business School for Health and its position within UCL East and I am working closely with the UCL East team on the development of appropriate professional services support for that campus. Top of my to-do list at the moment is to consider how to connect the UCL roadmap to a Faculty-level approach to return to work from 21 June.

What is your favourite film, album, novel?

Film: Leon
Album: I grew up listening to Leonard Cohen, Bill Withers and Joni Mitchell and would always go back to one of their albums.
Novel: Really, really difficult to choose one! The best novel I’ve read this year is Circe by Madeline Miller. I love Haruki Murukami novels in general, but one of my favourite books ever is To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

• Louis Theroux
• Amanda Gorman
• Jen-Michel Basquiet (back from the dead!)
• Stephen Fry
• Laura Kenny
• Zadie Smith

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I used to be a Primary School Teacher and leader in a school local to UCL. It remains the most challenging job I’ve ever done, I have the utmost respect for teachers and the incredible job they do.

What is your favourite place?

I grew up as a young child by the beach and I’m really drawn to coastal places in general. Having said that, I love nothing more than being in the heart of a big, exciting bustling city – New York and Melbourne are two of my favourites.