Staff Spotlight: Helen Stark

Hello! Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what you do at UCL.

I'm Helen Stark and I'm the Research Impact Manager for two faculties: Arts and Humanities and Social and Historical Sciences. I'm just back from a year on secondment at IOE where I was Head of Research Development and I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off (and building on the great work done by George Bilitsis, who covered my secondment) working with researchers to realise the impact of their research: from those who've never even thought about impact before to those who are old hands but might need a bit of support with the process or a fresh pair of eyes in thinking about it.

What has been your most memorable career moment so far?

Two things come to mind (which were largely contemporaneous). The first is working with researchers to submit their 52 Impact Case Studies for REF2021. So much work went in to them and the final period of reviewing and editing was during lockdowns 1 and 2. I’m in awe of the authors. Second, I co-edited the collection New Approaches to William Godwin (Palgrave Macmillan) which was published in April 2021. The other editors are colleagues I met during my PhD at Newcastle and the collection arose from a conference we organised in 2016. We proposed, managed and edited the collection whilst all doing non-research day jobs. Two of us also have chapters in it. Mine is about some pencil drawings by an unknown artist on Godwin's Essay on Sepulchres, something I’d been thinking about since 2014.  It felt like such an achievement to produce both my chapter and the collection outside of my actual job and I’m very grateful for the support I got from my UCL colleagues.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Write

What are your main interests outside work?

I have an unfortunate penchant for training for and competing in middle-distance triathlons and especially love the open water swimming component. I'm a keen theatre-goer and love an art exhibition. My partner and I are renovating our flat but that's less of an interest and more a never-ending chore.

Where’s top of your list of places to visit?

My partner and I planned to interrail in Europe in summer 2020. It's still top of my list - I want to get to Switzerland and climb mountains and swim in lakes.

If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Either avocado or marmite on toast.

What would people be surprised to discover about you?

When I was 18 I worked in Australia for a couple of months as a door-to-door salesperson and then driving a tractor on a papaya farm.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St John Mandel. When I finished it I turned straight back to the start to reread it. I'm working my way through Mandel's back catalogue and the inter-connectedness of some of her novels is satisfying and intriguing. It's not on my bedside table but I'm currently obsessed with Avocado Baby by John Burningham and buy it for all my friends' children because it’s funny and strange (and doesn’t feel like it was published 40 years ago…). Strong recommend as a present for kids!