Monthly Archives: September 2016

Reflection on my School visits

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I have now been here over a month, and the past couple of weeks have been rather busy.

Before I get to that, I need to mention a big high so far which was the ‘Future’s Bright’ event on 21st of September. This is an annual event organised by the Research Office for our Early Career Researchers (ECRs).  On the morning of the event, I tweeted about how much I was looking forward to it and Professor Nash responded that it is a really inspiring event… and how right he was!  It is a really good way of bringing our ECRs together and the programme gave them opportunities to network with each other.  We must not forget, however, that a key way of supporting ECRs is to ensure they can network and talk to senior researchers within the institution and this is where I felt we could do better.  Attendance by a few more Professors/Deputy Heads of Research/ Heads of Schools, even just for the networking session, would have, I am sure, enriched the ECRs experience. Nevertheless, it was a really good event.

So, on to School visits. I knew that one of my first tasks would be to lead on the development of the University’s Strategic Plan for Research and Enterprise and, in fact, weeks before starting, I had agreed with my team how we would approach this. Communication with, and the involvement of, staff was paramount in our thinking, so the first initiative was to visit all Schools on all campuses, to share the process with staff, to start to get some input to the strategic plan and to open the dialogue.  We have just completed the last of these 16 site visits to which a total of 543 staff have attended. The 20th of September was a testing day in terms of stamina, with four School visits on one day!

So, allow me to reflect. To start with, I need to say that I have enjoyed all of them and it has been an excellent way of inducting me to the institution, even if this was not the primary aim. And, judging by the emails I have received, many of you also found it informative.

My approach to all the visits has been the same and we had many frank and open discussions, often going beyond the research and enterprise agenda. At almost every visit I discovered some unusual and unique practices, including internal charging for equipment use, internal processes for our Postgraduate Researchers and issues around our promotion pathways, which will need to be addressed. None of these are insurmountable with good communication and a determination to fix them.

As someone new to the new organisation, I was struck by the lack of trust staff seem to have in the way the university has been led and managed in the past. Having said this, there was also an acknowledgment this has changed quite considerably in the past year. One of the ways a leader can earn trust is to practice transparency regarding their intentions. Trust is strengthened with openness. As the person who will champion and lead the university’s research and enterprise endeavours, my promise to you all is one of transparency and openness.

The School visits are now completed and they have given me much food for thought and many of the points will be captured as we put the Strategic Plan for Research and Enterprise together.

Thank you all for your contributions and my thanks especially to my team who attended all these sessions with me and have supported me along the way.

Onwards and upwards!

British Science Festival 2017 comes to Brighton

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The British Science Association (BSA) provides opportunities for all people to enjoy, explore, investigate and discuss science and it has a wonderful new mission: ‘A society where science is a part of, not set apart from, society and culture’. Historically, going back to 1831, the BSA used to hold annual meetings and it was at these meetings that the major scientific advances were announced. In 2005, these annual meetings became ‘Festivals’, spanning a number of days and open to anyone who is interested to learn about cutting-edge research in science, engineering and technology. Alongside the main Festival programme, there are events aimed at families and schools.

The annual Festival is, indeed, the BSA’s premier programme and is one of Europe’s largest celebration of science, engineering and technology. It has been held in many cities around the UK, including York, Liverpool, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Swansea, the most southerly of these being held in Surrey in 2009. So, it is very pleasing that, in 2017, the British Science Association Festival is coming to the south coast, co-hosted by our University and University of Sussex!

The Festival will provide a fantastic opportunity for the scientists in our two institutions to highlight the amazing research happening in Brighton. There will also be Nobel Prize winners, TV personalities, top researchers, family-friendly presenters and entertainers from around the country who will share their passion for science with the public.

Professor Andrew Lloyd has led our bid and I, for one, know how competitive the bidding process and selection is. I know because my previous institution also applied to host it with what was regarded as a strong bid. So, many congratulations to Andrew and others who supported him! Of course, just like a research bid, the joy of securing the award is almost immediately followed by a realisation of the enormity of what needs to be done to deliver the project! As a University, we are committed to public and community engagement, and this commitment is recognised through such awards, through our performance in REF, and through the fact that many institutions from across the globe regularly visit us to see how we do it. So, I have absolutely no doubt that Andrew will be supported by everyone as he starts planning for this event in collaboration with the University of Sussex.

You can be involved in number of ways and, naturally, I will expect our researchers to nominate themselves to present their research. But, whether presenting or attending, the 5-9th of September 2017 will be a very special week!

On a final note, I am delighted that Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell will be the next president of BSA. With 185 presidents to date and only 9 female presidents, there is some serious catching up to do on that front!