Blog posts

Meg Spiteri: Representing the student voice

Celebrating Disability History Month  

Meg Spiteri

“It’s about connecting students with other people going through the same thing and having a sense of community.” 

Alongside her PhD with the Department of Bioengineering, Meg is the Imperial College Union Disabilities Officer.   

Navigating student life  

Now in the third year of her PhD, Meg is developing a medical device to prevent pressure ulcers.  

It was in her first year of her PhD that Meg was diagnosed with autism, and she completed her undergraduate degree at Imperial with minimal adjustments.  

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Lewis Turner: subject matter expert on all things international mobility

Lewis Turner with helicopter in Himalayas

“Given my background and experiences, I feel like I have mobility in my blood.”

Lewis Turner is our International Mobility Manager, leading the International Mobility Team (IMT). He joined Imperial in spring 2022.

Advisors on all things international

The International Mobility Team (IMT) advises on ‘all things international’ and include members from HR, Compliance, and Payroll & Pensions. (more…)

Jordan Nairne: Inspiration and inclusion in IT

Celebrating Black History Month

Jordan Naire

“Since joining Imperial, I’ve felt like part of a more inclusive workplace – they really do a great job of creating a progressive space for minorities.”

Jordan Nairne is an IT Service Management Analyst in ICT who joined Imperial in 2018. He has previously worked in corporate companies, including Transport for London where he was involved in the project to install Wi-Fi on the underground network ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

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Comfort Oluwakoya: Upholding Black voices

“I want Black and minority ethnic students to know that they belong at Imperial and that there’s a place here for them.”

Comfort Oluwakoya is a third year Medical student and is Imperial College Union’s current Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Officer.

Upholding Black voices

Comfort was driven to become the union’s BME Officer as she believes it is vital Black students having a seat at the table and she wants to provide a Black role model for new students. (more…)

Ingrid Logan: Creating an exemplary technical environment

Ingrid Logan

“It’s an honour to be awarded the Imperial College Medal and it’s great to see this type of role and its contribution to the university being recognised.”

Ingrid Logan is the Technical Services and Safety Manager for the Dyson School of Design Engineering. Her career at Imperial began in 2008 as Apprentice Technician for the Innovation Design Engineering course, a joint programme with the Royal College of Art. Her years of contribution and service to the organisation were recognised with an Imperial College Medal, awarded at the Royal Albert Hall as part of Commemoration Day. The medal recognises meritorious or praiseworthy service to Imperial or for having otherwise enhanced its reputation, mission and objectives.

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Alex Stepney, Facility Manager, Central Biomedical Services 

Alex Stepney, Facility Manager, Central Biomedical Services

“I have always been fascinated by the essential role that animal research plays in the mainstream discoveries we see in the media.” 

I have worked in the animal research industry for 32 years, over half of which has been at Imperial College London. I started my career journey in this industry as an Animal Technician in 1992. I believe good connections between the researchers and animal facility staff are critical for the progress of science and the welfare of animals, and my career path has been based on this belief.  

I also believe that continued learning and development help to promote staff engagement. Therefore, I train my staff to meet the highest standards of animal welfare. I encourage staff to talk to the researchers they work with, visit their lab meetings, and attend seminars to understand the research conducted in our facilities. This enables discussions on how improvements can be made to their studies, like housing, habituation, or experimental techniques. It also allows us to offer additional training to improve animal welfare.     (more…)

Professor Samuel Agyei-Mensah: International collaboration and local impact

Celebrating Black History Month

Samuel Agyei-Mensah

“The experience of being a visiting professor has been incredibly beneficial. I’ve been able to strengthen existing networks, develop new partnerships and collaborations, and deliver lectures to student and public audiences.”

Professor Samuel Agyei-Mensah is a Professor of Geography at the University of Ghana and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. His current role at Imperial follows on from his position as Provost’s Visiting Professor (2023-24), a scheme established to improve the diversity of the university by hosting leading Black and minority ethnic academics.

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Steve Nimo, Undergraduate, Electronic and Information Engineering

Steve Nimo

“Being one of the first in my family to go to university, let alone a Russell Group university, I have found it less easy to access the kind of mentorship we need to be successful in today’s world of work.”

I’m currently a second-year undergraduate student studying Electrical and Information Engineering at Imperial College London. Being one of the first in my family to go to university, let alone a Russell Group university, I have found it less easy to access the kind of mentorship we need to be successful in today’s world of work. For example, I didn’t even know that opportunities such as internships and spring weeks existed! In the past this has impacted the way I thought about post-graduation careers and opportunities. My first year consisted of a lot of research into careers, as my main aim is to secure a top job offer when I graduate.

I spent the first part of my childhood in East London, before moving to a small area just outside Birmingham. As a Christian, I believe that God has a plan for each of us and moving from London enabled me to grow as an individual, as I had to learn to adapt quickly to new environments. Moving from London helped me realise the importance of studying and hard work – my academic results quickly improved thanks to my newly found determination. Receiving my offer from Imperial felt remarkable as I was able to return to London as an undergraduate studying in one of the world’s best universities! (more…)

Susie Goss and Jo Dyson, Deputy Director of Student Administration (Graduation Events)

Susie Goss and Jo Dyson, Deputy Director of Student Administration (Graduation Events)

“Being in a job share is really quite special. There’s always someone who understands the challenges you face and who celebrates every success with you.”

We are jointly the Deputy Director of Student Admin (Graduation Events), a role that we undertake as a job share partnership, working with our amazing team to deliver Imperial’s enormous graduation events. We joined Imperial as a ready-made job share, applying, interviewing and being appointed together as a double act.

We’d previously been a job share for three years at the Prince’s Trust, where Susie covered Jo’s maternity leave before Jo returned part-time and we became a duo. Applying together for a role was new for us, and it was an especially strange experience as we did it during the pandemic, writing our application and doing the interviews remotely on Teams. Having known each other for so long, we read each other very well in a room but it felt strange to formally invite each other to take each question in interview because it was online! It can’t have been that odd for the panel since we managed to get the job though, initially as Head of Institutional Events before a structure change took the team into different divisions and we moved with the Graduation Events team into Registry. (more…)