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.
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…)
I work at Imperial’s Hammersmith Campus as a Community Safety and Support Officer and I will be celebrating 25 years at Imperial on 2 August 2024. My role is very varied and I have a wide range of duties overseeing the safety and security of people of both our people and our buildings. I work both day and night shifts, and there is much more to my role than simply monitoring CCTV in the Control Room – no two days are the same. I patrol the Hammersmith Campus, addressing security issues as unauthorised people or unattended bags.
In addition to security duties, I offer front line customer service to not only Imperial staff and students, but also to our visitors; this can be anything from helping with access issues, lost property, replacing lost ID cards or covering on reception. Health and safety is another key part of my role – not only do I look for building defects on the campus but I monitor a range of alarms for things like refuge points and changes in lab gases. (more…)
I started working at Imperial in 2013 on a Faculty of Medicine graduate scheme. Since then I have undertaken a whole variety of roles across the university; I was the Cardiovascular Division Manager in the National Heart & Lung Institute, then the Institute Manager for the Data Science Institute, then the Director of Operations for the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. I feel really proud to work at Imperial, it is amazing to turn on the TV and see my colleagues on the news. It is a privilege to work with such talented, motivated, and interesting people.
Currently I am a Process Outcome Designer (POD) working on the Great Service Programme, implementing a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) IT system, to replace our very old system, ICIS. The project will have a really positive impact, as it will streamline processes, create efficiencies and reduce manual workarounds. Hopefully, it will make every-day processes like recruitment, purchasing and submitting expenses less cumbersome for everyone! (more…)
My communications career began at the Science Media Centre, a charity that connects journalists with scientists to help communicate controversial topics responsibly to the public. I had just finished a degree in Biology at UCL, where I had taken a course in science and the media that sparked my interest in the field. Although, I clearly had a long way to go as I was turned down for a place on Imperial’s prestigious science communication Master’s. It was during my time at UCL that I also became involved with LGBT campaigning.
I started working at Imperial in 2010 as Research Media Officer for Natural Sciences, followed by a role as Research Events Manager. From there I became Communications Manager at the Grantham Institute. I’d always been interested in the environment and climate change and was known for encouraging others to think sustainably, often telling my previous long-suffering colleagues: “It’s my planet too”. One of the things I’m most proud of is introducing public engagement to the Grantham Institute and inspiring them to recognise the public as an important part of influencing policymakers or politicians. (more…)
My fascination with human connection began at 14, guiding visitors through the historic birthplace of Dracula (yes, he was real!) in the heart of Transylvania in Romania. This sparked a passion for understanding and supporting diverse cultures, leading me to pursue a degree in social work and social policy followed by a Master’s in Human Rights.
However, it was in Higher Education that I truly found my calling: empowering individuals and teams to reach their full potential. Working in personal development for researchers and academics and supporting them in discovering their strengths and goals, ignited a deeper interest in how universities function as organisations. I fuelled this curiosity with a specialised MBA in Higher Education Management, further equipping myself to contribute to this unique sector and aiming to bridge the gap between the different areas and groups supporting a shared goal. (more…)
I studied History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, where upon graduation, I promptly decided I wanted to pursue other professional avenues. I’ve worn a fair few hats over the years: from working in arts fundraising, to a political ad agency back in my native Washington DC. Most recently I was working as a PA, and in marketing postgraduate programmes, in the Faculty of Medicine. I’m now in the Business School, where I’ve worked for the last year as the Student Life Manager.
I manage incoming and outgoing exchanges for postgraduate Business School students, working with over 25 partner Business Schools around the world to provide students with as much global experience as possible. I also work on other memory-making activities in the Business School including developing our overseas modules, and trip leading. Annually, we take over 600 Business School students on overseas trips, which create opportunities for students to increase their cultural fluency in the real world by immersing them in a country’s business and cultural scenes. More broadly, the Student Life team is also responsible for community engagement and experiences in the Business School, including Welcome Day, the Winter Party and Summer Ball. (more…)
I have always been interested in Sustainability which led me to do an MSc in Chemistry, with a focus on future battery technology in my final year project. Following university, I worked as an Analytical Chemist for four years, with a focus on Chromatography for the Health Care business, which is when I first considered the need for sustainable practices in laboratory spaces. I led the My Green Lab certification for our lab spaces, tackling reduction of energy use and recycling of plastics. It was a fantastic experience bringing people together and making positive changes. And that is exactly why I was drawn to the position of Sustainability Initiatives Coordinator at Imperial.
My job is about the resource management section of Imperial’s Sustainability Strategy, and what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint. Our labs and offices at Imperial are quite energy intensive, and it’s my job to understand how we can reduce our energy consumption to reach Imperial’s Net Zero target by 2040. This involves engaging with lab, and office users, to understand current behaviours, and where savings can be made through adjustments in usage. For example, warming up our Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers from -80C to –70C, saves approximately a whole home’s worth of energy every day. (more…)
My path to my current role has been a bit of a melange of interesting experiences and educations, each of which have contributed in their own way! I completed an undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Nottingham, and a PhD at the University of Bath. I was part of a Doctoral Training Centre and this provided opportunities outside of my day-to-day research for training in topics such as public engagement and entrepreneurship, and in helping to organise events such as an annual showcase.
After my PhD I worked as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, which is an Innovate UK funded route for industry and academia to work together on an innovation idea. This position helped me build my experience and skillset on the project management and ‘other activities’ side of things, i.e. everything else that goes on alongside the core research to add value to a project.
Fast forward a little, and I started a role at Imperial College in 2019 as Programme Manager for an initiative called IDLES (Integrated Development of Low-carbon Energy Systems). This was hosted in the Energy Futures Lab, and I spent a happy few years working alongside colleagues on all things energy systems related.
I’ve recently moved to the Hitachi-Imperial Centre for Decarbonisation and Natural Climate Solutions. The centre is a collaboration between Hitachi Ltd and Imperial College, with the goal of aiding the transition to net zero pollution, and beyond. We work together on a set of joint research projects which all sit within the three research pillars of the centre: Carbon Management and Decarbonisation, CO2 Removal (Technology and Nature-based Solutions), and Socio-economic and Policy work. I’m really enjoying being part of a new team with exciting new challenges ahead!
When answering the question “What do you do?”, for some the job title is the explanation. My role is less obvious, so I often reply, “How much time do you have?”.
In a nutshell, I work to help students from any background to be able to go to university. But if you’re not careful, I’ll talk your ear off for hours about the different ways that we might define who is underrepresented at university, what role universities have in supporting students, and the many policy areas that impact access to education.
Working in widening participation has been a natural fit for me, despite the fact that when I interviewed for my first role in this field, I had never heard the term! It came as no surprise to me that some students are shut-out, alienated, or face extra hurdles in their educational journeys, but I just hadn’t had the language to describe this idea. (more…)