Blog posts

Wunmi Agunbiade, Finance Manager, Library Services 

“Since the start of lockdown there have been over 160 items ordered and distributed to our colleagues’ homes, as well as plentiful supplies of PPE ordered in preparation of the Library’s reopening.” 

I was a Fees Supervisor at Scope for three and a half years where my section was responsible for bringing in 45 per cent of Scope’s £100 million annual income. I then moved to UCL Union where I was the Deputy Finance Manager for 7 and a half years before moving to Imperial in March 2009 as the first Finance manager for Library Services. I was in this post until 2014 when I was also made the Finance & Facilities Manager – now covering finance, facilities and being the departmental safety person.  (more…)

Stephanie Ludwig, Learning and Development Administrator, Human Resources

“We have just launched our new LDC course programme for 2020-21 and our workload has really picked up as we’ve been planning and organising the teaching.” 

In January I started as an Administrator in the Learning and Development Centre (LDC) where I support the admin and organisation of the programmes run by the centre. This is mostly processing bookings for courses, answering enquiries and liaising with internal and external course tutors. 

After I left school, rather than going to university I decided to start working. While studying for my A-levels I found there wasn’t a subject I wanted to study at university, and I knew I definitely didn’t want to go to university just for the sake of it. Initially I didn’t even think about an apprenticeship and just wanted to get a job, but without experience finding one was very difficult. Eventually, I looked into apprenticeships and found that I could study for a Level 3 qualification in Business Administration while working at Imperial’s Graduate School. I started the apprenticeship in September 2018 and after receiving a distinction, I started my new role in the LDC in January this year.   (more…)

Promise Ahante, Taught Postgraduate, Department of Earth Science & Engineering

“The pandemic was initially very disruptive, but Imperial really helped to reduce the negative impact.” 

I’m a Master’s student in Petroleum Engineering in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering. I did my first degree in Petroleum and Gas Engineering in Nigeria, which is where I’m from. The major resource we have in Nigeria is petroleum so I was influenced by my surroundings.  

When I graduated in 2016, I worked for a short while, but I wasn’t able to get a job directly in the energy industry. I decided to go back to university to build some skills. As an international student the fees were very expensive but fortunately, Shell sponsored me for my Master’s. Imperial is a fantastic university and particularly well-regarded in the industry, so it was a great opportunity for me.   (more…)

Leon McFarlane, Research Technician, Department of Infectious Disease

“We started with animal studies and in June, began human clinical trials – that’s the quickest we’ve ever been able to move a vaccine candidate from the lab to the clinic.”

I’m currently working in Professor Robin Shattock’s lab. My background is in biomedical science, but I made the transition into infectious diseases research when I completed an internship with the Sanjeev Krishna group at St George’s, looking at malaria drugs and inhibitors.  

I worked there for a year and a half, but I knew I was more interested in the immunology side of the research. I completed my MSc in the Immunology of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Following this, I started an internship at Imperial at the International Aids Vaccine Initiative working on HIV clinical trials, which connected me with Professor Shattock.  (more…)

Naveeta Bhatia, Social Media and Campaigns Officer, Student Recruitment and Outreach

“Amplifying student voices, particularly those of our EU and International students, is a key part of my work and I didn’t want this to stop because of the pandemic, so I’ve had to find different ways of finding and talking to students.” 

I always wanted to work in marketing or communications, so when I finished university I started working as a copywriter. I had a couple of different jobs in marketing and communications over the next few years. I worked for the British Transport Police as their Social Media and Campaigns Officer for a while – that was a great job! After I changed roles, I found I missed social media and content creation. That’s when I applied for my current position as Social Media and Campaigns Officer in Imperial’s Student Recruitment and Outreach team.   (more…)

Rebecca Sie, Teaching Facilities Manager, Faculty of Medicine


“The COVID-19 pandemic has added a new layer of complexity to my role given the changes it has brought about – changes that I could never have anticipated six months ago!” 

I worked for several years as a research scientist before making the transition to laboratory management, first joining Imperial in 2014 as a Trainee Laboratory Manager in the old Department of Medicine. I then spent some time working in Oxford and returned to the College just before Christmas last year. I had only been back for a few months when the College closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak!  (more…)

Camille Foncel, Student Hub Advisor, Campus Services

“The whole team has worked hard on ways to make ourselves available so students can come to us with questions and concerns.” 

I joined Imperial in May 2017 and work as a Student Hub Advisor. I enjoy the variety in my work and talking to people from many diverse backgrounds. A snapshot of my day can include supporting a student whose landlord is threatening to evict them, creating a webpage in HTML or holding a presentation for prospective students.  (more…)

Sirvan Almasi, Research Postgraduate, Department of Computing

“Being involved in the army reserves during the pandemic has meant that I’ve been able to give back to London and the community where I live.”

I am a PhD student in the Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering and a member of the Army Reserves. I joined Imperial when I began my PhD in 2018. After my Master’s, I worked in finance for a short while before deciding that I wanted a change in career. I knew I wanted to return to academic research but also wanted to maintain my interest in finance and management, and now my PhD in blockchain identity systems and information security combines both these interests. (more…)

Thomas Wales, Acquisitions Services Coordinator, Library Services

“I have been involved in identifying and enabling access to key e-textbooks to support teaching and learning among the College community where previously we relied upon print only.” 

I started at Imperial in October 2005  working in the Library Acquisitions Team and the Mathematics Departmental Library. A few years later I switched to a full-time role in Acquisitions, based at the Central Library. 

My team identify, procure and facilitate access to a broad range of books, eBooks and case studies to support the Imperial community in their research, teaching and learning. Acquisitions come via direct suggestions from Library users, through our Liaison Librarians, and academics submitting reading lists for courses.  (more…)

Dr Sarah Grant, Associate Director and Head of Operations, Imperial College Business School

“Altogether, my team has successfully blended over 100 classes this summer, and I’m proud and humbled to have led an initiative like no other.” 

I am the Associate Director and Head of Operations for Imperial College Business School’s Edtech Lab. I am responsible for overseeing and managing the smooth running of the entire portfolio of online programmes for the School, and for building expertise to ensure the School is at the forefront of innovation in technology-enhanced education. I lead a dedicated team to deliver approximately 180 online modules every year, including modules for our award-winning online Global MBA programme and our MSc in Business Analytics.   (more…)