Blog posts

Rokshan Easwarathasan, Undergraduate, Faculty of Medicine

Part of Shifting the Lens: A celebration of cultural diversity at Imperial

“I was never ashamed of my background at school, but there weren’t many of us and I wouldn’t always be outgoing about being Tamil and from Sri Lanka. I just knew I was different.

“My parents are both immigrants from Sri Lanka, but I was born and brought up in East London. My surname has thirteen letters in it – lots of Sri Lankan people have long names – and teachers have always struggled with it or avoided it full stop. Things like that make you realise you’re different. Even my first name, some people have difficulty with it. But nowadays people want to learn how to pronounce your name properly, even more so at Imperial where there are people from so many cultures. Everyone’s welcoming. (more…)

Fatima Elzahra Khan, Undergraduate, Department of Chemical Engineering

Part of Shifting the Lens: A celebration of cultural diversity at Imperial

“Back in the Emirates and Pakistan, there is a disparity between how men and women are treated, but my mum is one of the most powerful and inspiring women I know. She left home to pursue her education and get a PhD. Marrying my dad was not the done thing – she was probably expected to marry a local, which a lot of my aunts did do. (more…)

Dr Adriana Navarro-Suarez, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, Department of Chemistry

Part of Shifting the Lens: A celebration of cultural diversity at Imperial

“To me, Colombia means happiness. There’s such amazing food, and on Sundays, we usually have a family gathering with our grandma. We don’t do this that often now because we don’t all live together, but whenever I go back home there is always a time where around 30 of us will gather and eat, drink and laugh.  

“Colombians also love dancing – especially Cuban and Colombian salsa! As a nation, we’re really successful in international dancing competitions. Colombia is also a very religious country. During Christmas, there is an event called novena, where for nine days before the 24th you pray each night. Each of those nine nights is hosted by a different house/family and includes food and drinks.  (more…)

Riad Yagoubi, Research Postgraduate, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

Part of Shifting the Lens: A celebration of cultural diversity at Imperial

“When I was in primary school, I always felt different. A lot of other people thought I was weird because I knew Arabic/Algerian. There’s very much the stereotype in France that if you speak Arabic or Algerian Arabic you haven’t adapted enough to French society or can’t speak French very well. As a result, I felt quite alone a lot.

“In France, you are allocated a high school based on location, but I was able to choose my high school because I had good results. But I felt different as most of my fellow students were the sons of politicians and doctors, and my background was completely different. (more…)

Dr Nida Sajjad, Teaching Fellow, National Heart and Lung Institute

“I have always been passionate about engaging students through innovative digital learning technologies.” 

I am a medical doctor-turned-teacher with a research background in neuroscience. I studied medicine in Lahore, Pakistan, and after practising there I moved to Trento in Italy where I did an MSc in cognitive neuroscience. I really enjoyed working with patients and data and this led me into research, which ultimately paved the way for me to take on teaching roles at the Universities of Bristol and Birmingham. 

I joined Imperial as a Teaching Fellow in the National Heart and Lung Institute in September last year. It was difficult at the beginning as the whole interview process was online, and even now, I have only met people on Microsoft Teams!    (more…)

Emre Yavuz, Taught Postgraduate, Department of Brain Sciences

“Working with my peers to overcome the inevitable challenges we have faced during the pandemic has made my student experience the best it could be.”   

I recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc in Neuroscience and started my Master’s degree in Translational Neuroscience in the autumn. I am fascinated by several areas of neuroscience, including psychedelics and dementia care, and technology. I hope to carry out my Master’s thesis in psychedelic research, and I aspire to continue my studies with a PhD in this field. One of my life goals is to combine science and technology to massively improve the quality of life of those suffering from debilitating neurological diseases.     (more…)

Josh Chana, Project Manager – Minor Works, Estates

“Our team works on a wide variety of projects for the College, from constructing new buildings at White City to renovating existing spaces at South Kensington.” 

Before joining Imperial in 2019, I was a sponsored undergraduate student, working for international property and construction company Lendlease while studying towards my undergraduate degree. However, upon moving to Imperial after my second year, I transferred to the University College of Estate Management (UCEM) to study my Construction Project Management degree part-time while working.  

I work as a Project Manager in the Projects Delivery team in the Estates Division. Our team works on a wide variety of projects for the College, from constructing new buildings at White City to renovating existing spaces at South Kensington. My role is focused on the management of some of our smaller projects, with values up to £1m. I work with clients and stakeholders from across Imperial to ensure that projects get completed on time, on budget and that they provide lasting value to Imperial. Some of my current projects include RFID upgrade works for Library Services, access control upgrade works for Residential Services, and fire prevention works for the Fire Office.   (more…)

Chris Bird, Mechanical Engineering Apprentice Technician, Human Resources

“I liked the idea of learning on the job while earning a wage and working towards qualifications.”

I am a mechanical engineering technician apprentice currently working in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I work in each department on a six-month rotation, which allows me to work on different projects and learn from different people.

I really enjoy using different types of tools and machinery as they allow me to create parts from metal bar/round stock into something useable. One of the tools I use is a micrometer – this is a precise measuring instrument that ensures that a component is produced to the required size. (more…)

Leigh Sims, Transformation Programme Manager and Testing Lead for COVID-19 Asymptomatic Test and Trace project, College Headquarters

“Step-by-step we have built the COVID-19 testing service so that people can keep safe while continuing to study and research.” 

I started working on the COVID-19 Asymptomatic Test and Trace project in August last year. After a successful pilot, the College needed to scale up from 50 tests a day to mass testing of 500 staff and students every day by the start of term. Initially, I was just helping to plan the work, but this quickly turned into designing the testing process. 

Increasing our testing ten-fold in five weeks was a real challenge, but the speed at which the team came together was quite special. We broke the project down into workstreams and refined what we were doing day by day. We focused on building a booking system, sourcing testing venues across campus, recruiting and training a testing workforce, and liaising with the lab team as all our swab analysis would be done in-house.  (more…)

Leonardo Zea Reyes, Research Postgraduate, Centre for Environmental Policy

“I’m investigating how to better integrate climate policies into city planning with a focus on human health.” 

I’m an Environmental Policy Research PhD student at the Centre for Environmental Policy. My Master’s is in Urban Management and Development with a specialisation in Environment and Climate Change and studied Architecture. I have broadened my scope from a siloed area such as architecture to the urban and environmental dimensions. 

I’m investigating how to better integrate climate policies into city planning with a focus on human health using a systems-thinking approach – which means thinking about the greater picture. Additionally, I am a partner at Cónclave Consultora, a consultancy that helps people who want to construct a building through recommendations that consider the entire development as a whole. In the process, we conduct an environmental impact assessment – an application of my academic preparation at Imperial.  (more…)