Blog posts

Dr Christina Atchison, Principal Clinical Academic Fellow, School of Public Health

I joined Imperial in October 2018 and work part-time in the School of Public Health as a Principal Clinical Academic Fellow on the Global Master in Public Health. I also work for Public Health England as a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, based in the North West London Health Protection Team.

Before joining Imperial, I completed my public health specialist training and have worked as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine for Local Government, the NHS and Public Health England. I obtained a PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2011 and have held several academic positions alongside my service roles since then. (more…)

Rhiannon Penny, Placement and Internship Adviser, Careers Service

I graduated from the University of York in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and have stayed in higher education ever since. I’ve always been interested in looking at society and the various factors that can impact how it is constructed. Considering areas such as how important your career is for your sense of self and future, led me into higher education student support.

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Professor Mimi Hii, Professor of Catalysis, Department of Chemistry

I am a Professor of Catalysis in the Department of Chemistry. Before this, I was a lecturer of organic chemistry at King’s College London, which (in)famously decided to curtail its Chemistry degree programme in 2003; prompting the move from WC2R to SW7, along with a promotion to senior lectureship. (more…)

Jacek Grzegorzek, Ethos Centre Manager, Sports and Leisure Services

I was born in Poland, and have always been physically active and a lover of sport from a young age. I have a Master’s in Physical Education and have previously been a swimming coach. After finishing my university studies, I arrived in London to study English and fell in love with this fantastic city. (more…)

Mandy Thorpe, Director of the Central Biomedical Services Department

I am currently the Director of the Central Biomedical Services Department (CBS). My career in Animal Technology has spanned some 40 years working for Imperial. I began my career at Charing Cross Hospital as a junior technician in 1975. Following a brief spell at St Mary’s Hospital, I went on to work at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in 1983. As I progressed my career gaining qualifications under the Institute of Animal Technology and becoming a Registered Animal Technologist, I ultimately became the Director of Central Biomedical Services in 2011.

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Dr Andreas Kafizas, Lecturer in Climate Change and the Environment, Grantham Institute

“I completed my MSci and PhD in Chemistry at University College London (2003 – 2011), and was then awarded back-to-back fellowships that supported my research at Imperial (Ramsay Fellowship, 2012 – 2015; Imperial College Junior Research Fellowship, 2016 – 2018). This year I was awarded a Lectureship at the Grantham Institute.

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Dr Zahra Sharif Khodaei, Senior Lecturer, Aeronautics

I am a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Aeronautics. I completed my PhD at the Czech Technical University in Prague before I joined Imperial as a Research Associate, which led to a lectureship position from 2014. My research is focused on non-destructive inspection techniques and damage tolerant design of composite structures, mainly for aerospace application.

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Tom Rutland, Public Affairs Officer, Communications and Public Affairs

I work as a Public Affairs Officer in the Communications and Public Affairs division, which means I work on making sure Imperial’s expertise helps to influence government policy and political debate.

I previously worked in Parliament and in London local government, and started off my career as a student union sabbatical officer – so higher education public affairs is a natural fit for me. I started at Imperial in March 2017, and in the two years since then I’ve organised visits by Cabinet Ministers, kept College staff updated on what’s going on in politics and with Brexit, and lobbied policy makers on issues ranging from higher education funding to immigration. No two days are the same, and the turbulent political times we find ourselves in keep me busy.

There are so many hardworking and talented staff here at the College, and I thrive off working with people who are so passionate and smart. Working for a world-leading, science-focused institution like Imperial is hugely inspiring: it’s fascinating to hear about the latest treatments and breakthroughs and to meet researchers across the College pushing back the frontiers of scientific discovery.

Tom has also been featured in Imperial’s LGBT History Month campaign. Read his profile.

Dr Imogen Gingell, Research Associate, Faculty of Natural Sciences

I work in the Faculty of Natural Sciences as a Research Associate in Space Physics, and joined Imperial in 2016. I am interested in magnetospheric plasma interactions and look at how spacecraft can be used to understand what happens when gas from the sun hits the magnetic field and space around Earth. Before I joined Imperial, I completed a PhD at Warwick and have also held a previous Research Associate position at Queen Mary University of London.

My research is focused on the region of space known as the ‘bow shock’, where supersonic plasma winds from the Sun are rapidly compressed and heated ahead of Earth. The thin transition is analogous to the ‘sonic boom’ created by an aircraft as it travels through the atmosphere faster than the speed of sound. Using data from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft, I recently discovered that energy can be released in the bow shock which changes the shape of the magnetic field on very small scales – a process known as magnetic reconnection. Although reconnection is known to happen elsewhere in the magnetic environment around Earth, this is the first time it has been seen in a shock wave. I hope to understand how that discovery changes what we know about how shock waves work in space.

I’ve always felt very supported at Imperial. As a trans woman, I have found my experience of settling into the College to be quite smooth. For trans people on an academic career path, transition has its share of extra challenges. For example, navigating how to come out to your international network, or how to handle referencing past publications are significant sources of worry.

However, when I had my job interview here I was reassured that I would be treated equally, and I have found that to be true. I’ve never had any problems. Even if I have needed to take time off for transition-related healthcare, my managers and peers have always understood and given me space. I look forward to helping other staff and students in physics receive the same positive treatment as we develop our department’s new LGBT+ Allies Network.

Imogen has also been featured in Imperial’s LGBT History Month campaign. Read her profile.