Blog posts

Valentina Neuhauser, Taught Postgraduate, Business School

Valentina Neuhauser

“My curiosity about how businesses raise the bar for sustainable development and offer hope for our future brought me to Imperial”

Growing up in Austria, I treasured the beautiful nature around me and the memories of running through beautiful fields of wildflowers as a child. Unfortunately, over the years, I saw many places in my fond memory disappear, making places for business and buildings and stimulating the consumption of more goods.

In 2021 I decided that it was time to embark on a long envisioned educational journey – to pursue an MBA. My curiosity about how businesses raise the bar for sustainable development and offer hope for our future brought me to Imperial. I had worked in tech for 15 years, and I had many opportunities to grow and take on new challenges over the years. However, I was keen to expand my horizons and learn about other industries. Imperial offered me the opportunity to continue my job while studying with a vast international cohort – and to do this online from Singapore, where I am currently based. Imperial’s Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment also attracted me, alongside the focus on programmes’ sustainable and ethical business approach.

Climate change, the exploitation of virgin resources, and the lack of a circular economy threaten our lives, those of future generations, the planet and animals, and our economy. Businesses seek know-how to set solid green agendas for the future, and we must ensure that students are ready for these “new” requirements. I recently connected with a variety of groups at Imperial organised to advocate on the climate emergency and to raise awareness. I am optimistic that we will have a positive influence if we use the power of our network to effect change.

I have always been active in my community, and getting involved is the best way to shape your experience. As a new MBA student, I took on a student leadership role for my cohort as Student Staff Committee Chair. This role has allowed me to work with the programme team on the MBA, and explore the Vice President for Sustainability role on the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee. In this role, I connect and work with stakeholders across the College to bring sustainability initiatives to students. It also offers the chance to address challenges and opportunities with the Business School on sustainability, while creating a programme that allows students to gain essential skills for the workplace.

It is no surprise that I am passionate about nature, and in my little spare time between work, studies, and student life, I love to be outdoors, hike, do yoga in nature, and marvel at the fantastic wonders on this planet. In addition, I love classical music, and my passion for classical ballet is my best way to re-energise after a busy week.

Dr Karen Logan, Senior Project Manager and Network Coordinator, Target Malaria  

Dr Karen Logan

“I look forward to the day when malaria is eradicated, and I can say we helped contribute to that!”

I’m an immunologist by training, with my early career focused on vaccine development. When I shifted away from the bench into project management, I wasn’t really sure I liked it, but over 20 years later I realise I’ve found my place. (more…)

Laura Mereweather, Research Postgraduate, Department of Immunology and Inflammation

Laura Mereweather

“I am interested in understanding changes to blood flow within our veins, which may occur due to long term immobility such as long-haul flights or bed rest.”

Growing up in rural Dorset, I never thought I would live in a big city when I was older. Yet fast-forward 20 years, and I am lucky enough to study at one of the best universities in the world, in the best city in the world. (more…)

Elizabeth Akeju, Undergraduate, Faculty of Medicine

Elizabeth Akeju

“Participation in our annual showcase Afrogala allowed me to celebrate my culture through dance, modelling and drama”

During the first year of my medicine degree, I was able to participate in many activities, both degree-related and extracurricular. This year has given me the opportunity to explore the basics of medicine through lectures, tutorials, projects, placements and podcasts! I loved how there were so many tools used to help us learn and collaborate with others, my favourite being podcast creation for a module called Lifestyle Medicine and Prevention. Within this same module, we explored public health.

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Sadra Sadeh, Research Fellow, Department of Brain Sciences

Sadra Sadeh
“I have been trying to make computer models of brains, to understand how we see, learn, sleep, and remember.”

I started my academic journey by studying electrical engineering at the University of Tehran in Iran. Although I valued the technical skills and attention to detail that I acquired in becoming an engineer, I felt that it didn’t satisfy my need for free thinking and answering the many life questions that I had in my 20s.

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Samantha Symmonds, Postgraduate Education Manager, Earth Science and Engineering

Samantha Symmonds

“The most rewarding part of my role is supporting my team to ensure we provide the best service for our students and staff.”

I joined Imperial College of Science & Technology (as it was then known) in 1988 as the Vacation Training Co-ordinator in the Careers Service. At the time I had no real plans to stay, but 34 years later I find myself still at Imperial having enjoyed the many diverse roles I have undertaken.

In 1988 technology was very limited, and I fondly remember the one afternoon slot the Careers Service received each week to access the single Registry computer. It was a very busy afternoon given the other option was to use the typewriter and make many carbon copies!
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Avaneesh Deleep, Undergraduate, Department of Computing

“At Karman Space Programme, we aim to be the first student team to launch a reusable liquid-engine rocket into space.”

I’m a third year Computing undergraduate here at Imperial.  For me, the biggest perk of the subject is how wide-ranging it is – from fascinating mathematics, to understanding how electricity in silicon can compute! I have particularly enjoyed learning how compilers turn programming instructions into machine code a computer can understand, and how we can design algorithms to be more time and memory efficient.
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Polly Fox, Clinical Project Manager, Department of Infectious Disease

Polly Fox

“It was incredibly rewarding to see our work make a difference.”

I studied BSc Medical Sciences at the University of Exeter which exposed me to a range of disease areas and therapeutics. After graduating, I took a position as a research administrator at Imperial in January 2019, working with the Ageing Epidemiology Unit at Charing Cross Hospital. My manager was very supportive of my career development and ignited my interest in clinical trials and research. I found it very fulfilling to contribute to research that can lead to improved treatments and outcomes for many people.
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Hyunman Shin, e-Access Licensing and Subscriptions Coordinator, Library Services  

“I set up authentication for all the electronic journals, books, and databases so that Imperial members can access them virtually from anywhere.”

I joined Library Services at Imperial in 2004. Thinking about all the years I’ve spent at Imperial, it has been quite a journey professionally and personally. I witnessed how the bookshop in the library turned into a café. I’ve walked around the stacks shelving books relishing the smell of them. I also once served Professor Robert Winston at the issue desk. My time at Library Services has been memorable so far. I remember buying a book costing more than £7,000 and I got involved in challenging the biggest journal publisher. I’ve also helped users located as far as Australia to access library journals. Most importantly, I’ve made friends here. 18 years on, I am still here. 

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Michele Paulatto, Research Fellow, Earth Science and Engineering

“I have been working with an illustrator to produce a series of artistic but scientifically accurate drawings of the roots of active volcanoes.”

I started my university career as a Physics student in Italy. During my undergraduate degree, I spent a year abroad at the University of Manchester and this experience opened the door for me to British academia. I switched from Physics to Geophysics and was offered a PhD scholarship at the University of Southampton to study the Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat.   

Since then, my main research focus at Imperial has been to image the plumbing systems of active volcanoes to better understand how magma is transported to the surface before and during an eruption. The volcanoes I study are usually submarine volcanoes or island volcanoes, and they are best studied using marine geophysics. These are the same field techniques that are used by the oil industry to image and monitor hydrocarbon reservoirs.  

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