Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us for this month’s Staff Spotlight. Can you tell us more about your role within DICE?
I am the Centre Manager on the E3 Sharing Space for Nature project. This is a varied role which covers:
- Leading the E3 Professional Services team, which consists of me as Centre Manager, Stuart Flower as Centre Co-ordinator and Hannah Ost as Communications and Events Co-ordinator.
- Liaising with new and existing staff, colleagues in Research and Innovation and with our funder, Research England (who fund the E3 project) to ensure we are complying with their terms and conditions and reporting requirements.
- Monitoring the project’s Key Performance Indicators and setting up new systems to ensure we can deliver accurate reports to our funder.
- Working with Hannah and Stuart in the professional services team to set up administrative processes, monitor budgets and organise events to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible for the E3 team. This has included the three of us producing an internal website for DICE staff and organising the launch event last month, amongst other projects.
I enjoy the variety within the role, and the opportunities of working with different teams within and outside of the university.
Why did you want to be part of the E3 Sharing Space for Nature project?
The E3 Sharing Space for Nature project sounded like a very exciting initiative and one where I could see benefits from the work being carried out.
I have got a lot of experience of supporting researchers and research projects. Since joining the University of Kent in December 2013, I have worked in Research Services, Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU), and the Research and Innovation team in LSSJ. Many years before that, I worked at NR International, supporting research projects funded by the Department for International Development’s Livestock Production Programme.
I enjoyed becoming more closely involved with some of the projects I supported, so when the opportunity arose to be working directly on a large scale project from the beginning I decided to apply.
What’s a fun fact about you?
A couple! I am currently undertaking an apprenticeship in coaching. It’s a fascinating topic and I am enjoying learning how to coach people. And secondly, despite having the least interest and knowledge, I am currently top in my family’s fantasy football league!
Find out more about Sarah on the DICE website.