Category: Comment

Marianna Kapsetaki presents PhD research at 4Cs SciComm Competition

Marianna Kapsetaki
Marianna Kapsetaki

Department of Medicine PhD student Marianna Kapsetaki shares her experience of participating in the Graduate School’s 4Cs SciComm Competition. The event saw 21 postgraduate students from across the College challenged to present their research in three minutes in accordance with the 4Cs: Creativity, Content, Clarity & Charisma.


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Symplectic: what’s in it for me?

Researcher using laptop

Are you a member of staff in the Department of Medicine? Do you publish your research? If the answer to both of these questions is ‘yes’, then you’re obligated to keep your Symplectic profile up-to-date, as outlined in a message from the Faculty Dean last year. Although this may feel like a box-ticking exercise, staying on top of your profile has a huge number benefits for both you and your research. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the basics of the system, the rewards that you can reap through proper engagement with Symplectic, as well as signposting you to relevant resources from around the College. (more…)

A fresh look at mentoring | National Mentoring Day

27 October is National Mentoring Day, a day to celebrate the benefits of mentoring and to thank mentors for their support.

Mentoring is a great personal development tool, both for mentees and mentors. The College has several mentoring schemes, including one run by the Faculty of Medicine. The scheme is open to anyone within the Faculty of Medicine, at any point of their career. (more…)

Commemorating the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic | Professor Wendy Barclay

Professor Wendy Barclay
Professor Wendy Barclay

A century ago, as the First World War drew to an end, Spanish influenza brought terror to an already shell-shocked world. Industrialised warfare had caused the loss of many young lives and there must have been a sense that things couldn’t get any worse. And yet they did: a virus unlike any other in recent memory unleashed itself onto a weakened and highly mobile population, causing more than 50 million additional deaths (more…)

In profile: Dr Ceyda Oksel, Postdoctoral Research Associate

For the latest edition of our Staff Profile series, we spoke to Dr Ceyda Oksel about postdoc life, and her views on how we can create a better working culture for early career researchers in the Department.

What is your role in the Department?

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Associate, working as part of a multidisciplinary research team consisting of data scientists, statisticians, clinicians and geneticists. My research focuses on implementing machine learning models to develop personalised asthma management strategies and tools, through understanding the underlying pathological mechanisms and the genetic and environmental factors that cause or contribute to asthma.

I’m a Departmental representative for postdocs and an active member of the postdoc reps committee. I work together with Imperial’s Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre (PFDC) on facilitating communication between postdocs across the College, highlighting the opportunities and resources that are available to them. I’m also a Staff Supporter, providing confidential assistance on a range of issues from queries about career advice or flexible working, to concerns about the behaviour of a colleague. Additionally, I’m a personal tutor for a group of Year 1 students, and provide scientific mentoring and support to high school students undertaking British Science Association CREST Awards.

Outside Imperial, I’m involved in a range of charity work and activities, and currently volunteering as a mentor for the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) scheme, which aims to help high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds to progress into Higher Education and employment. (more…)

Good working practices for reducing stress in the workplace | MHAW 18

For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (14 – 20 May 2018), we’ve compiled a list of tips and best practices to help reduce stress levels for both you and your colleagues in the work place.

Emails

  1. Think about the purpose of the email and who needs to know about it. Apply this when deciding who to copy into emails.
  2. Copy people in on a “need to know basis”
  3. Consider whether it might be easier to go and speak to the individual concerned, and follow up afterwards with an email.

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In profile: Nicola Thompson, Divisional Operations Assistant

In the first edition of our Staff Profiles series, we spoke to Nicola Thompson, Divisional Operations Assistant for the Divisions of Brain Sciences and Experimental Medicine.

What does your role entail?

A variety of admin tasks to assist with the day-to-day operation of the Brain Sciences and Experimental Medicine Divisions. This might include processing Honorary associations, administering timesheets, processing finance forms or editing the Brain Sciences newsletter. I work closely with the Divisional Manager and Section Managers. (more…)