Dr Yoyo Dixon, Senior Laboratory Manager, Department of Surgery & Cancer

“I currently lead a small team to ensure the effective deployment of laboratory resources and services across the division and our many different work sites and locations.”

I joined Imperial in 2008 as a Research Associate in the Institute of Clinical Sciences. Towards the end of postdoc contract, an opportunity for laboratory management came up, and I was offered the role and joined the Department of Surgery and Cancer in 2010. My role was based in quite a complex building, Cyclotron, which has now been demolished and is being re-built. There were numerous infrastructure problems with power supply, water and general building services. However, under minimal supervision and relatively little experience, I have successfully kept things running within the building to allow researchers to continue their work with minimal disruption.

A highlight during my Imperial career was when the Division of Cancer was offered a floor in the new L-Block in the Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine (ICTEM). I played a significant part in the Division’s move, which involved designing the equipment rooms and organising the decommissioning and recommissioning of various core equipment. The move was completed smoothly and successfully, and each research group settled in quickly with minimum down-time.

Nine years on, I am still working for the same department, but in a more senior role as a Senior Laboratory Manager. I have been lucky enough to have worked on several projects to optimise laboratory space and the working environment to accommodate a rapidly changing dynamic research environment. I currently lead a small team to ensure the effective deployment of laboratory resources and services across the division and our many different work sites and locations. I really enjoy laboratory and project management as it is filled with fresh challenges.

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