Abbe Martyn, Surrey University
I am the Biosciences and Medicine Technical Services Manager at Surrey University. I took on the role in June 2019, heading straight into taking on a team of 36 technicians and guiding us all through an HTA inspection, with a CAPA Plan to follow with hard deadlines. My team pulled together to hit theses targets, helping and guiding our academics colleagues to be compliant with the regulations in time. Working as a team and making sure we all understood our responsibilities.
We all then moved into the Covid-19 pandemic. I was asked by my line manager, who took on the role of Silver Command for the University to be part of her Covid site team. This meant dealing with all incoming requested of distressed support from many places, which as a University we did everything in our power to keep the hospital and surrounding care homes functioning, as well as supporting every research avenue, ours and others with regards beating this virus.
As time went on, testing people became paramount and my line manager asked that I sort a university wide testing facility to mass test symptomatic people. I asked a small amount of my team to step in and help, which they agreed, as they understood how to work clean. They worked on procedures to making it a safe environment for testing students and staff. In December, I was asked to work with our business operations manager to put together an Asymptomatic Testing Site for the university to test 14000 student and 4000 staff. Making sure all were tested before they returned home. The sport centre gave us a large capacity and the faculty technical team across all schools jumped at the chance to help.
They all took the opportunity to use their skills to work clean and safe and help train new temporary staff to help us to have a competent work force for the ATS. The technical team across the faculty had been critical workers from the start, so their drive to help but also restoring business as usual was very important. This continued into the new year, with this continuing for many months after, operationally I was managing 80 plus staff.
How did you come to be nominated?
I’m very lucky to have a manager who can see my potential. My manager has nominated me for this award, because I believe she is proud that I can take on such an important projects like these and deliver. I have evolved under her management to be the person/ manager I thought I could be, with a strong understanding of university values and the vision and direction the university is moving in.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
I’m very proud to have been put in the mix in general, we have all had a very busy/ hard couple of years. But I always say I am only as good as my team! and that is in every direction. I believe you should build trust with your team, I guess I don’t ask them to do anything I would not do myself.
Kerry Truman, Nottingham Trent University
Kerry has been a technician at Nottingham Trent University for 35 years, after leaving school at age 16. His role has evolved over time as he progressed in his career. Starting as an apprentice engineering technician, Kerry is a technical team leader for a small team of 11 people within the School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment.
How did you come to be nominated – did a manager encourage you, did you self nominate?
I was nominated both by the university and by a colleague from Edinburgh Napier University, Russell Wilson. We met through the TechsConnect network, which I started. During lockdown, technicians got together online to share and discuss ideas and help wellbeing within the community. TechsConnect is a space where we can talk honestly, share and chat with people. As technicians, we don’t always have the opportunity for collaboration and confirmation on ideas, so it's great to be able to share ideas in informal setting. It’s been very successful - people have really noted the emotional impact of the sessions.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
Being nominated is a real testament to the impact you can have, and the reach you can have online. For me, being nominated by someone external to the organisation is really powerful to know – it’s not something that happens everyday. Its brilliant to have the acknowledgement from the University as well, and sometimes that external nudge is helpful to be recognised for your work. It was a bit of a shock, as you don't expect something like this. When I think about it, it's quite huge really, and such a privilege. The last year or so has been challenging, but in many ways the pandemic elevated the voice we have with the technicians, and universities had to listen to technicians due to our pastoral and technical knowledge. Awards like this really help us to be more visible.
Steve Florence, Sheffield Hallam University
Working at Sheffield Hallam University as a specialist technician within arts and creative media, Steve has developed and managed media projects within the department of Health and Wellbeing. Creating innovative methods of teaching and learning through 3D graphics and augmented reality, the work of Steve and his team allows students to learn in new ways.
How did you come to be nominated?
I think it was one of my boss’ bosses who nominated me – senior staff at the university noticed I was making significant contributions to an iPad app I was creating. The app allows students to study different lung diseases on a virtual patient. For example, you can make the skin transparent so you can look inside the lungs and visualise the patient for all angles. The app also included audio for lots of different lung conditions, as if the students were listening through a stethoscope.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
I was very pleased of course, its all been a complete surprise. It’s great to be recognised, as day to day you can be in the background a bit – so its been great that people have noticed the work I’ve been doing. Staff across the university have all been very supportive – when the news was announced by inbox was full with people saying well done!
Manisha Patel, University of Salford
Before moving over 4 months ago to her current role as a Junior Medical Writer, Manisha worked as a Specialist Teaching Technician in Biomedical Sciences and Physiology at the University of Salford, where she worked at the University of Salford for just under 10 years.
As part of her role, Manisha also helped with numerous science communication events through various mediums in and out of campus, was a huge advocate of the Technician’s Commitment, as well as promoting the importance of lab sustainability within the teaching and research labs within the Cockcroft Building as part of the School of Science, Engineering and Environment. Prior to this, Manisha worked in several NHS-based laboratories spanning over a 3-year period, also working as a lab technician.
How did you come to be nominated?
I had the great honour of being nominated by the University of Salford for my work during the 2018-2019 academic year when the “Outstanding Technician of the Year” award first came about, but I wasn’t shortlisted that time. I was absolutely astounded that I was chosen the first time round to be the university’s first submission for the new category, so to be nominated again the following year for my work covering the 2019-2020 period was a huge, unexpected, and highly emotional shock to the system. As far as I am aware, the department in charge of putting together the final submission had received several nominations for myself from across both technical and academic colleagues within the school, which made the whole thing even more staggering. To be completely honest, being shortlisted for this category still feels a bit like a dream!
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
Knowing that the full technical force across all departments within the University of Salford worked extremely hard to keep things ticking over during a testing time of great uncertainty, makes this nomination even more special to me. None of the incredible work that was achieved during the pandemic wouldn’t have been made possible without the in-house teams of incredible science and media technicians coming together in creating essential media content as a replacement to physical lab classes at the time, which quickly became a huge success – only made possible through the hard work and sheer determination made by everybody involved.
Andy Whittam, University of Reading
Andy is a Technical Manager for Operations at the University of Reading, and began working at UoR in September 2010 in the School of Chemistry, Food & Pharmacy as the Building and Workshop Technical Compliance Manager. Over time, the establishment of Technical Services as a centralised function involved Andy’s role morphing to involve a larger team and an expanded gamut of services.
As the Infrastructure Division Manager, Andy is responsible for the provision of Workshop/ Mechanical & Technical support for 9 different Schools supported within the Technical Services remit. He is also responsible for compliance and sustainability of equipment across the 9 schools, providing advice to equipment users and upgrading to energy saving systems. Over his time at the university, this has resulted in significant savings across equipment such as freezers, ovens and fridges within labs and workshops.
How did you come to be nominated?
One of my managers must have nominated me – I’m still not entirely sure who it was! It’s all come as a bit of a surprise. It was announced to the team in July during a staff meeting. I had been nominated for Technician of the Year at the University of Reading, and shortlisted for my Contribution to Infrastructure for the Papin Prizes with Midlands Innovation as well.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
It’s all been very good – it’s so nice to know that your colleagues think highly of you. I’m really looking forward to attending the awards in London. After supporting science for nearly 30 years, to have this all happen feels like a big ‘thank you’.
Trevor Carey, University College Cork
Trevor is a Senior Technical Officer in the School of Chemistry at University College Cork, Ireland. His core duties are focused around the responsibility of undergraduate teaching practical’s in Physical Chemistry, covering 5 modules. This includes practical set up, maintenance, scheduling and collating all marks. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Trevor quickly adapted to move all Physical Chemistry practicals to an innovative and interactive format. Trevor quickly up-skilled, learning the art of video recording and video editing using specialised software, to produce excellent laboratory video packages. Combining these with online practical assessment, and weekly live help-desk support sessions, students received an excellent online laboratory experience, and because of this, Trevor was awarded first place by the College of SEFS in the inaugural technical category of Outstanding Teaching Staff Awards in the Student Nominated Staff Awards.
Trevor is also an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) advocator in the school. As a result of Trevor's work & major contribution on the School of Chemistry bronze Athena SWAN award application in 2018, for our upcoming Athena SWAN silver award application, Trevor has been tasked in 2019 and 2020 with leading the working group for Section 5.6 - 'Organisation and Culture', specifically focusing on the analysis of outreach data and data relating to the visibility of female role models in the school. Trevor is an enthusiastic activist in representing the needs, recognition, fairness and equality for all technical staff across a broad range of school committees.
How did you come to be nominated?
Self nomination. In 2019, I was contacted by the Technician Commitment initiative in the UK to be the point of contact between them and our technical staff in our school, I gladly accepted. It was through the Technician Commitment email and social media updates that I discovered the THE awards, the first year such awards have been open to those working in third level education in the Republic of Ireland.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
I was over the moon, and very proud. It’s a fantastic achievement for myself to be shortlisted, and for University College Cork, as I am the only individual in the university to be on the shortlist for a THE award. I would like to thank Times Higher Education and the Technician Commitment for all they have done to create this award, and to recognise and promote the great work that technical staff do in all areas of third level education and research. Technical staff came to the fore throughout all third level education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is fitting to see the crucial work during this time recognised.
Paul Rowley
Paul is the Senior Herpetologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, working closely with a team of Research Scientists. He started 28 years ago, after 14 years working at Chester Zoo as a Senior Reptile Keeper. In 1993 the Venom Research Unit (as it was then known) needed a new technician to come to look after the snakes there and he had the skill-set required.
Paul has been responsible for maintaining the snake collection ever since and is the only person routinely extracting venom for medical research within the UK.
“ It’s definitely challenging work - there are very few people who can do this role both in the UK and internationally – I really enjoy my job, and really care about the animals a great deal.”
How did you come to be nominated?
One of the Professors here suggested that I should be nominated, and I’m very humbled by it all.
I think the uniqueness of the job really helped me to stand out. Venomous snakes used to be quite commonplace within zoo exhibits, but now the only place within the UK where you can see such creatures being handled and venom extracted is in our Herpetarium at LSTM. Obviously, the job does come with its dangers, but we have World-class Clinical Staff and Doctors here at LSTM.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
I was very surprised by the shortlisting, The team here have all been really supportive in congratulating me, it’s quite an honour. I’ll be coming down to London on the 25th, which should be really interesting – I’ve not been to London in a while!
Andrew Filby, University of Newcastle
I have two roles in the University. The first is head of a core scientific facility focused on single cell technologies. The second is leading a large cross-cutting faculty research Theme called the “Innovation, Methodology and Application” (IMA for short). It has many members from numerous different disciplines, and importantly, academic and technical job families.
We are creating a driving force to not just talk about “team science” but enact it toward a truly inclusive and health research culture. It has been such a lovely experience building the theme from the ground up and we have over 350 members and growing.
How did you come to be nominated?
I was nominated by my line manager and his deputy. They both felt that the rather unique role I now have as a technical lead of a faculty research theme was very much in line with the ethos of the award and I was honoured to be nominated.
What was your reaction to the news of your shortlisting?
I was utterly shocked to be honest. I think the first I knew about it was when a colleague sent me a congratulatory email. I then checked the THE website and did indeed see my name in the shortlist alongside some incredibly talented and outstanding technicians. Whether I deserve to be there in that list is debatable, but it is a massive honour none-the-less because the things these guys have done in the last year really are outstanding.
