What's your favourite thing about working at Warwick?

Sarah: "I feel incredibly fortunate to work in a university that has a commitment to enhance our workplace culture - enabling me to lead on grants, be a part of strategic research committees and trusting me to change how things work.

I work with a talented, dedicated team, as well as colleagues across the University who share a commitment to improvement. Together, we’ve been able to make a substantial impact."

Tell us a little about your role...

Sarah: "I'm the Head of the Bio-Analytical Shared Resource Laboratories (BioSRLs) in the School of Life Sciences, overseeing six core facilities.

Each facility is supported by a dedicated technical specialist, and I provide expertise in liquid-handling robotics. No two days are the same, as I balance operational oversight with forward looking initiatives to drive cutting-edge research."

You're committed to improving research culture - what does this look like in practice?

Sarah: "Research England’s Enhancing Research Culture Funds have enabled all members of the Warwick community to actively contribute to improving research culture. These funds have supported grassroot projects aimed at fostering positive culture change, with the ultimate aim of embedding these changes for long-term impact.

In the last couple of years, I have led the following two projects:

• Demonstrating the benefit of specialist technical skills to support shared technologies. This project delivered a core message that ‘technically supported shared technologies ensure value for money of investment and improved research integrity’. The project helped to establish Bio-Analytical Shared Resource Laboratories.
• Creating local and institution-wide forums for Research Technical Professionals. The goal was to make sure that no research technician feels isolated, and enable research technical professionals to work together across the University, share ideas and problem solve. Even though the Research Council funding has come to an end, local forums continue to meet. The success of this project has led to the creation of a Research Technical Professional Committee, which contributes ideas into the Technician Commitment Steering Committee."

What do you wish people knew about the field you work in?

Sarah: "The Technician Commitment aims to enhance the visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability of technicians in higher education and research. At Warwick, we're making significant headway with these efforts, including the establishment of a Technical Specialist Promotional Pathway. The technical specialists I have met are highly skilled individuals, passionate about helping others and enabling research. More than anything, they want to be recognised for their expertise and contributions to research, and be credited appropriately through authorship or acknowledgement.

The issue of fair attribution in publications extends beyond technicians - it's a ubiquitous challenge within the research community. It's time we make sure that everyone contributing to a research project receives the recognition they deserve."