Briefly, could you tell us about your background and career before joining King's?
Before joining King’s, I’d just finished my psychology degree, within which I’d completed a placement year working as an honorary research assistant in a childhood cancer survivorship clinic. Having enjoyed that placement so much, I was looking to stay in health research when I graduated. That’s why I applied for a research assistant job at the Cicely Saunders Institute.
What has been your career progression since joining the Faculty?
I started off on a year-long research assistant contract, supporting a project on communication skills training in palliative care. I really enjoyed the work and applied for another year-long post on a subsequent related project, and started to discuss the potential to progress towards a PhD with my then-manager, Prof Jonathan Koffman. To strengthen my CV, I was encouraged to and successfully applied for a scholarship to complete the MSc Palliative Care part-time, while continuing to work as a research assistant.
After completing my MSc and the communication-focused projects had come to an end, I started working with Prof Matt Maddocks in respiratory research. This begun with a year-long project about breathlessness, and then a longer three-year project supporting his NIHR fellowship around Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and frailty. Having discussed my ambitions when I applied for this longer role, he supported me to complete my PhD within this role.
Post-PhD, I continued to work with Matt, applying for funding together with a mixture of rejections and successes, ultimately resulting in me being awarded an ESRC post-doctoral fellowship. This took me over to the health psychology department in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s for one year, working with Prof Joe Chilcot at the interface of psychology and respiratory. I then returned to the Cicely Saunders Institute at the end of my fellowship, having successfully applied for my current lecturer role.
How did you find it moving roles within the Faculty, what support and encouragement have you had from colleagues and managers?
It always sounds like a smooth journey in retrospect, but the reality included plenty of worries about the impending end of fixed term contracts, and nerves of applying and interviewing for each new role - in many cases being interviewed by colleagues, which always feels quite exposing! However, all of the processes were handled in a really supportive and professional way, and each time I started a new role there was a good mix of applying the skills I’d now developed, and learning something new.
Along the way I’ve been supported by really wonderful colleagues. This includes managers who have helped me to think ahead and to build my CV with the next steps in mind, encouraged me to aim high with my ambitions, and supported me to make the most of development opportunities. Alongside this, there are so many colleagues and peers who have been, and continue to be, both supportive listeners and enthusiastic cheerleaders – which I’m ever so grateful for.
What would you say to someone looking to develop and grow within the Faculty but unsure about where to start?
We are such a diverse Faculty and there are so many examples of people who have developed and grown within it. A simple first step can be just to chat with colleagues at different career stages to learn from their experiences. I’d also really recommend discussing your aspirations with your line manager, whether within the structure of your performance development review or over more informally over a coffee. Finally, make the most of what King’s has to offer - from the careers service, to training courses and mentoring programmes, to events and opportunities to network across the faculty.
What is your favourite thing about working at King's?
My colleagues and the teams I work with. I feel part of a supportive, vibrant and ambitious community who genuinely want to have a positive impact on society.
What do you do with your time outside of work?
Swimming, reading, slowly learning to play keyboard, and immersing myself in a good show of some sort (from movies, to tv series, to theatre – I particularly love a musical).
Quick fire:
Favourite film?
Shakespeare in Love
One thing you couldn't go a day without?
A cup of tea.
Your dream career as a kid?
A vet, mainly looking after tigers.