Ben Coles – Senior Technical Manager - Faculty of Medicine
Technical Lead for VISIBILITY - Ensuring that all technicians within the organisation are identifiable and that the contribution of technicians is visible within and beyond the institution.
Early in his career Ben enjoyed the variety of his technical roles, from running assays, and troubleshooting protocols to calibrating equipment for the rest of the lab to use - no two days were the same. He has spent the last ten years managing the Clinical Neurosciences laboratories at Southampton.
Ben explained: “As a technician, I have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects and learn different techniques as well as train the next generation of undergraduate and postgraduate students. I have always enjoyed seeing them start out in the lab and watching their confidence grow as they progress though their projects. I also take an immense amount of pride overseeing the smooth running of the laboratories and creating an environment where researchers can focus on producing high quality research. Despite playing a key role in delivering research and the student experience, technicians are somewhat reserved about their contributions. I hope to use this opportunity to raise the profile of technicians and highlight the valuable work they do across the University as well as help foster a sense of community between technicians in different faculties.”
Agnes Michalik – Experimental Officer – Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
Technical Lead for RECOGNITION – supporting technicians to gain recognition through professional registration.
Agnes studied Oceanography and Chemical Engineering and with some experience of a small Environmental Laboratory she was keen to meet the challenge of a larger organisation devoted to research and innovation and offering a permanent position and more job security. She has worked at Southampton since 2010.
Agnes commented, “There is great satisfaction in continually enhancing my scientific and technical credentials."
When asked about the biggest challenge during her career Agnes said, “having patience…research can be tedious and very often repetitive. I try to keep my focus on what has been accomplished and progress with my work. I also get curious about the new questions raised by that research.”
When speaking about her role, Agnes said: “Technicians have a lot to offer, our work contributes to teaching, research, and publications but we are mostly known to our immediate co-workers and invisible to the rest of the community. To be widely recognised, technicians must be bold and showcase who we are with all our knowledge, expertise, and practical experience. The Technician Commitment is an exciting platform that gives us a voice. I strongly believe that technicians were given a tool and a great opportunity to be known, claim the credit for the work and to be awesome.”
Gareth Savage – Technical Resource Manager – Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Technical Lead for SUSTAINABILITY – ensuring future sustainability of technical skills and technical expertise is fully utilised.
Gareth has worked at the University since 1995 (with a hiatus of six years working for Hampshire Constabulary) and now manages a team of fourteen. He is in the process of setting up a rolling apprenticeship scheme in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences to support a sustainable skills base of technical staff across the faculty. Throughthe Technician Commitment the aim will be to evaluate its success, capture any learnings and support other departments to develop similar schemes. where appropriate.
Gareth commented :“In all the university wide projects I have been involved in over the years I have tried to bring in the elements and values that make working in our department great, and spread them to the wider University.”
Andy Brook – Technical Manager – Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Technical Lead for CAREER DEVELOPMENT – enabling career progression for technicians through clear documented career pathways.
Andy has a well-established career and has worked at the University since 1997. He studied Fine Art Sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, at the University of Dundee and after a couple of roles in Glasgow, moved down South. He is currently Technical Manager of Winchester School of Art (WSA), where he leads a team of nineteen. Technical staff at WSA have an eclectic mix of skills from fine art printing, photography, textiles, digital media, fashion, knitting. Andy’s own background is in sculpture with a keen interest in photomedia.
He has curated exhibitions and participated in various group shows across the UK.
Andy commented “The technical staff across the University are dedicated and hard-working, though the limited opportunities have often made it feel more of a job than a career. If we can increase the range of opportunities for progression available it can only serve to enhance the working lives of technicians.”
