Can you tell us a bit about what your job involves?
I’m one of the new technicians within Geography. I’ve worked at Queen’s University for several years now but only started in Geography in October. A technician’s role encompasses a diverse range of tasks, but in general, my role is to provide specialist technical services to support teaching and research in Geography.
I provide technical advice and guidance to both students and academics. I oversee the day-to-day operations of the geography labs. I’m responsible for ensuring that the labs are safe, usable spaces with the required equipment and consumables in place. I monitor usage and review risk assessments. In addition to that, I sit on several committees that manage health and safety at a school and wider university level.
Can you tell us a bit more about how your work benefits students and staff?
I work with course coordinators and lecturers to help deliver the practical aspects of student’s degrees. Ensuring that students gain the practical skills they need for their future careers is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role.
I support research projects, one of the projects I’m currently working on is with Dr Newton. He’s studying glacial sediments and we're collaborating to develop a procedure to prepare these samples for particle size analysis. Another project is with Professor Swindles. He’s looking at how climate change could affect peatlands around the world. This project involves specialist equipment; my role is to ensure that the equipment we have is working to the correct parameters, to ensure accurate and reliable results, and to design and construct other novel equipment pieces.
What do you like most about your job and what parts do you find challenging?
I love being a technician. The most rewarding aspect of it for me is solving problems. I’m the first port of call when things go wrong. When experiments don’t work or results are a bit “funny”, my role is to work out why. Admittedly, this is probably one of the more challenging aspects of the role too! But tackling complex challenges is the essence of scientific discovery.
