In January 2022, Dr Maria Truesdale and Dr Fred Ho became the joint leads for ECR when Professor Katie Robb stood down after years connecting the ECRs with the IMG. Being new to the role, they have taken this opportunity to introduce themselves and their aspirations.

Photo of meeting room with coffee in foreground

The Leads for ECR will act as a bridge between ECR communities and the Institute Management Group (IMG) and will raise issues that could better support ECRs in the IMG meetings.

We have been, and to some extent, still are, ECRs. We understand very well that ECRs could be particularly susceptible to general environment that affect our research and teaching duties. To better support and enhance the working experience of ECRs, we will work closely with the Athena SWAN (AS) ECR aspirations and supports working group and the IHW ECR Forum.

Name Maria Truesdale
Position Senior Lecturer
IHW group Mental Health and Wellbeing
Research interests Health needs and inequalities of people with intellectual disabilities; chronic conditions e.g. type 2 diabetes and respiratory disease.

Hello, I’m Maria. Having completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology and PhD at Ulster University in Northern Ireland I embarked upon a career in research in the field of intellectual disabilities. I’ve held 5 research posts at Ulster University, spanning over twelve years, before moving to Scotland to obtain a lecturer post in intellectual disabilities at Edinburgh Napier University and subsequently my current role. During my role as an ECR, I experienced many challenges of trying to develop and secure an independent career in academia. I am delighted to work alongside Fred and support the Athena Swan ECR working group to improve the academic landscape for ECRs in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing.

Name Fred Ho
Position Lecturer
IHW group Public Health
Research interests Early life factors; cardiovascular epidemiology; personalisation of health promotion

Hi, I’m Fred. I’m an epidemiologist with a background in statistics, data linkage, and obesity prevention (particularly in children). Because of my background, I’m keen to explore newer, less known statistical methods that could help us analysing and interpreting data better. I have worked as a postdoc in a few places with very different working culture and environment. Those experience has led me to realise the importance of a supporting environment for the development of ECRs – and thus my interest in working as a bridge between ECRs and the IMG.

First published: 21 September 2020

<< February 2022