I moved to Glasgow University to take up my first position as a lecturer in Dec 2019. Which was something of a steep learning curve getting used to Moodle and finding my way around campus and UofG systems, just in time for the COVID outbreak, lockdown and the quick switch to online teaching! I coordinate 3rd year Biochemistry and the 2nd year course Genes, Molecules & Cells. I teach on various other courses too, supervise Honours & PGT student projects and supervise student projects for the International Summer School. I have research interests in plant molecular & cell biology, specifically plasmodesmata, and also in Scholarship, particularly methods to improve student learning and retention. I have a special interest in the student experience for students who live at home during their UG degree, as this was me as an undergraduate in my home city of Aberdeen – and it is indeed a very different experience than students who go away to university. 

Prior to gaining my position at Glasgow I was a postdoc at Edinburgh university, where I worked on projects as varied as leaf development, regulation of the circadian clock and both systemic and localised plant transport, via plasmodesmata and the phloem. It was at Edinburgh I developed my interest in lecturing and did my PgCAP whilst working full time as a postdoc, with one small child and for the latter part, pregnant with my second. It was a busy time but taught me a lot about prioritising and working as efficiently as possible. It also taught me a lot about excellent management as I had a very supportive supervisor who gave me the confidence to take on the extra work and as a family man himself, was always quick to say, “family comes first”. Something that doesn’t get raised much, yet does affect many women during their careers, is the rigours of IVF treatment. Both of my children were a result of IVF, and I am happy to talk to anyone who may be going through this and what support they may want to ask for.

I work hard to try to maintain some work-life balance, but like all of us this is tricky with increasing workloads. My kids are aged 8 and 4, my husband is a PI at Edinburgh University, and like all working parents the balance of childcare, commuting, impending deadlines and quality family time takes some juggling and a fair bit of late-night working. We live very rurally in a lovely community in South Lanarkshire, which means we spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors, as well as looking after our chickens, horse and (slightly neglected) garden.

First published: 7 November 2022

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