Roisin Blackburn is the Project Officer for the Valuing Voices project. Roisin joined the University of York in 2023 working as Alcuin College Life Coordinator while finalising her Master of Research (MRes) Psychology degree. Her MRes involved an independent research project assessing how education, rather than therapy, is supportive to mental health recovery. Roisin previously worked as the Alumni Events Coordinator at the University of Leeds' Advancement team, with a specialism in large-scale global events. Prior to this, Roisin worked at York St. John University as the Converge Administrator and Student Volunteers Coordinator alongside her role as Research Assistant in the Converge Evaluation and Research Team (CERT) which consists of individuals with lived experience of mental ill health who utilise co-productive techniques to conduct bespoke research and evaluations of mental health services and community projects. Roisin is particularly excited about working in the Valuing Voices team as this aligns with her career goals of contributing positively to the field of research.

As a Research Development Manager Rebecca supports the health portfolio at the University of York. She is passionate about helping people and has years of experience working in both NHS and University environments. She started her career working in laboratories as a technician and progressed to a laboratory research fellow working on clinical trials. In 2017 Rebecca took the skills and knowledge she’d gained from working in those environments and applied it to research support and the development of applications. In the Valuing Voices project Rebecca will be bringing her significant experience of facilitation to assist in highlighting the developing toolkit, encouraging community participation in its ongoing refinement and its use in their research applications.

Nopraenue is now serving as Vice President for Global Partnerships and University Council, Mahidol University, Thailand. Nopraenue is leading on the global equity strand of the Valuing Voices project. She took the post of Assistant to the President (for Academic Affairs) before shifting her portfolio to Global Partnerships. She is also Associate Professor in Public Policy and International Political Economy at Mahidol University International College. She obtained a PhD degree in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick (UK), a Master of Science in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London (UK) and a Master of Law (International Relations) from Hitotsubashi University, Japan. Her current research interest is on co-production, lifelong learning policy and the elderly people as well as other areas in higher education and internationalisation policy. The work experience she has is much related to the harmonisation and internationalisation of higher education. She served as the Senior Specialist at SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education (2007-2009), Senior Programme Officer at ASEAN University Network Secretariat (1998-2000) and joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the UNESCO Bangkok as a consultant mostly in higher education projects.

Graham Gill is the Research Associate on Valuing Voices. He completed his PhD in sociology in 2022 and immediately began to use the skills learned to help collect the data upon which Valuing Voices is based. In the early stages of the project, Graham and colleagues spoke with 34 academics to identify good research practice and barriers to this. They spoke with junior academics and professional services staff to develop the initial framework to benefit other researchers. He feels that the Valuing Voices project is a genuine opportunity to impart a good research culture and best practice in research.

Tassy Hongyon has been serving as a Global Partnerships Officer at Mahidol University, Office of the President, since 2018. She is part of the Strategic Partnership Engagement Unit, which is pivotal in fostering international collaborations. Her responsibilities include managing partnerships with global networks such as the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), ASEAN Universities Network (AUN), and Southeast Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU), among others. Miss Hongyon's expertise extends to developing and maintaining international networks, coordinating with academic and administrative stakeholders, and supporting initiatives that align with the university’s strategic goals. She has been instrumental in organizing and promoting programs that enhance Mahidol University’s visibility and global engagement, fostering partnerships that contribute to regional and global development. As a key point of contact for the VV project, Tassy is responsible for connecting various people from different networks and institutions and supporting the coordination of the Valuing Voices initiatives.

Fleur is the Valuing Voices Project Manager. Fleur has managed a variety of research projects at the University of York for over ten years, supporting research in social policy, chemistry and telecommunications. In recent years, she has also been an active member of the growing PRISM community (Professional Research Investment Strategy Managers), which supports those in similar research project management roles and advocates for recognition from funders and institutions. Alongside the Valuing Voices project, Fleur will be the PRISMs Manager for the Faculty of Sciences, developing support systems for York PRISMs and ensuring that both academic and non-academic research team members have equal voices and recognition for their contributions.

David Kent is the Deputy Head (Research) in the Department of Biology and a member of the Centre for Blood Research within the York Biomedical Research Institute. His research focuses on blood stem cell biology and the development of blood cancers. David has a longstanding interest in improving the way that we communicate science and educate and train scientists, including launching The Black Hole and writing for the Signals blog on regenerative medicine. For Valuing Voices, David is leading projects around team equity with efforts focused on trialling new ways of sharing decision-making and credit in research projects across different career paths and stages. Find him on X, LinkedIn and ORCID.

Chatinee Khanayart serves as the Head of the Internationalization Development Unit at Mahidol University. She is responsible for managing strategic partnerships with globally renowned institutions, supporting the development and implementation of double-degree programs, and coordinating global research initiatives that align with Mahidol University's international goals and vision. Her work involves collaborating closely with academic and research teams to design and implement impactful joint projects that address global challenges and advance mutual academic and research objectives. She also facilitates effective communication and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, ensuring alignment and synergy across various initiatives.

In her capacity as head of the unit, Miss Khanayart contributes significantly to the development and execution of Mahidol University’s internationalization strategy. She plays a key role in promoting sustainable and meaningful global engagement through innovative projects, cross-border knowledge sharing, and strategic academic exchanges. Her efforts aim to enhance the university’s global reputation, increase international opportunities for students and staff, and foster partnerships that are aligned with the principles of sustainable development and mutual benefit.

Iain is the Research Environment and Development Team Leader for the Faculty of Sciences). For the Valuing Voices project he will be supporting the work to refine and test the toolkit through consultations with key stakeholders. This work will ensure the toolkit provides the material required to improve project design and ultimately project implementation but also provide the material that teams require for external funding applications. Iain's interest in research culture has broadened significantly over the years. He previously worked at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council where he became involved in various aspects of responsible research and innovation (RRI). Focused on EPSRC's AREA framework (anticipate, reflect, engage and act) he has considered RRI across many different engineering and physical sciences fields. However, he's found that RRI encompasses a much broader suite of topics and his interest in EDI, decolonising research, equity, ownership and other aspects has increased and he remains open to understanding the perspectives of others.

Rob Marchant is the Project Lead for Valuing Voices at the University of York, a Wellcome Trust funded project to support equitable and responsible research, including within international research partnerships. Since establishing the York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems at the University of York in 2005, he has developed numerous collaborations and numerous deep-rooted collaborations with University, NGO and Governments Departments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Thailand, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Within the University of York he has been leading in developing International relationships in his previous role as Associate Provost for Internationalisation with a specific focus on Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He is co-lead of the Social Ecological Systems theme for the York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI). He is also a member of the International Global Development Centre that coordinates work on the Global South. Internationally he co-leads the Mountain Social ecological futures working group of the Mountain Research Initiative, the Global Mountain Partnership (FAO), and international processes such as the IPCC, IPBES and the CBD.

Megan McLoughlin is Head of the Building Research and Innovation Capacity Team, which is responsible for researcher development and facilitating and supporting a positive research culture at York. Within the Valuing Voices project Megan leads on training and communications, helping to embed the project within the partner universities and the wider higher education sector. She also helps to ensure internal structures at York support the aims of the project. Megan has been informed and inspired by the huge range of research culture projects which have been undertaken at the University in the past few years, and is excited about building on this grassroots and exploratory work to realise the ambitions of Valuing Voices.

Tanya Ong is a Global Partnerships Expert at Mahidol University, where she builds partnerships across higher education institutions in various regions. She is also responsible for PR and publicity materials for the Global Partnerships Division. Her professional experience spans journalism, communications, and brand building. In a previous role for a media outlet in Singapore, she contributed to the Advancing News Diversity in Asia (ANDA) project, which studies diversity and representation in newsrooms and news coverage throughout Asia. For the Valuing Voices project, Tanya combines her expertise in partnership development in higher education with her communication skills honed through years in media.

Theeta Rojnkureesatien has served as a Global Partnerships Officer at Mahidol University since 2014, where she excels in developing staff through in-house training programs. Her role extends beyond the university, overseeing externally funded projects from NGOs and government bodies. She manages project implementation, coordinates with funding agencies, and ensures timely delivery of training programs in Thailand and developing regions, working alongside university experts to promote sustainable development aligned with SDGs.

Dr Zaynab Seedat is the Training and Resource Development Officer for the Valuing Voices project. Zaynab joined the University of York in 2018 as a PhD student, graduating in 2023 from the Department of English and Related Literature. Her research investigated Islamic terrorism within contemporary literature using an interdisciplinary postcolonial approach. During her time at the University, Zaynab worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, researcher developer for the White Rose College of Arts and Humanities, and project coordinator for York Graduate Research School, through which she has developed her knowledge of and interest in research culture and practises.