Representation
Learn more about how York's Research Staff, Postdocs and Early Career Researchers are represented, and how you can get involved.
Research Staff Liaison Officers (RSLOs)
The Research Staff Liaison Officer (RSLO) role was created in 2017 to provide a link between research staff (postdocs, researchers, fellows) and the central support teams. Role holders liaise with research staff, represent the research staff community and champion issues affecting research staff. They enable the ‘lived experience’ of researchers to cascade into institutional planning and implementation of the Concordat.
Research Staff Liaison Officers 2024/25
Our current Research Staff Liaison Officers Ana, Alyssa and Hannah are working with researchers across Faculties and with early career/postdoc associations, to ensure that their needs are represented at the University Research Culture Working Group and within the University's Concordat Action Plan.
Ana is a research fellow in the health services and policy group at the Department of Health Sciences, where she works for a fast-response policy research unit delivering responsive analysis for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Ana is interested in improving the experience of Postgraduate Researchers and Early Career Researchers, in particular for those not native to the UK. She has participated in the workshops on how to thrive in your PhD (and enjoy it!), and how to thrive in your viva. Ana also organised the research showcase for two consecutive years in the department of health sciences, and is a member of the Athena Swan steering committee.
Alyssa is a postdoctoral research associate who has worked in the Centre for Blood Research at York for the past 5 years. Her research involves understanding how mutation status and changes in immune cells impact blood cancer development. Alyssa has experience collaborating with large interdisciplinary groups and also has an education background. She is very passionate about improving research culture and is keen to hear diverse views on how this can be accomplished.
Hannah is a research fellow in York Trials Unit (Department of Health Sciences) at The University of York. Hannah completed her PhD in emotion and face recognition, and then held postdoctoral positions at Loughborough University and Royal Holloway, University of London.
Presently, Hannah is working on trauma and elective orthopaedic surgical trials, and is part of the Contract Researchers Forum (CRF) and the CRF Training group. Having worked on various fixed-term research roles and as a member of the CRF since 2022, she is keen to share perspectives from early career researchers. She started as a RSLO in 2024.
Previous RSLOs
- Dr James Sherwood
- Dr Heather Leggett
- Dr James Sherwood
- Dr Heather Leggett
- Dr Kamilla Laidlaw
- Dr Jen Chubb
- Dr Heather Leggett
- Dr Louise Newbould
- Dr Gae Spedalieri
- Dr Fan Yang
- Dr Rachel Carr
- Dr Noortje Uphoff
- Dr Vijay Gc
- Dr Mia Shandell
- Dr Francina Clayton
- Dr Namrata Ravichandra Ganneri
The role's main responsibilities are to:
- Actively engage with research staff via Department and School-based Research Staff Associations, gathering input and perspectives from these groups and the wider research staff community.
- Facilitate the transfer of researcher perspectives to both the BRIC team and the Research Culture Working Group to enhance research culture and support for researchers at York.
- Contribute to University-level strategic projects to support research culture and the professional development of researchers. For example, contributing to annual events such as the York Researcher Festival and Celebrating Spaces: Connecting Researchers, and other initiatives to make our research environment and culture as inclusive, supportive and productive as possible.
Departments with Research Staff Associations
Below is a list of Research Staff Associations at the University of York. If you are part of a Research Staff Association that isn't listed below, or any of the details need amending, please contact bric@york.ac.uk.
| Department | Group name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology |
Akinbowale Akintayo, akinbowale.akintayo@york.ac.uk Lizzie Wright, l.wright@york.ac.uk |
|
| Biology | biol-postdoc-society@york.ac.uk | |
| Centre for Health Economics | CHE Early Career Researcher Forum |
Sebastian Hinde, sebastian.hinde@york.ac.uk |
| Centre for Reviews and Dissemination | CRD Researchers' meeting |
Lucy Beresford, lucy.beresford@york.ac.uk |
| Chemistry | Chemistry Post-Doc Society |
Leonie Jones, leonie.jones@york.ac.uk Mia Shandell, mia.shandell@york.ac.uk Alyssa Avestro, alyssa-jennifer.avestro@york.ac.uk |
| Computer Science |
Ibrahim Habli, ibrahim.habli@york.ac.uk |
|
| Education | Education Early Career Researchers Forum |
Giulia Bovolenta, giulia.bovolenta@york.ac.uk |
| English and Related Literature | Early Career Group |
Ezra Horbury, Ezra.horbury@york.ac.uk |
| Environment and Geography | Environment and Geography Early Career Researchers Forum |
Jessica Slater, jessica.slater@york.ac.uk Michael Cooper, michael.cooper@york.ac.uk |
| Health Sciences | Health Sciences Contract Researchers' Forum |
Faraz Siddiqui, faraz.siddiqui@york.ac.uk Masuma Mishu, masuma.mishu@york.ac.uk |
| History |
Rachel Delman, rachel.delman@york.ac.uk |
|
| Hull York Medical School | via Health Sciences Contract Researchers' Forum | |
| Institute for Safe Autonomy | Fanta Camara, fanta.camara@york.ac.uk | |
| Language and Linguistic Science | Jessica Wormald, jessica.wormald@york.ac.uk | |
| Psychology |
Psychology early Career Researchers Forum Good Practice Example from the Department of Psychology (PDF |
Alex Pike, alex.pike@york.ac.uk
|
| School of Arts and Creative Technologies |
TBC |
|
| School for Business and Society | Research Forum |
Tina Kowalski, tina.kowalski@york.ac.uk (Management) Elizabeth Cookingham Bailey, elizabeth.bailey@york.ac.uk (Social Policy) |
| School of Physics, Engineering and Technology | PET Early Career Researcher Forum |
Physics: Alex Payne-Dwyer, alex.payne-dwyer@york.ac.uk |
| Sociology |
Sheila Davitt, sheila.davitt@york.ac.uk Merran Toerien, merran.toerien@york.ac.uk |
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