Four circles with the text Our Strategy for engaging with society 2022-23 is our commitment to empowering people through engagement with STEM.

Four teams contribute to this mission along with colleagues from across the College. Together we engage wider audiences with Imperial's work and support our staff, students and partners to do so too.

  • Public Engagement team - Engaging diverse audiences with Imperial's work through exchanging ideas and experiences. Responsible for delivering flagship events including the Imperial Lates and the Great Exhibition Road Festival and coordinating training and funding opportunities. See below to meet this team.
  • Schools Outreach team - Working with schools, teachers, students and the networks to inspire young people to study STEM through programmes such as STEM Potential and Outreach STEM Ambassadors.
  • Community Engagement team - Building relationships with the local community in White City through programmes such as What the Tech?! and Agents of Change.
  • Patient Experience Research Group - Involving patients and the public with health research through programmes such as People's Research Cafes and an online platform - VOICE.

If you're not sure which team is best placed to help you with your engagement endeavours, contact us at societal_engagement@imperial.ac.uk and your query will be directed to the best person.

Public Engagement Team

  • Vicky Brightman

    Personal details

    Vicky Brightman Director of Public Engagement

    I can help with:

    • Embedding a culture of public engagement across the University through strategic leadership, fundraising, capacity building initiatives for staff and students and a range of programming; from directing the Great Exhibition Road festival to overseeing community engagement initiatives centred around the Invention Rooms in White City
    • Building skills, networks, partners, resources and recognition
    • Advising on strategic approaches that ground your work in Imperial’s wider goals, and connect it to regional, national and international agendas
  • Lara Mistry

    Personal details

    Lara Mistry Head of Public Engagement Programmes

    I can help with:

    • Developing, delivering, and evaluating Public Engagement programmes, projects, events, or activities for a variety of audiences including adults, families and young people 13+
    • Opportunities in our public programmes such as Imperial Lates, Great Exhibition Road Festival, our Youth Programme and the White City Public Programme.
    • Developing public engagement activities that are accessible and inclusive, EDI plans for public engagement and working with local underserved and underrepresented audiences.
    • Partnering and working with artists or others in the creative sector to develop creative and collaborative public engagement activity.
    • Major Event Management including project management, H&S, visitor experience, programming, contractor management and staff management.
  • Amy Seakins

    Personal details

    Amy Seakins Head of Engagement (Evaluation and Capacity Building)

    I can help with:

    • Developing an engagement approach for your team or research project
    • Evaluating your engagement activities to ensure they are impactful
    • Applying for funding to support your engagement activities
    • Delivering training, workshops or discussions for your colleagues or students to develop engagement skills, awareness and ideas
  • Charlotte Coales

    Personal details

    Charlotte Coales Engagement Manager (Capacity Building)

    I can help with:

    • Delivering training, workshops or discussions for your colleagues or students to develop engagement skills, awareness and ideas
    • Advice on facilitating events and discussions
    • Evaluating your engagement activities to ensure they are impactful
    • Applying for funding to support your engagement activities
  • Joanna Childs

    Personal details

    Joanna Childs Senior Marketing and Communications Manager (Public Engagement)

    I can help with:

    • Information on communications strategy and support for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, Imperial Lates and Public & Community Engagement programming at The Invention Rooms
    • Advice on appropriate communications channels and approaches for public events intended for external audiences
  • Nisha Emich

    Personal details

    Nisha Emich Marketing and Communications Executive (Public Engagement)

    I can help with:

    • Sharing public engagement news on our webpages, on the Imperial news site, on social media
    • Digital engagement and advice on social media platforms
  • Estella Shaw

    Personal details

    Estella Shaw Marketing and Communications Executive (Public Engagement)

    I can help with:

    • Sharing public and community engagement news on our webpages, on the Imperial news site, on social media
    • Digital engagement and advice on social media platforms
  • James Romero

    Personal details

    James Romero Public Engagement Programmes Manager

    I can help with:

    • Engaging public audiences with your research through family festivals, evening adult Lates and various other programmes
    • Coming up with ideas for public talks, creative workshops or stalls
    • Partnering with artists or other parts of the creative sector to develop a public engagement activity
  • Mimmi Mårtensson

    Personal details

    Mimmi Mårtensson Public Engagement Programmes Coordinator

    I can help with:

    • Getting involved with our public programmes, including Great Exhibition Road Festival and Imperial Lates
    • Planning and taking part in public engagement activities for a range of audiences
    • Developing creative, innovative and engaging activities based on your research 
    • Partnering with artists or other creative collaborators to develop a public engagement activity
  • Sevinc Kisacik

    Personal details

    Sevinc Kisacik Public Engagement Programmes Manager (Inclusion)

    I can help with:

    • Planning and development of a range of engagement activities for a range of audiences ensuring that they are as inclusive as possible
    • Engaging with local young people (ages 13 – 25 years old) outside of a school environment
    • Local community partnerships, equality, diversity and inclusion and imbedding good inclusive practice into public engagement activities and events
  • Cristina Torrente

    Personal details

    Cristina Torrente Public Engagement Programmes Coordinator (Young People)

    I can help with:

    • Getting involved in engagement programmes for and with local young people (13-25 years old, not students), such as the Young Producers, NextGen Producers and Youth Leader Science Champion.
    • Training and advice on best practice engaging 13-25-year-olds.
    • Planning, development and delivery of public engagement activities and programmes for 13-25-year-olds.
  • Veronica Jones

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    Veronica Jones Festival Producer

    I can help with:

    • Event project management and event delivery
    • Developing your event management safety plan, risk assessment and other key event planning documents
    • Guidance on event health and safety, Licenses and permits and multi-agency liaison
    • Advice on wayfinding, site design and layout
  • Andrew Brooks

    Personal details

    Andrew Brooks Public Engagement Producer and Programmer for White City

    I can help with:

    • Developing engaging activities and workshops based on your research
    • Developing digital presentations for different public audiences
    • Advice on how to engage with families and young people
    • Getting involved with public engagement programmes in White City such as our Saturday Science Club and STEM activity packs
  • Maeve O'Sullivan

    Personal details

    Maeve O'Sullivan Public Engagement Assistant Producer

    I can help with:

    • Planning and logistics enquiries for the Great Exhibition Road Festival and Imperial Lates
    • Advice on organisation and practicalities of running an event including finance queries
    • Advice on performance and presentation
    • Mental Health First Aid
  • Maria Serveta

    Personal details

    Maria Serveta Engagement Coordinator (Capacity Building)

    I can help with:

    • Developing and delivering capacity building initiatives for staff and students to engage the public with their research in the most effective and inclusive ways
    • Guidance on high-quality practice in developing and evaluating engagement activities, particularly for young children and families, playful learning and interactive experiences and creative evaluation approaches
    • Promoting engagement successes and opportunities with our internal networks of engagement practitioners
  • Talat Gokdemir

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    Talat Gokdemir Societal Engagement Administrator (covering until September 2024)

    I can help with:

    • General enquiries, room bookings, finance and logistics
    • Advice and support for societal engagement projects and initiatives
    • Inquiries related to the Societal Engagement Seed Fund and the President's Awards for Excellence in Societal Engagement
  • Thomas Morton

    Personal details

    Thomas Morton Public Engagement Participatory Research Lead

    I can help with:

    • Developing a participatory approach to your research project.
    • Delivering training, workshops, and facilitating discussions with colleagues and students to develop participatory approaches, awareness and ideas.
    • Evaluating participatory approaches to research to ensure that they are impactful.
    • Applying for funding to support participatory research.

     

  • Emma Watson

    Personal details

    Emma Watson Evaluation Officer (Outreach and Engagement)

    What I can help with:

    • Evaluation ideas for your engagement activities – particularly those in and around White City
    • Gathering information about target audiences in London, particularly, I can give you access to the White City residents dashboard
    • Data Protection advice for evaluation and engagement work

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Societal Engagement Brochure

Discover what we've done, what we're doing and what we plan to do for societal engagement at Imperial.

Strategy for engaging with society 2022-23