Five women leaders at Imperial who are changing the world

Priya Pallan

Priya, Community Engagement Manager, has been helping the College to build and maintain relationships with local residents, businesses and organisations in White City over the past five years. Since the COVID-19 lockdown began in the UK last year, Priya says divisions in society which have always existed have become more visible and prevalent: “Over the years, I have seen firsthand the inequalities many in our local communities face. COVID-19 has brought lack of access to the forefront, such as schoolchildren not having the right equipment in their homes for remote learning, or our elderly neighbours being unable to connect with friends and family over the lockdowns. My first thought was: ‘what role can the College play in helping our neighbours overcome barriers around digital exclusion?’” 

Priya and the Community Engagement Team have spearheaded Imperial’s efforts to support the local organisations and connect with vulnerable people in White City since 2016. Since the pandemic began, they have pivoted their work to address its immediate impact, which has included working with community partners to deliver science activity kits to local families, providing tech support to elderly residents through the What the Tech!? initiative, working with Imperial's Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) team to source and deliver recycled devices to local children, and offering general support to residents and community organisations during the lockdown.  

“I recall an elderly gentleman who was wheelchair bound and lived on his own, during the lockdown, the only way he could keep connected was through his computer which had stopped working,” Priya explains. “We found a colleague in IT who helped him work through a variety of checks over a week, and in the end helped him choose and buy a new computer, which meant he could do his online shopping and speak to his GP independently. We made sure to call and check in on him until he was sorted and he’s been in touch since to check in on us!”

Human connection is important to Priya and her priority is helping those in need. “As an institution, but also as humans, we have a duty to help people when we are in a position to, especially when it feels like the world has come to a standstill in times like this,” she says. “One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is when I support someone , and they go on to help someone else – you can see the ripple effect of your actions.”

“Fill your cup first” 

Priya’s advice for women who give their time to help others, is to remember to fill their cup first. “By that, I mean women often juggle multiple roles – we can be parents and caregivers, manage households whilst working, volunteering and driving change at the same time ,” she says. “It’s important that we make sure we also take care of ourselves, especially before we take on new challenges or use our voice to challenge and address discrimination or inequality.

“Don’t be afraid to bring your genuine self to the table when challenging biases. We can hold ourselves back, working out the right way words to say something, to try fit in and be accepted so that we can be taken seriously, but this can prevent us from from saying anything at all."

Join Priya and Professor Maggie Dallman as they talk about the College’s Societal Engagement work, as part of the Current and Future Women Luminaries Series on Tuesday 13 April 2021.

Dr Hannah Cheeseman

Dr Hannah Cheeseman, Head of the Core Immunology Laboratory in the Department of Infectious Disease, has been one of the women leading Imperial’s COVID-19 vaccine work. In her role, Hannah has been responsible for ensuring that high-quality immunology data is obtained from trial participants and helping to assess whether the vaccine is working.   

“Working on a vaccine that means something here and now has been incredible,” Hannah reflects. “People have become complacent about vaccines, thinking of them as something you receive when you need to travel overseas or associating them with babies. COVID-19 has put everything I do into perspective.”  

Now the general public is using terms like ‘vaccine efficacy’ in their day-to-day conversations, Hannah feels that people have finally started to understand the level of research that goes into making vaccines and the impact they can have. “It’s nice to see our field get some recognition,” she adds. 

Hannah has been part of a team of researchers led by Professor Robin Shattock racing to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine at Imperial. She explains: “I have been managing a fantastic set of colleagues who have been working in the lab on our vaccine candidate. I make sure the experiments have been performed as we planned, checking if we’re meeting our deadlines and, most importantly, identifying if our vaccine is working and inducing an immune response. 

“The most exciting moment has been when colleagues have said ‘we’ve got some data!’ and it shows the results we want. We’ve been in close contact with our peers at the University of Oxford and it has been amazing to see their vaccine roll out.” 

At the beginning of her career, Hannah says she was quiet and shy and built confidence over time. “I asked a lot of questions when I was new in my role and I would suggest that other young girls and women do the same,” she says.  

“Don’t be afraid and don’t feel as though you are coming across as weak or silly. It’s very important that women remember to reflect and congratulate themselves on how far they have come, as well as believing in themselves and their abilities.”