Search the Department's Staff Directory

The department hosts 43 members of administration and support staff, covering Operations and Management, HR, Research Administration, Education Administration, Communications, and Laboratory Technicians. To find a member of our administration and support staff, choose from one of the areas below. Alternatively, you can search for a member of staff in our Directory.

List of administration and support staff

Key contacts and Honorary Staff

Department operations and management

Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng CBE, EBS, CEng, FREng
Head of Department

Executive Assistant: Lucy Chivers
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6098
Remit: 
  • All activity and matters relating to the normal working of the Department including policy and planning, and student affairs
Lindsey Anne Cumming
Departmental Operations Manager

Email: l.cumming@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 020 7594 2715
Remit: 
  • Coordination of departmental administration
  • Monitoring and control of the financial planning and financial activities of the whole department
  • Managerial assistant to the Head of Department
  • Member of department Emergency Control Team
Lucy Chivers
Executive Assistant

Email: l.chivers@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: + 44(0)207 594 6098
Remit: 
  • Executive Assistant to Head of Department and Departmental Operations Manager
  • HR administration (see below)
Angela Frederik
General Office and Digital Support

Email: a.frederick@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 6123

Melanie (Mel) Hargreaves
General Office Assistant

Email: m.hargreaves@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 5931

Building and IT

Brian Whiting
Technical Services Manager

Email: b.whiting@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6895

Remit: 

  • Management of the technical workforce, laboratories, and workshops
  • Department maintenance and building works
  • Security and telecommunications

Dr Geoff Fowler
Safety Officer

Email: g.fowler@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)207 594 5973

Remit:

  • Guidance on and reporting health and safety matters
  • Risk assessments and safety training 
  • Confirming with University and legal requirements
  • Monitoring health and safety management
  • Safety inspections and investigation
  • Member of department Emergency Control Team

Dr David Taborda
Chair of the Departmental Computing Committee, ICT Departmental Representative, and E-Learning Lead

Email: d.taborda@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7594 6033

Remit:

  • ICT liaison for:
    • Department-wide software implementation
    • PC renewal scheme
    • Department teaching and AV infrastructure
  • Liaises with Faculty Research Computing Committee
  • Adoption of E-Learning technologies across the Department
  • Liaison with the Faculty EdTech team

Communications, events and outreach

Sigourney Luz
Digital Media and Communications Manager

Email: s.luz@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 5122

Remit: 

  • Research and external communications
  • Digital channels including website, news, social media, newsletter
  • Communications guidance for staff

Tim Gordon
Events Manager

Email: t.gordon@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 5031
  • Planning and managing Departmental events including budgeting, logistics and promotion
  • Ensuring event delivery in line with stakeholder priorities and strategy
  • Equality, Diversity and Departmental Culture, Sustainability Committee and Outreach programme administrator

Rebecca Naessens
Webmaster

Email: r.naessens@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)207 594 5990

Remit:

  • Website editor
  • Updating the Department website based on requested changes/edits

Dr Sunday Popo-Ola
Head of Departmental Outreach and Director of Integrated Space Science and Engineering

Email: s.popoola@imperial.ac.uk

Remit: 

  • Development of outreach opportunities with external parties
  • Also Director of R2Frontiers in BioScience, Computing and Engineering. 

Dr Craig Buchanan
Professional Institutions Liaison Officer

Email: craig.buchanan@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: 44 (0)20 7594 8076 

Remit:

  • Responsible for the interaction between the Department and the Professional Bodies
  • Arranging sessions for students and staff on the benefits of becoming professionally qualified

Finance and HR

Gianluca Guadagno
Finance Officer

Email: g.guadagno@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: 44 (0)207 594 3817

Tanya Clark
Finance Assistant

Email: t.a.clark@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: 44 (0)207 594 6011
Briony Webb
HR Support (research staff)

Email: b.webb@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7594 6029

Lucy Chivers
HR Administrator 

Email: l.chivers@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: 44(0)207 594 6098

Remit:

  • Academic Promotions, and Probations
  • Annual Review Conversations (ARCs)
  • Academic and Professional, Technical and Operational (PTO) Recruitment 

Wellbeing and People

Michelle Langan
Student Wellbeing Advisor

Email: m.langan@imperial.co.uk
Remit: 
  • Provides confidential support and advice on:
    • exercise, food and nutrition
    • sleep
    • identity
    • mental health, stress and anxiety
    • general wellbeing

Justine Spence
Departmental Disabilities Officer

Email: j.spence@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6045

Remit:

  • Supports students with disabilities and impairments, including coordinating additional exam arrangements

Professor Peter Stafford
Departmental Careers Adviser

Email: p.stafford@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6005

Remit:

  • Interface between Departmental Careers activities and those of the College Careers service
  • Supporting students to secure graduate positions and internships
  • Interaction with industrial partners

Professor Aruna Sivakumar
Tutor for Women and Chair of the EDDC Committee

Email: a.sivakumar@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 20 7594 6036

Remit:

  • Provides support for female students (MEng, MSc, PhD)
  • Promotes gender equal opportunities

Honorary Departmental Staff

Professor Jeni Giambona
Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Email: j.giambona@imperial.ac.uk 

Colin Kerr
Honorary Senior Research Officer

Email: c.j.kerr@imperial.ac.uk