Matt is a Research Manager within the Division of Surgery specifically working across the MsK and Vascular labs. Aside from commitments to the Charing Cross campus, Matt also sits on the People and Culture Committee as the Champion for Bullying and Harassment and was actively involved in the introduction of a bullying and harassment tool which is now widely utilised across the Faculty. We found out what spurs him on, what home life entails and what working within the Department means to him:
1. How did you find yourself working in this area?
I came back from working abroad and was looking for a project management post. Imperial was the first opportunity that cropped up! I worked on the national Swine Flu clinical study (MOSAIC) in NHLI and then moved over to Surgery and Cancer.
2. What has been your greatest achievement so far in your career? And what would you still like to achieve?
Staying happy in my job while keeping my managers and team happy with me and i hope to continue to achieve more of the same.
3. What do you feel is the most rewarding/enjoyable aspect of your career at Imperial? And what is the most challenging?
Working on scientific research (even though I am only in an enabling role and not a creative/intellectual one) is really enjoyable. I try to make it easier for researchers to make the discoveries that move the understanding of the topic forward by helping them to navigate the necessary bureaucracy.
I find it difficult to keep track of all the things I’ve been taught in training/feedback/peer education and implementing them effectively.
4. What are your views on mentorship? Have any colleagues helped you and what advice have you been given?
I’ve been lucky to have several senior colleagues who have been willing to provide frank and honest feedback about my performance in a constructive way. The delivery of the feedback was crucial as it helped me to receive the feedback in a positive way and therefore act on it accordingly. I’ve tried, with varying degrees of success, to do the same when delivering feedback.
5. Who would you say is your role model?
Nick Wood – he manages a long and complicated list of tasks in a very effective way and delivers excellent results in a very helpful and cheerful way. He makes people’s lives easier, I’d like to do the same.
6. What advice would you give to someone coming into this field?
Take advantage of the many excellent courses in the Learning and Development centre (particularly the ILMDP) and keep useful notes in a way that you can reference regularly.
7. How do you balance the demands of the job with your time outside of work?
I am pretty strict with deadlines, I stick to my work hours, I’m good at prioritising tasks and I work flexibly. I am not a perfectionist which means I can complete the tasks I’m set when they are as good as I can make them in the time I have available. I don’t check my e-mails outside of my work hours and this means I can properly wind down in the evenings and weekends. I understand that things crop up at the last minute and will happily work on things at short notice to get them over the line as long as there are no other conflicting and more important tasks. I work remotely regularly on a Thursday which improves my sense of satisfaction with my job as I don’t have to commute one day a week and it allows me time out of a busy office to work on tasks which can’t be interrupted. I plan to compress my hours now that I have a young child to ensure I can spend extra time with them and maintain income to cover nursery fees.
8. What are your hobbies/interests?
Pretty boring. Music and Liverpool. I still love clubbing even though I’m probably the oldest person in there and have had to cut back while we have an infant. I go to as much live music as I can and as many festivals as I can and took my son to his first festival at the Horniman the other day. Watching Liverpool is the only interest which has survived infant care in tact though!
9. Three words to sum up your experience working within the Department of Surgery and Cancer?
Supportive; Family; Learning.