Moving Tips from our New Neighbours at Hammersmith

Andrea Foley, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences

An insight into the process of moving a team, lab facility and office to a new campus.

The MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) is located on the Hammersmith campus of Imperial College London and is part of the Faculty of Medicine. In September 2022 they moved into their new purpose-built home located at Hammersmith. As we look forward to members of the National Heart and Lung Institute’s (NHLI) own move later this year, to a newly refurbished building at the same campus, it is great to get some insight from the neighbours! 

"Having everyone in the same building is bringing us closer together as an institute." Andrea Foley Research Assistant and Lab Manager

The LMS aims to be at the forefront of innovative biomedical research and in partnership with Imperial and others, to promote the translation of its research for maximal benefit. The institute trains and mentors the next generation of clinical and non-clinical scientists and strives to enhance the public’s interest, understanding and trust in science. 

We had the opportunity to sit down with Andrea Foley, Research Assistant and Lab Manager for the Redox Metabolism Group with the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences to discuss their recent move to the new state-of-the-art MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) building at the Hammersmith campus. 

What work do you do? 

I am a Research Assistant and Lab Manager for the Redox Metabolism Group, we work with fruit fly Drosophila and my role includes coordinating a molecular lab, fly facility, health and safety, inductions for new staff and all of the lab management side. I spend about 80% of my day in the lab working on projects and 20% of my time doing admin. 

In terms of the practicalities of the move, was there anything that worked particularly well? 

One thing we found incredibly useful was that our Health and Safety did a chemical amnesty for a couple of weeks before the move which meant as people were decluttering, if they were unsure, they were able to leave it without having to fill in any paperwork. On the whole, as there is so much groundwork that is completed in advance, when it actually came to the move it was quite straightforward. Getting everything ready in advance really made the move itself a simpler and quicker process. 

NHLI has learnt from previous successful moves the importance of chemical and junk amnesties, so with this further confirmation from the LMS team that it made the move process smoother, we look forward to doing more in the lead up to the move. Details of which will be shared on our dedicated webpage and through the newsletter, meetings and email once available. 

How was the move itself? 

I’d say between us packing and getting the movers in, to the move and unpacking it was done in a week. People were really keen to know how much down time there was going to be as nobody wants to stop their work so it was just trying to manage people’s expectations with the fact that they needed to be out of the lab for a couple of days. As people had stopped doing experiments in the lead up to the move and people were winding down a bit, people had time, everyone really helped out and dug in, morale was good which definitely sped things up and made the whole move fairly smooth; no major issues! 

How has the move been, have you got the same people around you? 

In the previous ICTEM building we shared a main molecular lab with about 5 or 6 different research groups which was nice. However our new lab can accommodate three labs which means day-to-day you don’t interact with as many people but having everyone in the same building means we are seeing faces we wouldn’t have before and is bringing us closer together as an institute. 

"Morale is high and people are making an effort"

Has the move had any effect socially? 

There’s definitely a change in atmosphere and ambiance; there are lots more events organised and committees. Moving into a new building, people are more enthusiastic to get to know other people, kind of like a fresh start, morale is high and people are making an effort to meet other people and get involved. 

What do you do for lunch? 

For lunch people probably don’t really want to walk too far but there are loads of kitchens on every floor where people eat lunch and mingle with other groups; we have a café with a nice view and we do still have the Wolfson and the hospital restaurant so people tend to stay on site. 

Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? 

I think knowing it wasn’t going to take as long as what we anticipated, once the movers have moved the boxes and they’re in the correct locations as we took the time to produce equipment maps and made sure to clearly label the boxes, it doesn’t take the long to get the lab established; a couple of days and you’re ready to go in again. We were all pleasantly surprised it was not as much of an ordeal as we thought, and I think that was down to the planning in advance.  

You can read more about the National Heart and Lung Institute’s upcoming move on our webpages. 

Find out more about the Redox Metabolism Group