It was quite serendipitous how I entered higher education. I feel it has given me so many opportunities to develop as a person, but also to do research, work with other people, and go out and make a difference.
I grew up in Whitley, which is close to the University. I left school with not very good qualifications but ended up going to night school when I was a single mum. I loved studying and used to go as a hobby.
I have been at Reading since 1987; I started out as a Lab Technician and in the early '90s I got the opportunity to become a glassblower.
I'm the only glassblower on campus. I design, make, modify and repair scientific laboratory glassware for both teaching and research for the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy and other University departments, as well as outside companies.
I'm a mathematician based in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research. It's a cross-disciplinary project. Working in a lab alongside biologists was something I couldn't resist. I love it – it's the best job I could ever hope to have.
I have worked at the University of Reading in the Global Academy since 2019. I first came to Reading to teach temporarily on the summer Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme. I was living on a houseboat in Oxford at the time, after returning from some time teaching in South East Asia. I fell in love with the beautiful Whiteknights campus and met some very friendly and kind colleagues during that time. I was therefore very pleased to be offered a succession of further work in Global Academy after that summer, which resulted in my husband and I moving to Reading permanently. Shortly after this I secured a permanent lecturer position here.
We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2027/28 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2026/27 courses.
