Faces of Reading

I have been teaching pharmacy students since the Reading School of Pharmacy was established, with our first intake of less than 50 students in 2005. Now I am very happy to see how it developed into a very successful department delivering many undergraduate and postgraduate programs with several hundred students each year. 

Currently, I am Professor of Formulation Science and I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students and also contribute to the Graduate School with a course on ‘How to write a paper’. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I supervise a large and very interdisciplinary research group, which includes postgraduate students and researchers from many countries. I am also a Programme Director for MSc by Research for 3 different programmes in Pharmacy and in this role, I oversee the delivery of teaching to our taught postgraduate students. 

I widely collaborate with researchers from many countries, which means that each year I travel to different institutions to deliver lectures, conduct joint experiments and attend research conferences and meetings. I am glad that the University of Reading provides a flexible working environment that helps to manage all my academic activities, including teaching, research, administration, and visits to collaborators in many countries. 

I currently work in the School of Chemistry, Food and Nutritional Sciences and Pharmacy in my role as a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice and the Pharmacy Director of Teaching and Learning. I work with an inspiring, motivating and diverse team of academics who all pride themselves on producing a workforce who has the passion, drive and the motivation to deliver the patient-centred care and positive health outcomes. 

I am a British Indian and fall into the BAME category. I have been thoroughly supported in my time at the University of Reading, with opportunities to develop my leadership, assertiveness and overall management skills. I have been supported to develop and take on additional roles including module convenor, Pharmacy Director of Teaching and Learning and the University Chair for the Student Discipline Committee. The support and development at the University has enabled me to secure leadership positions elsewhere and in January 2021 I became a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Accreditation and Recognition Panel member.

The continued support I have received at the University of Reading enables me to bring my passion into the classroom and ensure that my enthusiasm converts into an inspiring learning experience. I take immense pride in witnessing the ‘light-bulb’ moment and take great pleasure in being part of the student’s journey. I am passionate about nurturing the next cohort of enthusiastic pharmacists, who hold ethics, patient health and values as close to their hearts as I do.

In those early weeks, being open about how I felt and what I needed made a real difference – it allowed me to show up with confidence. It helped that colleagues in my wider network were hugely supportive too – genuinely excited to hear about my little one and how he’s settled with us.

Working part time can be intense. You have to be laser-focused and well-planned to get everything done, and there’s often limited time for the 'nice stuff' in the flurry of emails and meetings. But it’s worth it – especially knowing I still have a job I love when my son starts school in September, in a workplace that supports the realities of family life.

It's particularly satisfying to make a custom piece of glassware for researchers and get involved in the design process, which can involve multiple iterations to achieve a successful result.

I've got a very friendly working environment. Diversity and inclusion is something the University wholeheartedly embraces, which is great.

I'm asexual and have been involved in visibility work for AVEN (the Asexual Visibility and Education Network), of which I'm a member. This has involved TV and radio appearances, and contributing to newspaper and magazine articles.

When the University was applying to become a Stonewall Diversity Champion, I went to meetings to raise awareness of the asexual community. This resulted in the Staff and RUSU LGBTQIA+ organisations holding an Asexual Awareness Week, to which I was happy to contribute.

Asexual people are thought to make up about 1% of the population, which means there could be somewhere between 30 and 40 asexual people working at the University, even more in the student population.

I think it's important there's visibility for asexual people, and those who think they may be asexual, in particular, to have someone to talk to who is asexual.