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NDS Self-Assessment Team

The NDS Self-Assessment Team (SAT) is a multi-disciplinary team comprised of staff and students from all aspects of the department. The principal aim of the SAT has been to guide the department in its preparation and submission of an Athena SWAN Silver award application.The team coordinate the research, planning and outcomes that will enable us to make positive changes to the way we support staff, including women scientists, in the department. The SAT reports to the NDS Management Board, in which three members of the team sit on the Management Board.

Our members

Name Position SAT Responsibility Background
Claire Edwards Associate Professor Athena SWAN Academic Lead. Balancing full-time academic career with young family. Her husband, also a full-time academic, have two children at primary school.
James FitzGerald Consultant Representing senior academic clinical researchers. West Wing site representative. Full-time academic since 2012. His wife is a PI within the University.
Alison Halliday Professor Representing senior academic clinical researchers. Senior academic researcher, works flexible working patterns after partial retirement. On MSD AS Steering and University Equality & Diversity Committees.
Freddie Hamdy Head of Department Academic overview of policy implementation. Department head and former Athena SWAN Champion. Married with three children.
Gemma Horbatowski HR Administrative Officer Personnel data analysis. HR policy implementation. Has a flexible working pattern to accommodate her commute and caring responsibilities for her father. 
Paul Johnson Professor Representing senior academic clinical researchers. OCDEM site representative. Married with two children; has previously taken adoption leave. Previous Athena SWAN Champion.
Louise King Communications Officer Communications of AS initiatives, visbility of women across internal and external media. Appointed in 2015. Communications Officer with central role in the development of the communications strategy.
Adam Lambert Biorepository Manager Representing research support staff. Manager of the NDS Bio-repository, married with a young child in his first year of primary school.
Steffi le Conte Clinical Trials Manager Representing professional support staff. Botnar site representative. Full-time clinical trials manager as well as events committee chair, with an onus on bringing family friendly events to the department.
Regent Lee Clinical Lecturer Representing clinical lecturers. Newly appointed clinical lecturer. Married and expecting second child. He hopes to utilise the shared parental leave package.
Aaron Leiblich Academic Clinical Lecturer Representing mid-stage academic clinical researchers.
Full-time Academic Clinical Lecturer works across NDS and NHS. In dual career partnership.
Kate Milward DPhil Student Representing DPhil students. Second year graduate student who previously worked in NDS as a Research Assistant.
Lauren Morgan Lecturer Representing non-clinical early stage researchers and lecturers. Newly appointed departmental lecturer. Recently returned from maternity leave and making use of flexible working to manage childcare.
Emma Morris Postdoctoral Research Associate Representing non-clinical early stage researchers and lecturers. Postdoctoral researcher, married with three children. Completed a DPhil within the department in 2013.
Jane Niederer Research Nurse Representing research nurses. Churchill site representative. Has two children and works full-time flexible hours to accommodate caring and graduate studies.
Rutger Ploeg Professor Representing senior academic clinical researchers. Transplant Centre site representative.
Professor and
Honorary Consultant
Surgeon. In dual career marriage,
oversees welfare of staff and students.
Surjeet Singh Clinical Trials Unit Coordinator Representing mid-stage academic researchers. Works full-time as operation lead for the SITU. Married with two children. Has taken paternity leave and works flexible hours as required.
Jo Snoeck Research Coordinator Representing professional support staff. ORCRB site representative. Works flexible hours to accommodate a full-time job with caring for three children.
Jessica Whitburn Clinical Research Training Fellow Representing early-stage academic clinical researchers. A clinical fellow in urology currently undertaking a full-time PhD. Commutes to Oxford from London. Occasionally works weekends and evening shifts as a registrar.

Comments or suggestions? Contact the team at athenaswan@nds.ox.ac.uk