Teams from across the institute gathered on Wednesday, 3 July as ILCaMS hosted its annual away day. The event, held in the historic Liverpool ‘Florrie’ centre, brought members together to showcase the achievements of the year, and provide updates on the strategic intentions of the Institute and the Faculty.
The day commenced with a welcome from Executive Dean Professor Pete Clegg, who thanked staff for their efforts over the past year, noting achievements in research and teaching during a difficult period for higher education and research funding.
Professor Clegg was followed by newly appointed Deputy Executive Dean Professor Shakila Thangaratinam, introducing herself to the institute, and shared her ambitions for a positive future. Professor Thangaratinam will commence her post on 15 July.
The opening remarks were followed by a series of updates on postgraduate research, equality diversity and inclusion, and teaching. Dr Liz Laird, Professor Nathan Jeffrey and Professor Taz Goddard all took to the stage to highlight the achievements of the year and commitment to improvement, with postgraduate student recruitment, and continuous improvement in the quality of the student experience being a particular ambition. Departmental leads Professor Reinhold Medina and Professor Mandy Peffers each contributed to the agenda, with a reflection on his first six months in post, and an introduction to a novel PDR pilot scheme, respectively.
The end of the morning session provided students the opportunity to showcase their communication and research skills with a series of short ‘Elevator pitches’ to explain their research projects.
After lunch, attendees were invited to register for any of the broad range of workshops providing the opportunity to develop their skills, wellbeing, and professional network. There were also informative sessions on improving working considerations for disabled staff and students, a productivity improvement workshop delivered by IT services, and a mindfulness clinic.
The day closed with some final words of thanks from Professor Clegg and the presentation of awards to teams and individuals who have gone above and beyond in the last year to help deliver world-leading research and teaching.
