Speakers and panellists

Dr Chris Russell

Chris takes his experience as a researcher into Higher Education Institutions around the world, helping researchers from all fields improve their projects, foster their creativity, and make their research meaningful. He relishes the innovation and leadership on offer in research, and seek to inspire those he works with to flourish as they shape the world, both inside and outside academia. Chris does this through the development and delivery of innovative training courses that are practical, purposeful and playful.

Panellist - Dr Gavin Buckingham

Gavin Buckingham is a cognitive psychologist interested how humans perceive and act upon their environment with their hands. He was awarded his PhD in Psychology form the University of Aberdeen in 2008, and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Exeter. He leads the Object Interaction Lab and is a member of the Virtual Immersive Training and Learning group. At Exeter, Gavin co-leads the Exeter Immersive Research Network, and also serves as the University of Exeter UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) institutional co-lead, with a focus on research culture. He maintains a blog called 'Making it as an early-career academic', and runs workshops for PhD students and for academics at the start of their career as a lecturer. 

Panellist - Dr Steve Joy

Steve has been designing and delivering professional, leadership, and career development programmes for postdocs since 2009, having previously completed a PhD on the fiction of Thomas Mann. He is currently the Head of the Postdoc Academy at the University of Cambridge and the Training & Development Lead for the UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellows Development Network. That's the 'official' story.

Steve's CV is also a crazy paving of many overlapping experiences: years and years of bar/restaurant work; a miserable few months in an investment bank; lots of teaching English as a foreign language, including a year abroad as a British Council Language Assistant in Düsseldorf, Germany; twelve months' temping at Essex County Council; years of library work with a fabulous community of supportive colleagues; five years of hourly paid University teaching; Secretary and, latterly, Chair of Cambridge's LGBTQ+ Staff Network; various blogging and writing projects including, during 2013-14, a careers advice column for the Guardian's Higher Education Network; two winters in the Alps as a chalet host, having fallen in love with skiing after the age of 30; a Trustee of the UK Council for Graduate Education from 2018-20; and running his own freelance leadership and career consultancy business since 2021. The official story is neater; both are true.

Dr Vani Naik

Dr Vani Naik (she/her) holds three concurrent professional roles, which all converge in the topic of supporting researchers. On Mondays and Tuesdays, she is Researcher Developer at Edinburgh Napier University, where she supports researchers with their professional development. On Thursdays and Fridays, she's Careers Adviser for Research Staff at the University of Oxford, where she loves working with fixed-term research staff during 1-1 career coaching sessions. And on Wednesdays, she runs her own consulting business where she continues to provide her expertise to individuals and higher education institutions.

She's particularly interested in supporting career development, as she recognises how much enjoying your work impacts on wellbeing. In former research roles, she worked in industry at an aviation-based non-governmental organisation (now QinetIQ) and at the multinational company Unilever. She's also globetrotted around the world in a teaching career which took her to Istanbul, Australia and New Zealand where she 'accidentally' ended up staying for 8 years. Her self-leadership has enabled her to forge her own unconventional squiggly career path, culminating in an enjoyable working life so that the "Sunday Scaries" don't apply.

Dr John Whittaker

John's career is characterised by his extensive experience and leadership in the analytical industry, particularly in electron microscopy and analysis applications. John is a chartered engineer (CEng) with 30 years of experience. He has held various roles in service and engineering management capacities. His expertise lies in working on specialized projects for electron microscopy and analysis in semiconductor, nuclear, and biological facilities.

Currently, John leads an industrial team of applied materials specialists. The team's focus areas includes; materials characterization, energy storage, materials deposition, coatings, and composites technologies. John initially worked in the chemical industry before transitioning to the analytical sector. He managed multi-talented teams of engineering and application specialists, eventually progressing into engineering and project management roles. In 2014, John joined The University of Manchester as the Technical Services head for Graphene@Manchester. He played a crucial role in developing and implementing cleanrooms and laboratory facilities for the National Graphene Institute (NGI). Currently, John serves as the Engineering Director for the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). His responsibilities include overseeing all engineering matters for the centre, with a focus on expansion and project delivery with industry and SMEs.

John has been a member of the Faculty of Science and Engineering Professional Services Leadership Team and a member of the Technical Apprenticeship Board and collaborating with the Health & Safety Executive on Nano-materials safety. John is a strong advocate of risk and compliance management, as evidenced by his NEBOSH certifications.

In summary, John's career showcases a blend of technical expertise, leadership in specialized projects, and a significant contribution to the development and success of graphene research facilities at The University of Manchester. His commitment to safety, compliance, and project delivery underscores his strategic role in the field.