As I have been in the role of Project Manager for the TAS-S node for a few weeks now, I thought this would be a good opportunity to reflect on how things are going so far and highlight some of the activities I am looking forward to being involved with in the future.
I joined the project on the 15th March. However I’m not a newbie to Lancaster University, in fact, 2021 marks my 13th year at the institution (time flies)! Before joining this role, I was the Faculty Impact Manager for Science and Technology, a role which required project managing 15 different case studies highlighting the impact our research has had out “in the real world” as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
Before that, I was the Project Manager for two large Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (PROMIS and IDEAS). Although these projects were based in different fields to TAS-S, the project management skills I learnt will be invaluable in my new role!
So what am I looking forward to as part of the TAS-S project? Well, firstly I am looking forward to working more with all the researchers and finding out more about their work. Cyber security is a fascinating issue which poses a huge range of technological and ethical challenges. This role really is a great opportunity to be working at the centre of all these developments.
I am also looking forward to developing strong working relationships with our external stakeholders. Within a week of starting my role, I was involved in the running of the Node’s first External Stakeholders’ Group (ESG) Workshop. This was a hugely successful event which, even though it had to be held online, still allowed all those involved in the project to discuss the future direction of the research. You can read more about this on the event’s webpage
We have a really exciting programme of research and events lined up, so watch this space!