Core & Support Staff

Forum diners

Meet the teams that support the Institute’s research and keep the Institute running

Many of these teams offer apprenticeships for people looking to develop on-the-job skills in their area. Find out more by contacting our HR team.

Director’s Office

The Institute Director is Simon Cook who leads the Institute and reports directly to the Board of Trustees. The Director’s Office organises and supports the Director’s activities. Meet the members of the Institute's Leadership Team in our People Directory.

 

Dr Simon Cook

Operations

Operation of the Institute is led by Simon Jones, Chief Operating Officer, who directly oversees many of the non-scientific functions of the Institute: Finance, Human Resources, Computing, Communications, Health & Safety, Estates, and Security, many of which are described further on this page. Simon is also the Company Secretary for the Babraham Group and as such reports directly to the Board of Trustees.

Simon Jones
Cass

Computing

The Computing team supports the Institute’s IT, Business Systems, and Web Technologies. The team is led by the Chief Information Officer, Cass Flowers. Her role oversees Information Technology and Information Systems to guide strategy, service provision, security and data compliance. The Computing team provide support, guidance and advice to Institute staff and students along with providing services to several other organisations on Babraham Research Campus.

Engineering

Adrian Bath leads the Babraham Campus Engineering team (BCE). The team is made up of qualified staff covering all aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering as well as building and civil engineering. They operate a standard working week with out of hours cover to maintain business critical systems. The team manage all planned preventative and reactive maintenance at the Institute as well as managing large capital projects. BCE also manage the utility infrastructure including water abstraction, effluent treatment, procurement of energy and onsite energy generation.

Campus view from a drone

Logo composite

Equality, diversity and inclusivity

The Institute supports and invests in promoting equality and diversity in all aspects of our community. Work in this area is co-ordinated by the equity4success Manager, Elizabeth Wynn, in partnership with the equity4success team who represent the Institute as a whole and work towards helping everyone feel valued and included at the Institute. Find out more on the equity4success pages or by visiting the Institute's blog.

 

Finance

Andy Hunt is the Institute’s Head of Finance. The team includes qualified and experienced staff together with those studying finance. They manage all financial transactions at the Institute including raising sales invoices, processing supplier invoices and paying suppliers, together with monitoring and claiming grant income and paying expenses. The management accounting team also produce the Institute’s annual budgets for board approval, monthly and yearly accounts and monitor the Institute’s cash flow. 

Finance data

Hall - drone shot

Governance and Project Office

The Governance and Project Office has oversight of the Institute’s project portfolio. We act as project managers at the Institute, providing project management expertise and support, and working alongside a range of different departments, committees and individuals, to develop software, events, policies and more. We also provide project management expertise and support to others on request.

We also support the Institute’s Governance Framework, looking at the systems and processes concerned with the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of the Institute. The framework determines who makes decisions, how others make their voice heard and how the account is recorded.

Grants

The Grants Team supports the Institute’s researchers in identifying, preparing and applying for grants-based funding from research funding organisations both in the UK and abroad. Particularly for overseas grants, the team also provides ongoing support through the lifetime of a grant and can aid in evaluation and reporting of grant progress. Grant applications are subject to rigorous internal reviews by the Institute’s senior researchers before being submitted to the funder.

UKRI BBSRC logo



 

Health, Safety & Quality Assurance of Research (QAR)

Scientific research and its support activities include a variety of hazards not typically encountered in other work environments. The Institute’s Health & Safety team employs a pragmatic approach to ensuring everyone is well protected from hazards, whilst supporting efficient research progress. By proactively providing information, advice and training on all relevant hazards, risk assessment and the use of appropriate precautions, the team help to keep the Institute safe.



The team also manages policies, a code of practice and auditing processes in line with quality assurance of research. The procedure covers factors such as sample management and record keeping. By following QAR practices, we can be confident that research at the Institute is performed to a high standard of quality and consistency. The H&S/QAR team is led by Trevor Smith.

Housekeeping

The Housekeeping team aid in the maintenance and management of the Institute’s on-site accommodation. They help to ensure that our accommodation provision is clean and welcoming. In addition, they provide cleaning services for the Institute's offices in Babraham Hall.

Human Resources

Andrea Last leads the Human Resources team, which supports the proper employment and ongoing welfare of Institute staff and students, including our wellbeing, training and mentoring programmes. The team manage the recruiting process for vacancies, support the induction of new employees and provide a key point of contact for everyone during their time with the Institute. The Human Resources team are also equipped to support staff that need help or encounter challenges during their time at the Institute.

Nursery

Alison Bishop manages the Institute’s on-site Nursery, which provides childcare for Campus staff and families in the local area. The Nursery accepts children from six weeks and up and has been consistently rated Outstanding by Ofsted. It also operates the Babraham Primary School after school club and the fun-pack holiday club. Full details of the nursery and its services can be found on the Babraham Nursery website.

Science Building Services

The Institute's Technical Services team is managed by Juliet Emery and is the first port of call for Institute scientists regarding all practical matters within the science buildings, laboratories and communal facilities. Their roles include, but are not limited to: providing assistance and advice to scientists regarding purchase, siting, installation, upkeep, maintenance and repair of technical equipment; office and laboratory relocations; media preparation and glass-washing services; management and maintenance of core specialised equipment and training for access to controlled specialist facilities. Technical Services ensure effective building and equipment management in compliance with relevant safety legislation. They operate on an out-of-hours rota to react to business critical equipment alarms and also as a back-up for scientific sample salvage. Technical Services are also closely integrated with the Institute's Green Labs initiative.

Stores

The Institute’s Stores & Purchasing team is led by Michael Norden. The team facilitate the purchasing and distribution of equipment and consumables for use across all aspects of the Institute. The Stores & Purchasing team ensure that our researchers, staff and students have access to everything they need to do their jobs and carry out their research. They also maintain relationships with the Institute’s suppliers to make sure we get the best deals on the resources we need to keep doing world-class science.