Core & Support Staff
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.
Management & Director’s Office | Business Systems | Computing | Engineering | Equality | Finance | Grants | Health & Safety | Housekeeping | Human Resources | Impact | Nursery | Science Building Services | Stores
Management & Director’s Office
The Acting Institute Director is Wolf Reik who leads the Institute and reports directly to the Board of Trustees. Operation of the Institute is led by Simon Jones, Director of Finance & Operations, who directly oversees many of the non-scientific functions of the Institute, including many of those featured on this page. The Director’s Office organises and supports the Director’s activities.
Business Systems
The Institute’s Business Systems team includes the Assistant Director of Operations & CIO, Robert Pyke, who also has management responsibility for the Computing team. The team are responsible for managing and maintaining key procedures and systems within the Institute. These include the telephone systems, contacts database, grant management system, HR systems, Finance systems and oversight of the Intranet. The team is also includes payroll functions. The Business systems team handles subscriptions to scientific journal and it has responsibility for ensuring compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR.Computing
The Computing team oversees the Institute’s computer infrastructure, software and online systems as well as supporting several other organisations on Campus. They ensure the security of the Institute’s IT systems and provide support, guidance and advice on IT issues. The team is led by Chris Greenwood.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.Equality
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 equality4success Manager, Elizabeth Wynn, in partnership with the equality4success 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 equality4success pages or by visiting our equality 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.<br />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.
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.