Alex at a Degradation Project event in 2023
Dr Alex Kersting is a member of a team which has been shortlisted for a Professional Services Recognition award this year in the Cross-University Category.
Alex is being recognised as a member of the Project Management Community of Practice (PM CoP). Communities of Practice connect staff members across the university who share similar job roles and interests.
Programme manager
Here in the department, Alex is the Programme Manager for the Faraday Institution Battery Degradation Project, a large consortium led by Clare Grey which is researching battery degradation. As part of her role Alex manages meetings, creates financial reports and forecasts, and organises events. She is also EDI and training champion for the project, which includes seven co-investigators across five Cambridge departments, and eight other institutions.
Alex began her role just four weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown. “I really struggled when I first started,” she recalls. “I had never worked in the University before, and it took a long time to meet people in similar roles across the University.”
So when Alex first heard that the PM CoP was being established in early 2022, she was keen to join. “I thought I’d like to help other people who might be in a similar situation as I was when I first started,” she explains.
Collaborating across the university
The PM CoP helps staff who work in project management to collaborate, share best practice, capture knowledge and be part of a supported community. They share templates and resources, which means documents don’t need to be created from scratch. “Somebody once very sensibly told me don’t reinvent the wheel--steal it,” laughs Alex. “Sometimes we sit in our silos and don’t know there’s other people doing similar things. If there are other people who can help me and I can help them, that’s much better.”
“So I now know lots more people from other departments around the university, there are roles I didn’t know existed, and the discussions we have are really interesting and thought provoking when we meet in person or through online events and networking chats.”
Recognition
The award nomination notes that the PM CoP is an excellent space for members to ask questions, seek support and share other related initiatives taking place across the University.
The scheme organisers said: “The Professional Services Recognition scheme is run each year, and to be nominated is true recognition of the hard work the team does and the value placed on them by their colleagues in the University.”
Alex says of the award nomination: “It was a big surprise, and I’m obviously very pleased. It’s lovely to be recognised for the impact that we’re having across the wider University sphere.”
In addition to Alex, group members include Louise Vincent, Helen Morgan, Signe Overgaard Jensen, Carrie Brennan, Ellie Wolmark, Nevena Vajdic, Praveen Bharadwaj and Ned Grace, as well as two co-leads, Jenny Grewcock at the University Library and Megan Woodward of the Career Service. The PM CoP currently has 284 members from across Cambridge. They welcome anyone involved or with an interest in projects or programmes within the University.
Alex and her team were invited to the awards ceremony to honour the shortlisted nominees at the Museum of Zoology on 11 December.