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Department Newsletters

Head of Department Newsletter - january 2018

At the beginning of the Lent term, I want to provide a very short update on a number of issues of interest.

Appointments

I am delighted to announce that Dr Steven Lee (https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/sl591), who has been a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department for several years, has been appointed to a University Lectureship. Please join me in congratulating Steven.

Upcoming key events and dates for your diary

• Lewis Lectures
Prof Lutz Gade, University of Heidelberg
27th Feb & 1st March
https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/rig/materials/talks

• Chemistry Open day
Saturday, 17th March
https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/outreach/chemistry-open-day

• Chemistry Showcase and Chemistry Networks week
25th to 28th September
https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/gradstudents/2nd-3rd-years-chemistry-showcase-week

Building update

You will probably all have noticed the substantial progress on the Chemistry of Health building, especially where parts of the outside facade have now been unveiled. Currently extensive interior work is being undertaken to get the building ready for handover around May. The formal opening is planned to take place during autumn. To view the time lapse images click here: https://iris.time-lapse-systems.co.uk/viewer/department-of-chemistry-cam...

Athena SWAN Assistant Staff meetings and survey

It is important to us that all staff are now included in the Athena SWAN remit. This has led to a new round of meetings and surveys to identify what the department does well and what we can do better. Feed-back (including 49% completion rate of survey amongst Assistant staff) identified inclusivity, flexi-time, career progression and personal development, and working in a friendly atmosphere as being important to our staff. The Athena SWAN Working Group will work with staff teams over the coming year to develop initiatives aimed at these objectives.

Wellbeing advocates

Let me remind you that the Chemistry Department’s Wellbeing Advocates are Kathleen Pickett (kjp45@cam.ac.uk) and Richard Turner (rmt35@cam.ac.uk), while Dr Nick Bampos is the University E&D Wellbeing and Disability Champion. If you have any questions or just want a chat about wellbeing issues, please contact Kathleen or Richard (see also: https://www.wellbeing.admin.cam.ac.uk).

Website upgrade

The Website Working Group have been meeting regularly to upgrade the departmental website to Drupal 7; improve functionality; streamline navigation between sites; update content; set-up templates for research groups and committees; and develop platforms for video content and outward facing communication. By the end of the year much of this work will be complete. I am sure you’ll be pleased with what they have already achieved.