School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health

Ms Emma Dunning - Technician

I had been working in SCMH as a grade 4 research technician for 3 years, specifically in the Metabolic Medicine Biomarkers Laboratory. At the end of 2020, a grade 6 technician within my lab had left and because of this I took on a lot of their duties. This meant that my role had fallen into the criteria for regrading.  

My responsibilities had increased significantly in the previous year; I was managing the lab’s inclusion to the NEQAS scheme, liaising with external researchers to organise sample analysis, I designed experiments for MSc lab practical and supervised students, and was working to update all of the lab’s SOPs within the parameters of our new quality management system.  

During my P&DR, I expressed the significant change to my duties and my reviewer immediately supported me in applying for regrading. Over the next few months, we met frequently and built up a strong application. I also received a lot of support from others in the School, with multiple colleagues reading over and making suggestions to improve my application, so it was a team effort! 

When I got the news that my application was successful, this gave me the boost of confidence I needed to apply for a core technician post within the Sport Science groups in SCMH. Applying for a higher graded position was previously a little out of my comfort zone, but I knew it would help me grow a new set of skills. Fortunately, I was also successful with this application, l and have been enjoying it for over 3 months now. 

I think Athena Swan has definitely encouraged a better culture of openness and support within the School, which I really felt the benefit of in my experience in regrading and applying for new positions. 

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First published: 1 November 2022