My employment history in organisations characterised by complexity, conflict, competition and change gives me a deep insight into the professional development challenges at all levels and thus, becoming the General Board Member within the Australasian Research Management Society will enable me to really drive some positive change within the space of research management. I will be able to apply my knowledge from governance roles that I have undertaken both at the University of Melbourne and other Victorian institutions as Human Research Ethics Officer, Animal Ethics Officer, Gene Technology Officer, Export Controls and Clinical Trials Officer, Co-Manager (Acting) Animal Ethics and Subject Matter Expert (Human Ethics) by implementing, reviewing and renewing development and programs University wide. With a solid understanding of our stakeholders’ respective needs tempering my own capacity‐building remit, I have developed in‐house workshops and facilitated program delivery.
Key achievements common to both roles of research ethics and research governance include:
• Solid understanding of human research ethics landscape in Australia
• Implementation of leading‐edge programs to enable and foster information transfer within the Universities research community;
• Working with and across senior decision‐makers in multiple silos to cultivate buy‐in;
• Extensive research into and careful renewal of development programs in order to continue growing organisational capacity.
• Actively participating in ARMS Board activities and business;
• Ensuring that the Society’s mission and goals under the ARMS Strategic Plan: Towards 2025 are being achieved;
In addition, I have excellent interpersonal communication skills, with an open and honest communication style, and have the capacity to engage and connect with staff and colleagues ranging from students through my peers and senior management. Within a team setting I integrate to meet team goals, and I enjoy working with others to discuss, plan, strategize and implement goals. In particular, I work with a “One Team” mindset, to bring the right people together and build effective relationships. In addition to my ability to work as part of a team, I also work effectively independently and with initiative.
I am passionate about continuous improvement and improving service efficiency and efficacy for the benefit of all stakeholders. Through the Ethics at Melbourne/REPS project, I played a key role in successfully developing procedural improvements, designing information resources and programs related to human and animal ethics, whilst reviewing University policies and procedures. Furthermore, I am now driving a subsequent project (REPS) within this program of work as the subject matter expert for the human ethics area, with the underlying objective to develop improved and consistent processes in this area.
I have experience in managing projects and project teams through both my current roles as Co‐Manager (Animal Ethics, Acting), Subject Matter Expert, and previously as an ethics officer. Using Lean and Agile project management strategies, I have experience in (i) leading the ethics teams through a comprehensive review of the processes involved in applying for and receiving ethics approval in order to perform research activities at the University; (ii) identifying problems; (iii) identifying opportunities for improvement and recommending solutions; (iv) devising strategies for implementation; (v) engaging with stakeholders, both internal and external; and (vi) liaising with and being the contact point for senior management for the project.
I am diligent in engaging staff in all aspects of a project and believe in encouraging and facilitating ownership to enable staff to support and develop themselves. I share and reward success to maintain enthusiasm and motivation across the team and use the momentum of success to drive further engagement and success. I also have an appreciation of the complex nature of a ‘change environment’ and have developed the skills for managing teams and people through challenging and sometimes confronting situations, by being mindful and considerate of their needs and concerns. Combining these strategies enables me to guide staff to achieve the goals set out for them.
