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Blogger Profile: Sarah Jane Banbury

 

.Sarah is currently a Scientific Research Administrator for the HIV Prevention Programme at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, London and has been with the Unit since 2000, firstly as Secretary to 3 senior project leads: Professor Di Gibb and Drs. Kholoud Porter and Sheena McCormack; then as a PA/Research Administrator to Kholoud and Sheena.

Her present role encompasses finance management, grant application submissions, contracts, staffing, liaison with funding bodies (annual reporting, milestone updates etc) and some aspects of project management. 

With a half science-half arts background until the age of 18, Sarah then trooped off to University without much thought as to what she would be doing as a job later on in life. She thanks her working class family for working so hard to give her this experience.

She studied at the University of Sheffield (B.A. Hons: English Literature and French (Spanish minor); University Laval (diploma in French as a second language (Russian subsiduary), Quebec and then at University College London (M.A. Theory of Literature and French). She has a certificate in First Line Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Sarah loves her job, her team, her family and friends, her Border terrier and the world (generally); oh yes, stand-up comedy, science, reading/writing, music and all other art forms, film/theatre, Amnesty International ... the list goes on.

She is pondering why she doesn’t have medical degree, is looking forward to Honorary Doctorates in the years to come and wants to pace herself a bit better in 2012, one’s health is the most important thing she has learnt several times to her peril due to overdoing things and a workload coming at her from all angles.

The one thing she could definitely do with is more sleep.