Reflections

Professor in Neurological Rehabilitation School of Health and Life Sciences; Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Email: Frederike.vanWijck@gcu.ac.ukhttp://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/frederike-van-wijck(ec0c4c7c-6e1e-4fd2-8dc2-cfc9ff3fac8b).html I was fortunate to obtain a place on the very first Scottish Crucible in 2009.  To have an opportunity to interact with a wonderful group of curious, committed and engaged individuals from a wide

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, School of Science Engineering and Technology, Abertay University https://www.abertay.ac.uk/staff-search/dr-rebecca-wade Email: r.wade@abertay.ac.uk Twitter: @RebeccaCarrotte I attended the first Scottish Crucible in 2009. I gained a huge amount from the experience and can honestly say that I have continued to be engaged with, and benefit from, the

Director of Research, Optos plc Queensferry House, Carnegie Business Campus, Dunfermline KY11 8GR https://www.optos.com/ Tel: +44 (0)1383 843300; jvanhemert@optos.com I direct the research at Optos plc, a Nikon company, founded and based in Dunfermline. My research group pioneers novel medical technology—software and hardware—for diagnostic retinal imaging. We collaborate intensively with

Personal Chair, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition  College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/profiles/m.delibegovic Tel: +44 (0)1224 437 587 m.delibegovic@abdn.ac.uk I was an inaugural member of the 2009 Scottish Crucible. At that time, I was an RCUK fellow concentrating on my research and desperately trying

Professor of Organisational Behaviour; Staffordshire University, UK Professor II Change Leadership, University of Stavanger, Norway Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Change Management (Routledge) Co-founder & Emeritus Chairman, Public Leadership Foundation, The Netherlands ResearchGate:  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rune_By Tel: +44 (0)1782294161 r.t.by@staffs.ac.uk Simply put, I would not be where I am today without the Scottish Crucible.

Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology, School Head of Student Experience  School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/our-schools/school-of-applied-sciences Tel: +44 (0)131 455 2235 cl.taylor@napier.ac.uk  It is hard to believe that eight years have passed since I applied to take part in Scottish Crucible, but believe me when I say that

Senior Lecturer and Head of the Medical Bioinformatics Research Cluster Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast +44 (0) 28 9097 2802 i.overton@qub.ac.uk Since August 2017, I have been Head of the Medical Bioinformatics Research Cluster and lead the Data Intensive Biomedicine Research Group at the Centre

Senior Lecturer in European History, University of Aberdeen e.macknight@abdn.ac.uk +44 (0)1224 272297 I was fortunate to be selected for the Scottish Crucible 2010, three years after having moved from Australia to Scotland to take up an academic post at the University of Aberdeen. The timing was excellent for me in

Chair of Technology Enhanced Science Education School of Engineering | Institute for Digital Communications | University of Edinburgh Tel: +44 (0)131 650 5798 | timothy.drysdale@ed.ac.uk | http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk Since doing the Scottish Crucible in 2010, I have gone from a Lecturership in Electronics Design at the University of Glasgow, to a

Senior Lecturer and Head of PGR Development Institute of Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands mary.doherty@uhi.ac.uk Twitter @MaryKDoherty I took part in Scottish Crucible in 2011. I had just returned to Scotland after 10 years in the USA and England and it was a great way

Senior Lecturer Health Psychology, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen. j.allan@abdn.ac.uk https://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/research/health-psychology/profiles/j.allan  I am a health psychologist based at the University of Aberdeen with a particular interest in cognitive function and the effortful control of health behaviour. I participated in the Crucible in 2011 while working as a

Senior Lecturer in Physiology, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group  Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/11195 Email: colin.moran@stir.ac.uk; Twitter: @DrMoran Scottish Crucible is both an intensive and rewarding professional development programme and a network of open minded people. I attended Scottish Crucible in 2012 not long after

Senior Lecturer Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling andrew.davie@stir.ac.uk |@adavie_aqua I attended Scottish Crucible in 2012 the same year I was awarded my first Lectureship position.  While I found it challenging, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have been a firm advocate of the programme

Researcher and Lecturer in Environmental Science Crop and Soil Systems, Scotland’s Rural College https://www.sruc.ac.uk/jcloy Joanna.Cloy@sruc.ac.uk I am a soil scientist and I participated in the Scottish Crucible programme in 2012. The programme was an excellent opportunity to meet and collaborate with academics from a wide range of disciplines at different

Associate Professor, Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University https://www.hw.ac.uk/staff/uk/eps/maria-ana-cataluna.htm Tel: +44 (0) 131 451 8326 m.cataluna@hw.ac.uk Let’s go straight to the point: the atmosphere of the Crucible Labs is just simply electrifying. Sparks and possibilities that you had never considered before get

Lecturer and Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law The Law School, University of Strathclyde https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/websterelainedr/ Elaine.webster@strath.ac.uk Participating in Scottish Crucible allowed me to develop skills and networks that have contributed to success in a number of ways. Firstly, I worked with two researchers from the

Lecturer in Statistical Modelling School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University https://www.hw.ac.uk/staff/uk/egis/dr-sandhya-patidar.htm +44 (0) 131 451 4456 S.Patidar@hw.ac.uk I participated in the Scottish Crucible programme in 2013 and it was a highly stimulating experience for me. It provided me with a unique opportunity to meet and engage with

Lecturer in Nursing, Centre for Health Science School of Health, Social Care and Life Sciences, University of the Highlands and Islands https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/nursing/people/macaden.html Tel: +44 (0) 1463 279820 leah.macaden@uhi.ac.uk I was delighted with my success to attend the Scottish Crucible in 2013, which was the first of many blessings to follow

Professor of Proteomics Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences Newcastle University https://trostlab.org Tel: +44 191 2137009 matthias.trost@ncl.ac.uk @TrostLab I really enjoyed participating in the 2014 Scottish Crucible when I was a programme leader at the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit at the University of Dundee. It provided an enriching

Senior Lecturer, Science Technology and Innovation Studies  School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/ Tel: +44 (0)131 650 6393 miguel.GSancho@ed.ac.uk I attended the Crucible in 2014 as a Chancellor’s Fellow starting my tenure-track at the University of Edinburgh. The programme was very valuable to get to know

Assistant Professor in Inorganic Chemistry School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University http://www.mansellresearch.org.uk Tel: +44 (0) 131 451 4299 s.mansell@hw.ac.uk Since September 2013, I have been an assistant professor in the Institute of Chemical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. I attended the 2014 Scottish Crucible, which was great timing as

Reader / Lead Substance use & misuse research group School of Health & Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University https://www.gcu.ac.uk/hls/staff/drcarolemslie/ email: carol.emslie@gcu.ac.uk Twitter @SubMisuseGcu Selection and participation in Scottish Crucible increased my confidence in myself as a research leader in the alcohol field, and gave me strategies to achieve my existing

Reader in Public Policy, School of Public Policy, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus Tel: +44 (0) 141 848 3667,   Email: John.Connolly@uws.ac.uk https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John_Connolly24/publications I was fortunate to participate in the Scottish Crucible in 2014 and the thing that I will always remember

Chancellor’s Fellow Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh https://www.cvs.ed.ac.uk/profiles/andrea-caporali acaporal@exseed.ed.ac.uk The Scottish Crucible 2014 has been for me an intellectual and networking hub for keeping up-to-date with science and promoting innovative ideas. A unique scientific environment which allow me to evolve as a PI and to accelerate research progression

Senior Research Fellow Institute of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Aberdeen https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sbs/people/profiles/e.m.campbell e.m.campell@abdn.ac.uk My participation in Scottish Crucible has really shaped my research in a positive way. I am far more confident in working outwith my area of expertise and am excited by such collaborations. Funding agencies, stakeholders and

Chancellor’s Fellow and Lecturer, School of GeoSciences, Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh Tel: +44 (0) 131 651 4634,   Email: Marisa.Wilson@ed.ac.uk  https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/geosciences/people/mwilso18 I am a Chancellor’s Fellow in Human Geography at the School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, and Research associate in Human Geography at the University of the West

Lecturer in Computer Science Institute of Electronics, Communications & Information Technology, Queens University Belfast www.blessonv.com Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5431 b.varghese@qub.ac.uk The Scottish Crucible was an incredible experience that boosted my confidence and opened my eyes to the wealth of opportunities in pursuing multi-disciplinary research. Since attending Scottish Crucible while

CRUK Career Development Fellow MRC Human Genetics Unit and Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre University of Edinburgh e-mail: Duncan.sproul@igmm.ed.ac.uk                                                        WWW: http://www.ed.ac.uk/mrc-human-genetics-unit/research/sproul-group I took part in the Scottish Crucible in 2015. At that point, I had just been awarded money to start my own research laboratory at the MRC Human Genetics

Creative Industries Theme Leader and Programme Leader, Game Design and Production Tel: 01382 308177| r.sloan@abertay.ac.uk | www.robinjss.co.uk|@RobinJSS Division of Games and Arts, School of Design and Informatics, Abertay University I have won follow-up funding for the two Scottish Crucible projects I was involved with: Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee (Robin

Senior Lecturer in Computing Science Office: 229 Meston Building | University of Aberdeen | Old Aberdeen | Aberdeen | AB24 3UE Email: pang.wei@abdn.ac.uk | Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 273067  The Scottish Crucible experience really inspired me to be more active on inter/multidisciplinary research. Many of my funded projects since SC

Lecturer in Applied Health Sciences Office: 1.072 Polwarth Building | University of Aberdeen | Foresterhill | Aberdeen | AB25 2ZD Email: h.morgan@abdn.ac.uk | Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 437860 I would attribute these successes to my participation in the Scottish Crucible programme in 2015: GRANTHOLDER ON £1.5M NIHR EME STUDY: 2017

Lecturer, Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry  Laboratory for Bioinspired Interfacial Materials, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde http://www.lau-lab.com Tel: +44 (0)141 548 2162  aaron.lau@strath.ac.uk The Scottish Crucible has certainly been an enriching experience while starting out as an early career academic/scientist. It quickly provided me a professional network

Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh Tel: +44 (0)131 650 5363, Louise.Horsfall@ed.ac.uk, http://horsfall.bio.ed.ac.uk, Twitter: @lehorsfall I attended the Scottish Crucible in 2015, three years after I first joined the University of Edinburgh as a Lecturer in Biotechnology. The Crucible provided me with an extensive network of researchers

Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/f.groening Tel: 01224 437473| f.groening@abdn.ac.uk | @Flora_Groening I participated in the Scottish Crucible programme shortly after I had started my first permanent position, a lectureship at the University of Aberdeen. It was therefore at a time

Lecturer, Chemical Engineering Materials and Processes Research Institute, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh https://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/about/overview Tel: +44 (0)131 651 7072 D.Gerogiorgis@ed.ac.uk After attending Scottish Crucible, I was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship to work with Molson Coors on a project that aims to rigorously optimise high-quality beer

Royal Society of Edinburgh/Scottish Government Research Fellow, Assistant Professor, Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Tel: +44 (0)131451 3345, e.gauger@hw.ac.uk, http://qtt.eps.hw.ac.uk/ Participating in the 2015 Scottish Crucible has been a truly enriching and inspiring experience. Following the Crucible, I was part of a team being award funding for

Lecturer in Linguistics and English Language School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/chris-cummins Tel: +44 (0)131 650 6858 c.r.cummins@gmail.com For me, the Scottish Crucible programme was both a fascinating opportunity to engage with fellow researchers across a wide range of disciplines, and a valuable step in

BBSRC new investigator and Chancellor’s Fellow  Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh I participated Scottish Crucible in 2016, met the brilliant crucible peers, and learned further about science communication and collaboration through the 3 workshops/labs. It was a positive experience with intellectual rewards and challenges. The challenges came

Edinburgh-Zhejiang Lecturer Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh http://melaniestefan.net/index.html Tel: +44 (0) 131 651 1711 mstefan@exseed.ed.ac.uk I am a Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. My research is on using computational modelling and data analysis to understand processes underlying learning and memory in the brain.

Lecturer, Division of Computing and Mathematics School of Design and Informatics, Abertay University https://www.abertay.ac.uk/staff-search/dr-karen-meyer k.meyer@abertay.ac.uk I am a lecturer in Applied Mathematics and researcher in Solar Physics at Abertay University. I attended the 2016 Scottish Crucible. The workshops were engaging and informative. I think that they really boosted my confidence

Senior Lecturer and Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Leadership Fellow  Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow https://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm/staff/poppylamberton/ Tel: +44 (0)141 3305571|email: Poppy.Lamberton@glasgow.ac.uk | Twitter: @PoppyLamberton I attended Scottish Crucible in spring 2016 when I had just moved to my new position. It provided an excellent opportunity

Chancellor’s Fellow, School of Engineering | University of Edinburgh Tel: +44 (0)131 650 5679 | timm.krueger@ed.ac.uk | www.eng.ed.ac.uk Personal website: www.timm-krueger.de | Twitter: @TimmKrueger The most tangible impact of Crucible was that we could turn our Crucible project into a funded PhD studentship. Bean, Filippo (both Scottish Crucible 2016) and

British Heart Foundation Intermediate Clinical Fellow and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Edinburgh & Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian https://www.cvs.ed.ac.uk/about-cvs Tel: 0131 242 6786; Bean.Dhaun@ed.ac.uk I took part in the 2016 Scottish Crucible programme. Scottish Crucible provided me with an excellent opportunity to meet and

Chancellor’s Fellow and Lecturer in Clinical Psychology Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/stella-chan Tel +44 (0)131 651 3935 stella.chan@ed.ac.uk My name is Stella Chan. I am an Academic Clinical Psychologist based at the University of Edinburgh. I have to be honest that when I applied for the Scottish

Senior Lecturer in Signal and Image Processing (on leave of absence), School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland Associate Professor, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad de Valladolid https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/pablo-casaseca http://www.lpi.tel.uva.es/casaseca pablo.casaseca@uws.ac.uk casaseca@lpi.tel.uva.es I was one of the Scottish Crucible 2016 participants. The three workshops were an enjoyable

Lecturer, Computing Science and Mathematics School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~sbr/ Tel: +44 (0)  1786 46 7462 sbr@cs.stir.ac.uk I participated in the 2016 Scottish Crucible after seeing a colleague’s enthusiasm for the programme. The experience was intense but very rewarding and I highly recommend it to other early

Senior Lecturer in Population Medicine and Animal Health Policy Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security, University of Edinburgh https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/lisa-boden Tel: +44 (0) 131 650 6094 Lisa.Boden@ed.ac.uk I was very fortunate to be able to participate in the Scottish Crucible workshops in 2016. Since then, I have become a Senior

Researcher, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering  Institute for Energy and Environment, Strathclyde University https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/jonescatherinedr/ Tel: +44 (0)141 444 7262 catherine.e.jones@strath.ac.uk I applied for the Scottish Crucible in early 2017, as a post-doctoral researcher working within the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Electrical Power Systems, within the Department for Electronic

Principal Investigator, Gut Health Group Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/research/ Tel: +44 (0)1224 438675; S.Gratz@abdn.ac.uk I am a research fellow at the Rowett Institute with research interests in human nutrition and food toxicology. Participating in the 2017 Scottish Crucible has been a highly inspiring and energising experience allowing us to