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Riddel Hall
185 Stranmillis Road
Portadown, Antrim, BT9 5EE
United Kingdom

Beckie Ingram

Senior Lecturer in Infection and Immunity

Beckie is an immunologist and works in Queen’s University Belfast. She did her degree in Zoology (Cell and Immunobiology) at Aberdeen Uni, this was followed by a Masters in Manchester and then a joint PhD in Parasitology and Pharmacy at Kings College London. After graduating, for her first research position she was employed by Imperial College, London but based largely in Uganda studying immunity to HIV. She continued to work at Imperial College but on a project focused on trying to develop vaccines that would prevent infections with the potential to be used as bioterror weapons. In 2009 she set up her own research group which focuses on trying to understand how the immune system fights bacterial infection and then using this information to design new medicines or vaccines. She is part of the team that was recently funded by an HEA, Ireland to establish the All-Island Vaccine Research and Training network (AIVRT) to develop vaccines that will prevent antibiotic resistant infections.

Grainne Rodgers

Director

Having studied Information Management at Queens and following a post grad she joined PwC as a fresh faced graduate management consultant in 2000 and has had a truly exciting career helping clients achieve sustainable outcomes through technology-enabled change programmes; taking her all across the UK, from a chilly portacabin in Scotland, to the marble floored offices of the London financial services district. She now leads change managed services business working with a wide range of clients to help accelerate their ambitions, solve their complex operational challenges and deliver sustainable change. Beyond her professional life, more importantly she is married to Michael and mummy to two girls Grace and Aoife and dog mummy to Lexi, her golden retriever. They keep her busy as chauffeur to endless football, swimming, dance and gymnastic classes and at weekends she spends time cooking and dog walking in the countryside.

Heather Conway

Professor of Property Law and Death Studies

Heather Conway is an expert on the legal issues surrounding funerals and dealing with the recently dead. Specialisms include new and emerging bodily disposal technologies; the complexities of resolving family disputes surrounding funerals and who gets the post-cremation ashes; the legal status of funeral directions; and issues around exhumation and commemoration of the dead. Heather is the author of The Law and the Dead (Routledge, 2016) and numerous articles on the subject. She has presented her work at international conferences and gatherings, and delivered talks to a range of deathcare professionals including the National Association of Funeral Directors, the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors and Cruse Bereavement UK. As well as being current President of the Association for the Study of Death and Society, Heather is also a Council Member and trustee of The Cremation Society of Great Britain.

Jamie-Lukas Campbell

PhD Research Student

Jamie-Lukas, a New York native residing in Belfast is a media and public affairs professional with a deep-rooted commitment to public service. Currently a PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast he explores the intersectionality of Blackness and queerness. His experience spans across corporate, non-profit, political, and governmental sectors. Notably, he has served in a myriad roles globally on behalf of organisations such as the Obama White House and Hillary for America, supporting figures like then Vice President Joe Biden, former first lady Michelle Obama, and Secretary Hillary Clinton. He also served as lead advance to the New York City Council speaker from 2018-21 and was a Hope Institute Fellow at the Democratic National Committee. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Political Science and Legal Studies from Mercy University, a master of science degree in International Public Policy from Queen’s University Belfast.

Jonny Hanson

Conservationist, Agriculturalist and Entrepreneur

Jonny is Founder-CEO of nature edutainment startup, Jonny Hanson Ventures. He established and managed Northern Ireland's first community-owned farm 2014-22, for which he was named Young NI Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2019. Jonny is a 2023 Nuffield Farming Scholar, exploring farmers' perspectives towards large carnivore reintroductions to Britain and Ireland. His popular book on the reintroduction debate is out with Pelagic in February 2025. He is also an Associate of the Snow Leopard Conservancy and has a PhD in snow leopard conservation from the University of Cambridge. Jonny grew up between Monaghan and Malawi but now lives in Ballymena with his wife Paula and their three children.

Katie McCaughey

Psychologist

Katie grew up in Northern Ireland, before moving to England to complete a law degree at the University of Cambridge. Whilst studying law, she became interested in the psychological aspects of crime and violence. This led her to pursue a master’s degree in psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, where she developed a passion for research. She is currently undertaking a research PhD and her research focuses on crime victims’ experiences of revenge. She is interested in how fantasies of revenge could impact crime victims’ mental health and in the risk factors that could lead to individuals taking revenge, for example experiencing certain emotions or having particular personality traits, such as narcissism.Supporting people who are struggling with their mental health is really important to her so in my spare time, she volunteers for the Samaritans. She also enjoys singing and hiking, and is currently learning to scuba dive.

Margaret Topping

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement

Margaret is Professor of French and Intercultural Communication, and her current research centres on debates around: travel, migration and mobility; the ethics and aesthetics of cross-cultural communication and representation; and the public value of the Arts and Humanities. Her recent book, The Humanities Pandemic: Towards an Essential Services Approach (Palgrave, 2023) argues for the importance of the Humanities in tackling global challenges such as Covid. Margaret is also involved in a range of social innovation initiatives both within Queen’s University and in the wider community. She has recently completed a term as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Turnaround Project, a charity providing transitional employment opportunities for people coming out of the justice system. She is also involved with a range of projects with cross-community youth organisations in Belfast, creating opportunities for young people to achieve their potential.

Matt Leonard

Teacher

Matt is an educator with a focus on Spanish language teaching. Along with a degree in language studies, he holds a PGCE in Modern Languages, and a CELTA certification, equipping him to teach English, French and Spanish proficiently. He fell in love with languages later than most, and was into his early twenties before he discovered this passion. He hopes to inspire others to overcome the hurdles he faces when learning another language or skill. Currently, he is employed as a secondary school teacher in Belfast and also offers online private tutoring, which has provided him with a rich practical experience in the field of language instruction. His professional goals are both clear and ambitious. He aspires to become a well-regarded name in the field of Hispanic linguistics, paying particular attention to language acquisition, dialectal variations and cultural aspects.

Pragya Sharma

Scientist and Entrepreneur

Dr Pragya Sharma is a dynamic force at the forefront of innovative healthcare solutions, with a relentless commitment to transforming the landscape of dermatology and skin care. Armed with a PhD in Structural Biochemistry and a keen interest in patent law, she ventured into a world where science meets entrepreneurship. Originally from Delhi, India, Dr Pragya's journey is a testament to her resilience; she defied expectations and embraced science as her calling, turning early discouragement into a powerful source of motivation.

Savannah Dodd

Founder and Director

Savannah Dodd is an anthropologist and visual artist. She founded the Photography Ethics Centre with the aim of raising awareness about the ethics of taking and sharing visual media. In 2020, her edited volume titled Ethics and Integrity in Visual Research Methods was published by Emerald Publishing Group. Savannah earned her doctorate in anthropology from Queen’s University Belfast, her master's in anthropology and sociology at the Graduate Institute of International Development Studies in Geneva, and her bachelor's in anthropology and religious studies at Washington University. Savannah sits on the ethics panel for the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award, on the UK committee of the Ethical Journalism Network, and on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Rural Deliberative Forum. In 2021, she was recognised as one of the UK's 100 leading female entrepreneurs in the Small Business Britain #ialso Campaign.

Siobhan Cox

Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Civil Engineering

Siobhan researches the environmental impacts of construction and has led the work package assessing whole life cycle environmental impacts of low carbon geopolymer concrete products in the Innovate UK/Newton Fund LowCoPreCon Project, is the supervisor for an embodied carbon-focused Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Northstone Materials and is co-investigator on the Horizon 2020 funded UPSURGE project. She was a founding member of the Ireland Brownfield Network and recently contributed to the Construction Skills Task and Finish Group for the Belfast Regional City Deal. Before entering academia, Siobhan worked in engineering consultancy, attaining Chartered Engineer status with the Institution of Civil Engineers. She brings this experience both to her teaching and her work with construction companies undertaking whole life carbon calculations, identifying embodied carbon reductions for both buildings and infrastructure and calculating carbon emissions from construction operations.