Meet the teams

Four circles with the text Our Strategy for engaging with society 2022-23 is our commitment to empowering people through engagement with STEM.

Four teams contribute to this mission along with colleagues from across the College. Together we engage wider audiences with Imperial's work and support our staff, students and partners to do so too.

  • Public Engagement team - Engaging diverse audiences with Imperial's work through exchanging ideas and experiences. Responsible for delivering flagship events including the Imperial Lates and the Great Exhibition Road Festival and coordinating training and funding opportunities. See below to meet this team.
  • Schools Outreach team - Working with schools, teachers, students and the networks to inspire young people to study STEM through programmes such as STEM Potential and Outreach STEM Ambassadors.
  • Community Engagement team - Building relationships with the local community in White City through programmes such as What the Tech?! and Agents of Change.
  • Patient Experience Research Group - Involving patients and the public with health research through programmes such as People's Research Cafes and an online platform - VOICE.

If you're not sure which team is best placed to help you with your engagement endeavours, contact us at societal_engagement@imperial.ac.uk and your query will be directed to the best person.

Public Engagement Team

  • Vicky Brightman

    Vicky Brightman at the Great Exhibition Road Festival

    Personal details

    Vicky Brightman Head of Public Engagement

    I can help with:

    • Getting involved in public engagement programmes
    • Building skills, networks, partners, resources and recognition
    • Advising on strategic approaches that ground your work in Imperial’s wider goals, and connect it to regional, national and international agendas

  • Lara Mistry

    Personal details

    Lara Mistry Senior Public Engagement Programme Manager

    I can help with:

    • Delivering training, workshops or discussions for your colleagues or students to develop engagement skills, awareness and ideas
    • Advice on facilitating events and discussions
    • Evaluating your engagement activities to ensure they are impactful
    • Applying for funding to support your engagement activities

  • Amy Seakins

    Amy Seakins

    Personal details

    Amy Seakins Deputy Head of Public Engagement (Capacity Building and Evaluation)

    I can help with:

    • Developing an engagement approach for your team or research project
    • Evaluating your engagement activities to ensure they are impactful
    • Applying for funding to support your engagement activities
    • Delivering training, workshops or discussions for your colleagues or students to develop engagement skills, awareness and ideas

  • Charlotte Coales

    Personal details

    Charlotte Coales Engagement Manager (Capacity Building)

    I can help with:

    • Delivering training, workshops or discussions for your colleagues or students to develop engagement skills, awareness and ideas
    • Advice on facilitating events and discussions
    • Evaluating your engagement activities to ensure they are impactful
    • Applying for funding to support your engagement activities

  • Joanna Childs

    Personal details

    Joanna Childs Marketing and Communications Manager (Festival and Public Programmes)

    I can help with:

    • Information on communications strategy and support for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, Imperial Lates and Public Engagement programming at The Invention Rooms
    • Advice on appropriate communications channels and approaches for public events intended for external audiences

  • James Romero

    James Romero

    Personal details

    James Romero Public Engagement Programmes Manager

    I can help with:

    • Engaging public audiences with your research through family festivals, evening adult Lates and various other programmes
    • Coming up with ideas for public talks, creative workshops or stalls
    • Partnering with artists or other parts of the creative sector to develop a public engagement activity

  • Mimmi Mårtensson

    Portrait photo of Mimmi

    Personal details

    Mimmi Mårtensson Public Engagement Programmes Coordinator

    I can help with:

    • Getting involved with our public programmes, including family festivals and evening adult Lates
    • Planning and taking part in public engagement activities for a range of audiences
    • Developing engaging activities based on your research 

  • Sevinc Kisacik

    Personal details

    Sevinc Kisacik Public Engagement Programmes Manager (Inclusion)

    I can help with:

    • Planning and taking part in engagement activities for a range of audiences ensuring that they are as inclusive as possible
    • Engaging with young people (ages 13 – 24 years old) outside of a school environment
    • Local community partnerships, equality, diversity and inclusion and imbedding good inclusive practice into public engagement activities and events

  • Cristina Torrente

    Personal details

    Cristina Torrente Public Engagement Programmes Coordinator (Young People)

    I can help with:

    • Getting involved in public engagement programmes with young people (13-25 years old), such as the GERF Young Producers, Tech Hangouts and Youth Leader Science Champion
    • Advice on best practice engaging young people
    • Planning, development and delivery of public engagement for young people

  • Veronica Jones

    Personal details

    Veronica Jones Festival Producer

    I can help with:

    • Event project management and event delivery
    • Developing your event management safety plan, risk assessment and other key event planning documents
    • Guidance on event health and safety, Licenses and permits and multi-agency liaison
    • Advice on wayfinding, site design and layout

  • Andrew Brooks

    Andrew Brooks

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    Andrew Brooks Public Engagement Producer and Programmer for White City

    I can help with:

    • Developing engaging activities and workshops based on your research
    • Developing digital presentations for different public audiences
    • Advice on how to engage with families and young people
    • Getting involved with public engagement programmes in White City such as our Saturday Science Club and STEM activity packs

  • Maeve O'Sullivan

    Maeve O'Sullivan

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    Maeve O'Sullivan Public Engagement Assistant Producer

    I can help with:

    • Planning and logistics enquiries for the Great Exhibition Road Festival and Imperial Lates
    • Advice on organisation and practicalities of running an event including finance queries
    • Advice on performance and presentation
    • Mental Health First Aid

  • Liz Danner

    Liz Danner

    Personal details

    Liz Danner Engagement Coordinator (Capacity Building)

    I can help with:

    • Developing and delivering training for staff and students to engage the public with their research
    • Promoting engagement successes and opportunities with our internal networks of engagement practitioners
    • Guidance on best practice in developing engagement activities, particularly with sensitive topics such as animal research

  • Talat Gokdemir

    Talat Gokdemir - Societal Engagement Administrator (Jan 23)

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    Talat Gokdemir Societal Engagement Administrator

    I can help with:

    • General enquiries, room bookings, finance and logistics
    • Advice and support for evaluating engagement projects and initiatives
    • Inquiries related to the seed funds and the President's Awards for Excellence in Societal Engagement

  • VACANT

    Placeholder image

    Personal details

    VACANT Communications Coordinator (Engagement)

    I can help with:

    • Sharing your engagement news on our webpages, on the Imperial news site, on social media and in our monthly
    • Digital engagement and advice on social media platforms
    • Using our visual identity and tone of voice guidance