One of the most respected university technicians in the country has won new recognition for her dedication to not only enhancing the experience of students but also highlighting the vital role the technical workforce play in Higher Education.

Kelly Vere says she is “hugely proud” to be named the Higher Education Academy (HEA) Technician of the Year across all of the STEM disciplines — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Kelly, a senior technician and laboratory manager in the Institute of Biophysics, Imaging and Optical Science, said: “Technical staff make a vital, yet often unsung, contribution to a wide range of university activities, not least the student teaching and learning experience and it’s fantastic to see the technical contribution to higher education formally recognised by the HEA through these awards.”

She has authored articles in the national press and without intending to do so has become a spokesperson for highlighting the contribution of technicians.

Kelly has supported many students through degree programmes by assisting in research projects and laboratory classes, providing pastoral care and proofreading many PhD theses. Scientifically, Kelly has co-authored a number of research publications and presented her research nationally and internationally.

In 2011 she gained an MA in International Higher Education at Nottingham. The work from her thesis University technicians: undervalued, misused and misunderstood? has featured in Times Higher Education and the Guardian. In 2013 she embarked on a Professional Doctorate in Education aiming to increase the academic research available on the technical role in higher education. In parallel, she is leading a programme to enable and improve professional development of over 600 technical staff across the University.

Kelly is Head of Special Projects at the Institute of Science and Technology and a Registered Scientist (RSci) accredited by the Science Council. She sits on the committee of the University Bioscience Managers’ Association and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

She chairs the University’s Technical Focus Group, which aims to raise the profile of the technical contribution to higher education. The group has been shortlisted in the “Making a Difference” category for an S-Lab Award for supporting world-class science. Results will be announced in September at the Supporting World Class Science conference at Kings College London.