The Campus Stars campaign has been launched to showcase the colleagues still working on campus during the lockdown and highlight the crucial work they do.

Marlies is the Technical Team Leader within the division of Microbiology, Brewing and Biotechnology. She is based at Sutton Bonington campus and has worked at the University for three years.

Marlies is usually responsible for providing technical services and managing the facilities. During the pandemic, the laboratories have closed and so Marlies continues to manage the facilities but with a slightly different focus. Initially, this involved ensuring that the laboratories were shut down properly, organising regular checks and maintenance during the lockdown with her colleagues and using the University’s facilities and stocks to support the NHS and other frontline medical workers. Currently, Marlies is providing weekly maintenance of the Illumina MiSeq instrument for sequencing applications in the Food Microbiology laboratories to ensure that this valuable piece of equipment remains working following lockdown.

Marlies is also on a rota for building checks on site every two to three days. This involves checking that freezers and temperature-controlled rooms are functioning properly, whilst maintaining cell banks and dealing with any issues encountered. This ensures that valuable work and materials are not lost.

Marlies enjoys the small things during lockdown, such as mid-morning coffee breaks in the sun.

Her favourite thing about working at the University of Nottingham is working with colleagues who have a genuine enthusiasm for their work and are good at what they do. This generates an inspiring environment and drives her to grow and develop.