Today is my last day at Imperial College London. It marks the completion of exactly 29 years as a member of staff.
Two talks, about 30 years apart.
I joined Imperial as a young lecturer in Physics on 1st November 1995 and have travelled a long road since then, moving to the Department of Life Sciences a few years later, reaching the rank of professor in 2007, and shifting from structural biology research to work on the management (and culture!) of universities and science when I began writing my Reciprocal Space blog in 2008. I took on new roles at the university: Director of Undergraduate Studies in my department from 2011-15; the university’s first Associate Provost for EDI from 2017-2023; and latterly a College Consul. Outside Imperial I helped to co-found the campaign group Science is Vital and served as vice-chair from 2010-18, joined the board of CaSE from 2012-18, and was chair of DORA from 2017-23.
Such skeletal lists reveal little of the story of my last 29 years. Nor do they have anything to say of the great number of friends and colleagues who provided such depth and colour to the tale.
One day perhaps I will be in the mood to add more meat to my story, but right now I can’t quite grasp how I feel. I’ve said my goodbyes and told people I am relaxed about the next chapter (which will be devoted to caring responsibilities and my part-time role at RoRI), but I in truth I don’t really know what it will be like to no longer be an integral part of an institution that has been such an integral part of my life.
All I know today is that I wanted to mark the occasion.
I want to say something like “rest in peace”, but less final!
Seriously — if anyone has earned the right not to be at the coalface 24/7, it’s you. I hope you find what you’re going to be doing stimulating and rewarding, and sufficiently relaxing.
Thanks Mike. Save the RIP for another day, perhaps!
Wow, end of an era! But the start of a new one too. I am glad you will still be involved with RoRI. It makes me a little sad knowing you are no longer at Imperial.
Me too – I’m sure it will take a little time to adjust. But I’m pleased not to have quit the field entirely and am enjoying the work at RoRI. Just back from our annual get-together (this year in Oslo). It was great to catch up with people – the RoRI team is internationally distributed and hear about the emerging results. Some good things coming later this year and early next…
Stephen, all the best for the next stage in the journey!
Thanks Martin – I’m ready for a new chapter.
Congrats on a fantastic career Stephen, popping with the values the sector needs to thrive. Thanks for all you do for research cultures.
Thanks Cat. Hopefully not done quite yet as many of the issues around research cultures are woven into RoRI’s preoccupations.
Hadn’t read this, though obviously had spotted / heralded your news over on eX-Twitter. Now wondering how I’ll feel when I (finally) call time on my long stay at Manchester, where I shall have logged 38 (!) yrs come Feb 1st 2025. Of course, the major difference compared to you is that I don’t have much in the way of, er, achievements during that extended span to look back on. It’s more of a ‘er – where did it go?’
PS They give us £ 400 in shopping vouchers after 25 yrs at UoM. Rumoured there is another similar reward for logging 40 years. Trying to decide if that’s sufficient incentive to hang on until 2026-27…
UoM is much more generous than Imperial at the 25 year mark so maybe it is worth hanging on, Austin!
I think all of us in our seventh decade look back and wonder where the time has gone. It seems only recently that I was setting out on my career; memories of my children as children are still fresh although one of them is now in his fourth decade.
Anyway I wish you well, whenever you decide to call time. Hopefully we might have a chance for one or two more beers one of these days.