Meet the Team Q&A: Charlotte Atherton, Senior Research Officer
Communications & Marketing Manager - IN-PART, London.
Shining a light on the people behind the platform, our Meet the Team series uncovers the motivations and interests of the people that make IN-PART tick.
The first person to feature in our Meet the Team series is Charlotte Atherton, a Senior Research Officer from our research team in Sheffield who joined IN-PART in 2017. In the Q&A, Charlotte talks about her scientific background, her role, and how she spends her time outside the office.
What’s your scientific specialism?
My background is in Biology. I was really interested in animal behaviour but ended up doing a lot of work on plant ecology and agriculture. My third year research project looked at reducing emissions and loss from peat soil agriculture and I was actually able to publish my work whilst still working on my degree (check out the paper here!) My Masters project involved making simulation models to look at sex ratio variations in dioecious plants (which meant lots of coding in R!)
What does your work at IN-PART involve?
I’m currently working as a Senior Research Officer, helping match research and development teams in companies around the world with the latest breakthroughs from our university partners. Being in a senior position, I also help guide the future direction of our team; improving our matchmaking technology (watch this space!) and learning how best to work with our industry community so they can get the most out of our platform. I’m also responsible for training new members of our ever-growing team.
What’s been the most interesting university-industry collaboration that you’ve helped to initiate?
I’ve helped make some very unusual connections throughout my two years here. There are two that stand out… The first was helping an agriculture firm look at whether a new cancer research technology could be applicable to crop protection. The second was helping a dental company evaluate a noise damping technology to improve patient compliance during surgery.
It really goes to show that thinking outside the box is the best way to solve problems!
How do you keep motivated?
Keeping busy and planning ahead! I always try and make sure I’ve got something to look forward to when going through a tough couple of days, whether that’s a custard tart from the Portuguese bakery around the corner or a trip away with friends, it’s a great reason to keep moving forward!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m a big crafter! I do embroidery and cross-stitch when I’m relaxing but I also design and create costumes and props from movies, tv shows and video games in my spare time. It’s a lot of fun to make and wear them but I’ve also been able to teach myself all sorts of skills from sewing and pattern making to foam work and electronics.
What’s your life motto?
Everything happens for a reason so you better make the best of it!
Read more of our Meet the Team series:
To learn more about working at IN-PART, see our vacancies page or send a message to our Office Manager (Carly Turner) with your interest.
About IN-PART:
IN-PART is an online matchmaking platform that simplifies the initial connection between teams in academia and industry to establish collaborations that get ideas out of the lab and onto the market.
Launched in 2014, we now work with over 230 universities and research institutes worldwide, strategically matching promising academic research to relevant R&D professionals from a network of 5,500+ innovation-driven companies.
Copyrights reserved unless otherwise agreed , IN-PART Publishing Ltd. 2019. – ‘Meet the Team Q&A: Charlotte Atherton IN-PART, Senior Research Officer’