Simon Vaukins has been appointed the new Network Coordinator for the North Wales and North West Region. We asked Simon to share a little bit about himself.

Simon’s background

I came to Lancaster University in October 2000, as an undergraduate with a plan to complete a History degree and then move on. It’s now July 2018 and I’m currently employed as Faculty Graduate School Manager in the Faculty of Science and Technology, a point I’ve reached via part-time work in the Library – whilst completing a PhD – and roles in HR, an undergraduate office and managing a postgraduate office. That takes my total time at Lancaster to 18 years, and I’ve seen a lot of things change around me.

I’ve been a member of the AUA since 2014 and an AUA Advocate at Lancaster University since 2016. As an Advocate it was great to be a part of the North Wales and North West Regional Network, and it was great to be part of the team that won the AUA Network Team Award in 2017. To be given the opportunity to lead this network over the next 3 years is a fantastic, if not slightly daunting opportunity.

Network developments

Having won the 2017 AUA Networks Team Award in 2017, it’s going to be a definite challenge to maintain the success of the network, and build on the work that’s been undertaken over the past 3 years; but it’s a challenge that I’m prepared to take on! There’ll definitely be some focus placed on growing the networks membership numbers, and adding to the pool of Advocates across the region over the next 3 years. We’ve got a really strong group of Advocates in the network and there’s already some really great ideas being proposed. I don’t want to reveal too much, but the proposal for virtual, collaborative CPD events across the network’s institutions is exciting and as a network team we’ll also continue to organise our regional mini-conference, which is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of our network activity!

If you’ve got any ideas, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!