Staff Profiles
Paul Hutchinson - Chief Executive Officer
Paul joined the SEB as CEO in January 2011. Paul is responsible for the management, administration and governance functions for the Society, and providing the required support services to the Council, Committees, SEB Team and Members of the Society. Paul will also assist Council with the development and implementation of the Society’s strategy. Key aspects of this will include overseeing the SEB’s subsidiary companies, SEB Management and Carronades Property Management and building relationships with other learned societies in order to facilitate future collaborations.
Paul has a background in environmental chemistry (University of York) and this coupled with his extensive strategic management and financial skills will be put to good use within the SEB!
Contact Paul (p.hutchinson@sebiology.org) for information on:
- Governance
- Strategy
- Collaborations with other Societies
Sarah Blackford – Head of Education & Public Affairs
Sarah has responsibility for SEB's Education, Public Affairs and associated Communication activities:
- Career management and development
- Education and training
- Public affairs and public relations
- Science communication
- SEB Bulletin Editor
As a qualified careers adviser and MBTI practitioner, Sarah provides career development and support for SEB members and the wider scientific community. She manages the education and training programme, edits the membership's newsletter and handles public relations and policy advocacy. Working in cooperation with societies of the Society of Biology, (www.societyofbiology.org), as well as organisations such as the American Society of Plant Biologists, FESPB and EPSO, ensures the SEB's Education & Public Affairs role complements the international scientific profile of its membership.
Brief CV
1998 - present Current role
1995 - 1998 Careers Adviser (Universities of Leeds and Lancaster)
1989 - 1995 Managing Editor (Journal of Experimental Botany)
1986 - 1989 Plant science research (University of York)
Contact Sarah at s.blackford@lancaster.ac.uk
Talja Dempster - Conference and Communications Manager
Talja joined the SEB in October 2009.
Talja is responsible for the management and organization of all the Society's conferences and events, as well as projects that go through SEB Management. She deals with all queries related to the events, from sponsorship and exhibiton queries to delegate registration enquiries. Talja is responsible for the Society's communications, including writing the monthly members e-letter and implementing the conference marketing strategies. Another aspect of her job includes managing the website and its content, keeping it as user friendly and up to date as possible!
Contact Talja (t.dempster@sebiology.org) for information on:
- Conferences
- Symposia
- Delegate Enquiries
- Exhibition and sponsorship queries
- Website
- Electronic Newsletters
- With ideas for developing the website
- Feedback/Questions regarding the website
Sabina Baba - Membership Manager
Sabina joined the SEB in November 2009.
In August 2010 Sabina took over the role of membership manager. In this role she is responsible for ensuring that the queries of new and existing members are dealt with efficiently, managing the membership databases and administering the student grant schemes. Sabina is also involved in the initiation and maintenance of individual projects designed to improve the service that the SEB offers to its members, such as the Ambassador Programme. Previously, Sabina was the administrative officer and executive assistant, and will continue to support the CEO in her new role.
Contact Sabina (s.baba@sebiology.org) for information on:
- Ideas for new member benefits the Society could offer
- Membership administration queries
- Problems using the online systems for membership renewal
- Travel grant queries
Colette Connolly - Administrative Officer
Colette joined the SEB in August 2010, and works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays taking care of the society's administrative tasks including committee meeting minutes, monitoring finance and the general tasks that come with being an administrator.
She also supports the other members of the team in the following:
- Processing membership applications and payments
- Dealing with delegate and speaker registrations
- Assisting with marketing and publicity
- Accommodation
- Publications
Contact Colette on admin@sebiology.org