| Role & Contact Details | Profile |
| Chair – Tony Dickson Principal Technician University of Central Lancashire Tel: +44 (0)1772 89 3506 Email: chair@ubma.org.uk |
Tony is passionate about recognising the skills and contribution of technical staff to the academic experience and has pioneered a programme at UCLAN to gain professional accreditation for all his technical team. He has also established an annual Technical Conference at UCLAN and is one of the theme leads for the Technician Commitment at UCLan. Tony has been a long-time advocate of apprenticeships and continues to support the university-wide apprenticeship through membership of the working group. He also sits on the Biomedical Research Facility steering group. Recently, Tony has become a professional registration champion for the IST. Tony is also Treasurer of the university branch of Unison and plays an active role in working with University leadership to improve working conditions for staff across all departments. Outside of work, Tony is a member of the Preston Dragons Dragon Boat team and also finds time to be an active participant in his local Round Table, raising funds for local community as well as spending time with his young family. |
|
Secretary – Geoff Blunt |
 I’m currently managing technical operations across several medical research sites at the University of Manchester, following 20+ years in various technical roles. In that time I’ve worked across various disciplines at the University, with a constantly challenging series of roles. The research environment has changed as well – technical staff need to be more organised and informed than before, keeping better records, while doing ever more complicated work.
Keeping me busy away from work: travel, cats, sewing and Eurovision. |
| Treasurer – Victoria Talbot Laboratory Manager Harper Adams University College Tel: 01952 815224 Email: treasurer@ubma.org.uk |
 My remit is to manage the Princess Margaret Laboratories and its team of nine technical staff. We are an independent, centralised group and our role is to support and facilitate both teaching and research for almost all of our institution’s lab-based activities; a pretty wide remit given that this ranges from soil and other environmental sciences, to animal nutrition, microbiology, entomology, molecular biology, anatomy and physiology (including large farm animals), crop protection and production and animal health. Fortunately, I have a highly skilled and professional team of technicians and together we ensure that classes run and that research is adequately supported. There are also a couple of academic-led research labs in other parts of campus and I have input into those too, providing essential technical back-up and helping to ensure that safety standards are maintained.Outside of work I’m kept busy with my family (one husband, two children, one dog and two cats). I also enjoy wine-tasting and swimming and as a family we are active members of a local Christian fellowship. |
| Committee Members | Communications Officer – Marc Farrelly – University of Dublin Membership Secretary – Jennie Brigham – membership.secretary@ubma.org.uk Allison Hunter – Imperial College London Edel Durack – University of Limerick |
| Auditors | Mark Cosgrove, Ann Sinnett |
Tony is the Technical Manager of a busy team of technicians and technical staff at the University of Central Lancashire. Having studied Phys/Pharm at UCLAN, he returned some years later and over the last 14 years has worked his way up the technician ladder to managing a team of over 30 staff, across various disciplines and multiple locations.