Welcome to new members of the ECMC Programme Office - February 2023

Over the past few months, the ECMC Programme Office has welcomed three new members to the team. Neil Bhattacharjee (NB), Project Officer; Eleanor Davies (ED), ECMC Project Liaison Intern and Amy Wiles (AW), Project Officer. Find out more about them below.

 

What is your role in the ECMC Programme Office?

NB: Project Officer. It is my role to support projects within the portfolio that promote globally competitive research delivery. 

ED: Project Liaison Intern

AW: Project Officer. My role is to support the delivery of key projects across the ECMC Programme Office and be the first point of contact for ECMC and Centre queries. 

 

When did you join the team, and can you describe one highlight you have had since joining?

NB: I joined in mid-January and being able to assist in the JING 2023 conference and with other key workshops early this year have been incredibly fulfilling.  

ED: I joined in September 2022. Attending the NIHR Cancer Industry Event was a great experience to further my knowledge of the UK clinical research landscape and appreciate the gold-standard reputation of the ECMC network and its expertise.

AW: I joined the team on the 18th of January – so I’m very new! A huge highlight for me has been attending the Jing conference. My background isn’t scientific, so it was wonderful to be in a room full of incredibly intelligent people making amazing contributions to cancer treatment and research. 

 

What was your experience before joining the team?

NB: My background experience is in Event and Project Management, and I am currently studying an MSc in the Strategic Management of Projects at UCL (part time) which has great transfer into the role as a Project Officer within the ECMC PO.

ED: I studied for a bachelor's in Medical Sciences and a master's in Business Analytics, to develop my analytical and problem-solving skills, for a project management oriented role in clinical research.  

AW: I have a degree in Anthropology from the University of Southampton and my experience before joining the ECMC programme office has been primarily managing branding and packaging design projects for FMCG companies like Unilever and Starbucks. 

 

What hobbies do you enjoy doing outside of work?

NB: I enjoy keeping active, then balancing that out with trying new restaurants across London.  

ED: I love to travel when possible and learn about cultures/lifestyles (would love to visit Japan), as well as seeing live music/concerts.

AW: I love travelling and seeing new places, my next big trip is Canada in April! I’m big on cooking and trying out new recipes (I make a huge amount of mess and it never turns out exactly as planned, but I really enjoy the process). I adore going to the movies, and I have a particularly nerdy love for movie soundtracks. 

 

If you were only able to read 1 book, watch 1 movie and listen to 1 song whilst stranded on an island, what would they be?

NB: Book: Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson. Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Song: This Girl, Cooking on 3 Burners 

ED: I'd read Ghosts by Dolly Alderton, watch Dumplin' and listen to Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn.

AW: Book – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; Movie – Gladiator; Song – (No one knows me) Like the Piano - Sampha