Helena Brown

I am  the lead technician for the Sorby Labs Suite and the lab manager for SSPAL (Soil, Sediment and Pollutant Analysis Laboratory) in the School of Earth and Environment.

I support staff and students while accessing the facility, and undertake field based sampling and laboratory analysis of sediment and water column samples.  My work also includes advising lab users on equipment use, laboratory techniques and sample analysis.

As well as purchasing laboratory equipment and consumables, I maintain financial records, safety documentation and advise lab users on protocols and safe laboratory working practices. I also manage our communications, including lab website and twitter feed.

In 2020 I won a placement to be a part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture Demo Team for the Planet Earth: A Users Guide lectures. I subsequently took part in ‘I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here’ outreach and engagement to share my experiences at the RI, and the career path which brought me there, with school age students.

In 2021 I won the Water Woman Award for Research Support, awarded by water@leeds.

In addition to my laboratory roles, I am also the joint Equality and Inclusion Coordinator for the School. In this position I am co-chair of the SEE E&I committee, a member of the Faculty E&I committee, and a member of the Faculty Athena SWAN self-assessment teams.