AMOSSHE Winter Conference 2025: communities and collaboration

Emma Bales

Director of Student Services, University of Cumbria

Emma is Vice Chair (Operations) at AMOSSHE and Director of Student Services at the University of Cumbria. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

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Carol Edwards

Assistant Head of Student Experience, Senior Lecturer in Law, The Open University

Carol Edwards is Assistant Head of Student Experience (Retention and Outcomes) and a Senior Lecturer-in-Law within the Open University Law School, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests include tackling student isolation and improving retention and outcomes through programmes such as online mentoring and the Law School Belonging Project. She is also actively involved in scholarship relating to employability, online teaching pedagogy and supporting armed forces veterans. Before joining the Open University Carol worked in further education and is still involved in the quality management of Open Access courses. 

: https://www5.open.ac.uk/scholarship-and-innovation/scilab/our-research/law-school-belonging-project
: carol-edwards-90312515b/

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David Gilani

Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy, Middlesex University

David works at Middlesex University as a staff governor and their Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy leading on their efforts to engage both current students and alumni. Having started his career as a students’ union officer, he is a strong proponent of the student voice and in 2012 he founded the Student Publication Association, which supports student journalists across the UK and Ireland. He believes strongly in universities working together to support student engagement efforts, and so leads AHEP’s Student Experience and Engagement Network. He has recently completed his PhD at the University of York on the topic of student belonging.

: davidgilani/

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Deshaun Hancock

Diversity Programmes Coordinator, Nottingham Trent University

Deshaun Hancock is Diversity Programmes Coordinator at Nottingham Trent University and, alongside her team, leads the successful delivery of the Black Leadership Programme, designed to empower undergraduate students of Black heritage to progress personally, academically and professionally.  

: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/life-at-ntu/get-involved/black-leadership-programme

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Liz Hardie

Director of SCiLAB and Senior Lecturer (Open Justice), The Open University

Liz Hardie is a Senior Lecturer in law at the Open University Law School and Director of SCiLAB, the Faculty of Business and Law’s Scholarship Centre for Innovation in online Legal and Business Education. She works for the Open Justice Centre supervising law students carrying out pro bono projects both as part of their law degree and on an extra-curricular basis. Her research interests include online learning and the use of technology in legal education. Liz co-founded the Law School Belonging Project and has led it for the last four years with Carol Edwards. They have published an article and written a forthcoming book chapter about developing belonging in an online context. 

: https://www5.open.ac.uk/scholarship-and-innovation/scilab/our-research/law-school-belonging-project
: liz-hardie-b48831203

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Sally Lambah

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, Wrexham University

Sally is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Wrexham University. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

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Samia Muse

Diversity Programmes Officer, Nottingham Trent University

Samia Muse is Diversity Programmes Officer at Nottingham Trent University and contributes to the successful delivery of the Black Leadership Programme, designed to empower undergraduate students of Black heritage to progress personally, academically and professionally.

: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/life-at-ntu/get-involved/black-leadership-programme

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Jenny Shaw

HE External Engagement Director, Unite Students

Jenny Shaw is HE External Engagement Director for Unite Students. She has previously led for Unite Students on student experience and student wellbeing, setting up the first student support team in the PBSA sector and contributing to national guidance. Since 2013, she has led national policy research into the student experience, producing influential reports such as Living Black at University and the Applicant Index. Prior to working with Unite Students she held senior roles in the HE sector, leading on widening access and inclusion. She is currently seconded one day a week to the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.

: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/governance/vice-chancellor/higher-education-student-support-champion#

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Dom Smithies

Head of Influencing & Communications, Student Minds

​​​​​​Dom Smithies is the Head of Influencing and Communications at Student Minds, the UK's student mental health charity. Dom is a part of the senior leadership team within the organisation and leads the directorate responsible for policy, insight, communications and student engagement. He also supports the delivery of the University Mental Health Charter. Dom has been with the organisation for seven years and has been involved in a number of sector-wide initiatives to improve practice, including UUK's publications in their Suicide Safer Universities series, as well as publishing reports at Student Minds focused on addressing mental health inequalities.

: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/
: @Dom_Smithies

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