Jack Davies

Currently studying Biology at UoS.

My previous role was as a Business Admin Support role in an area of the NHS that deals with complex cases. This role had many different aspects which include frequently dealing with enquiries from distressed clients/families and also answering calls and emails from solicitors. For this I needed to be able to remain professional and calm at all times and ensure I provide thorough responses to their enquiries. This was often challenging; however, this provided me with job satisfaction knowing that I was able to support and reduce their concerns with clear explanations. I had responsibility for booking meetings. This involved ensuring all parties were correctly invited in a timely manner and that the appropriate rooms, equipment, and attendees were available. In this role, I was also the “unofficial” IT assistant, usually assisting my colleagues with installing hardware or reinstalling software when things went wrong. 

I am currently a full-time student studying a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at The University of Sheffield and have just finished Second Year. I am enjoying the challenge of working in an academic environment, as this is quite a different experience to full-time employment. So far, I have learnt many lab skills necessary for wet-lab work, and have recently completed a week long intensive course in molecular biology. I have also learnt many useful research skills, and other skills necessary for scientific work, such as scientific writing, the basics of coding in R, and statistical analysis. As part of my degree, I have also participated in outdoor field work, including a trip to Sweden working on Arctic Ecology. I have also trained as an Academic Rep, a role which involves collecting and disseminating feedback from my fellow students to a Staff-Student Committee.