All-Ireland Technical Staff Network Conference 2025
The event opened with a warm welcome from Gillian Riddell, Technician Commitment Manager at Queen's University Belfast, followed by an address from Professor Archie Clements, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise. His remarks helped set the tone for a programme focused on recognising the essential role of technicians in higher education and research.
The morning featured a range of parallel workshops covering technician education, the Technician Commitment, and professional development. A keynote session led by Colleen Thomas, Gwyneth MacMaster, and Marion Ryan provided valuable insight into mentoring, career growth and the work underway at University College Dublin to support technical roles.
After lunch, attendees heard from Mel Leitch (UKITSS) on the progress of the Technician Commitment across the UK, followed by a keynote from Dr Hannah Roberts. Her talk, The Science of Self-Promotion, encouraged participants to take ownership of their career development and was widely praised for its relevance and clarity.
Afternoon workshops covered important topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion, the future of AI, and sustainability in technical settings, with speakers sharing both practical advice and examples from their own institutions.
The event closed with reflections from Gillian Riddell and Dermot Barry, who thanked all contributors and attendees for making the day such a success.
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