Name: Richard Badger
Job Title: Technical Team Leader (Sport)
How long have you worked for the University?
Since 1995! I began my SHU career working for the School of Leisure & Food Management splitting my time between the City and Totley sites. I started out learning more about I.T. and multimedia techniques, supporting predominantly Biomechanics and Sport Technology. I enjoyed the diversity, but less so refilling ink cartridges which could be a very messy process. It was an exciting time and early days of the Internet at SHU, it was commonly referred to as the World Wide Web at that time and had limited content.
How do you usually start your day?
When I first wake, I sometimes do a few minutes of Mindfulness (or have an extra 10 mins nap!). When I get to work, I check my emails, the Sport Technical Team inbox and my schedule for the day. The Sport Technical Team are really well organised and ensure that the labs are ready for student practical sessions or research work. We work closely with the academic teams on planning and delivering practical session to ensure the students receive a high quality service. We are really keen to hear feedback about how we are performing and are currently looking at feedback mechanisms that work well for all stakeholders.
Can you sum up the main aspects of your role?
Health and Safety compliance is a large part of the role, it’s vitally important that lab users are safe so having the risk assessments and associated documentation is a priority. Estates work is part of my remit and I often work closely with Facilities Directorate on projects, acting as a faculty contact. (For info- estates requests go to; ! HWB Estates Requests). Finance is ongoing throughout the year including capital procurement of new equipment and maintenance of existing kit. I work closely with the team and lead on strategic direction that aligns with the university strategy and the personal development of team members.
What is the most interesting project you are working on right now?
The team have been working hard on achieving BASES (The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences) lab accreditation. It’s a quality assurance process that confirms that the laboratories fulfil strict requirements ensuring that equipment provides accurate data for teaching and research and that our processes are compliant and function at a high standard.
Can you recommend any useful tools (e.g. apps, websites, events etc.) that have supported you in your role?
I’m currently participating in Hallam Leaders programme; the events are informative and provide a good networking opportunity. I think it helps to stay up to date with what’s going on at SHU and leadership current ideas and concepts. It keeps me fresh and in the right mind set for developing myself and the team. I can also recommend David Allen approach to productivity and his “Getting Things Done” model. It has helped me keep on top of things for those times when you are in high demand!
Tell us something about yourself your colleagues might not know about you?
I’m pretty much obsessed with music and listen to both old and new music of varying genres. I write songs and perform these with my band regularly. Here’s a link if you’re interested in what my band sounds like: Soundcloud
If you are interested in sharing your story for the: A day in the life of… blog series please contact the staff engagement inbox; ! HWB Staff Engagement