Steve Joy (he/him)
Head of the Postdoc Academy
Contact: steve.joy@admin.cam.ac.uk
Steve leads the Postdoc Academy in its mission to enable postdocs to realise their potential, working with partners across the collegiate University and the research sector to inform, develop, advocate alongside, and foster a sense of community with postdocs.
Since 2020, Steve has been Deputy Director of the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, a national initiative funded by UKRI to support 450+ research and innovation leaders. He works particularly on leadership training, 360 feedback, and career development.
Previously, Steve worked as an Adviser in the Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre at Imperial College and, for five years, in the Postdoc Careers Service at the University of Cambridge. Latterly, he was the Head of Researcher Development at Cambridge. Steve completed a PhD on the fiction of Thomas Mann; he also supervised and lectured for five years.
Susie Chan
Deputy Head of the Postdoc Academy
Contact: susie.chan@admin.cam.ac.uk
Leads on strategy for external engagement and development of a postdoc alumni programme, as well as overseeing the HR and operational aspects of the Postdoc Academy.
Susie manages the operational teams within the Postdoc Academy, including finance, communications, community/external engagement, and centres/projects administration. She specialises in enhancing the user experience and improving business processes.
Since joining the University in 2000, Susie has worked in a number of finance and project roles in the Finance Division and Judge Business School. She currently serves as a non-executive director for two University subsidiaries.
Zarine Dastur
Finance & Operations Manager
Contact: zarine.dastur@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for finance, HR and operational work, which includes managing the Centres and Projects teams, and supporting the Head and Deputy Head. She is also a University Wellbeing Advocate and Mental Health First Aider.
Zar joined the University of Cambridge in 2022 as Centre Coordinator for the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. She previously worked for 13 years in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office across a range of operational roles.
She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).
Shaun Ballisat
Senior Centres Coordinator
Contact: shaun.ballisat@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the management of the centres team and the day-to-day running of our three Postdoc Centres.
Shaun oversees a number of operational aspects for the Postdoc Academy, including use of centres, maintenance, green initiatives, health & safety, and compliance. He also provides administrative support across the office, working closely with other members of the team on other PdA initiatives and events.
Shaun joined the Postdoc Academy in 2020, having held similar positions in arts and business venues.
Ellie Burgess-Wilson
Centres Assistant
Contact: eleanor.burgess-wilson@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the day-to-day running and usage of our three Postdoc Centres.
Ellie acts as a first point of contact for visitors and enquiries to the Postdoc Academy and oversees event bookings and hot-desking inductions, as well as providing support with other administrative tasks and centre maintenance. She is also a Wellbeing Advocate and has completed mental health first aid training.
Prior to the Postdoc Academy, Ellie worked previously in the Department of Psychology and other administrative roles outside the University.
Jenny Hayward
Communications Manager
Contact: communications.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for designing and managing the Postdoc Academy's communications, including the website, newsletters, social media channels, and digital media production. Jenny also provides specialist communications strategy and support for the Academy's projects.
She has been part of the Postdoc Academy since 2016, previously working in numerous communications teams around the University, including Research Communications, Social Media and Film, and podcast production.
Jenny also delivers communications workshops for postdoc groups, and is currently consulting on a research project with the Open University to create gender equality in martial arts.
Hollie Godden
Community Manager
Contact: community.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for activities aimed at developing the postdoc community across departments, Colleges, staff networks and University Partner Institutes.
Hollie looks for opportunities to strengthen the postdoc community through new initiatives that facilitate networking and collaborations. She works closely with researchers, departmental administrators, and our communications team.
Hollie also supports postdoc societies with their own events and surveys, providing guidance, advice, and project management support.
Hollie joined the University in 2014, in a role which included supporting researchers. She then moved into the Unified Administration Services, joining the Academy in 2018. She has obtained an Associate Project Manager qualification and sits on some University committees.
Stephanie Tolhurst
Senior Projects Coordinator
Contact: stephanie.tolhurst@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the management of the projects administration team and coordination of Postdoc Academy projects and programmes.
Stephanie coordinates and administrates a range of programmes which include, leadership fellowships, mentoring and researcher development activities, as well as organising information sessions for postdocs. General tasks include preparing project plans, monitoring and reporting on these plans, supporting events, workshops and conferences and updating the postdoc calendar.
She has over 15 years’ experience working in higher and further education as a project coordinator and apprenticeship assessor. Stephanie started working for the University of Cambridge in 2018, originally within a department, supporting the organisation of undergraduate placements.
Caroline Coetzee
Projects Coordinator
Contact: caroline.coetzee@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for coordination and administration across a range of Postdoc Academy projects and programmes.
Caroline works on a range of programmes including mentoring, fellowships and the Postdoc to Innovators (p2i) network, as well as helping organise welcome events and information sessions. She works across the PdA team, preparing and supporting project plans, managing and reporting on data, and supporting events, as well as communicating with postdocs and internal and external contributors, to ensure effective and successful delivery.
Caroline has been working for the University since 2015 in a variety of communications, project management and administration roles.
Anya Rutter
Projects Coordinator
Contact: anya.rutter@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the coordination and administration of Postdoc Academy projects and programmes.
Anya coordinates and administrates a range of programmes, which include leadership fellowships, mentoring and the Postdoc to Innovators (p2i) network, as well as organising information sessions for postdocs. General tasks include preparing project plans, monitoring and reporting, supporting events, workshops and conferences, and working closely with a variety of team members to ensure the success of projects and programmes.
Anya joined the University in 2021, working at the Clinical School before joining the Postdoc Academy. She also completed a Business Administration Apprenticeship in 2022.
Nicole Horst
Researcher Development Manager
Contact: nicole.horst@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for managing the Postdoc Academy's professional development programme.
Nicole specialises in developing and delivering content related to leadership, mentoring, networking, and personal effectiveness. She also works closely with a number of University of Cambridge training providers and researcher developers at other universities to facilitate access for postdocs to a range of relevant training opportunities and resources.
Nicole draws on over a decade of experience as a postdoc in both the US and UK to help contextualise her work.
Marina Bush
Researcher Development Associate
Contact: marina.bush@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the curation, development and delivery of professional development training for postdoctoral researchers.
Previously, Marina worked in higher education in a range of teaching and research roles, across disciplines and with voluntary and public sector organisations. Prior to a career in academia, Marina worked as a community development officer for a local authority where her focus was on advocating for and leading community groups to make change.
Marina has a background in social sciences and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Katia Smith-Litiere
Entrepreneurship & Industry Engagement Project Manager
Contact: katia.smith-litiere@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Responsible for the postdocs 2 innovators (p2i) network and for connecting postdocs to industry.
Katia works with stakeholders from national and international entrepreneurial ecosystems to develop educational programmes for postdocs. These events develop their entrepreneurial mindset and capabilities to pursue academic and non-academic career paths, including starting a venture.
She is co-developer of the p2i online course: empowering researchers to innovate, and a module lead on the Postgraduate Certificate in Research and Innovation Leadership.
Katia has a background in life sciences, as an academic researcher and an innovation consultant. She co-founded the Cambridge Science Centre and is a director of Makespace.