The Daphne Jackson Trust’s team consists of 13 members of staff.
Our team delivers the charity’s objectives by carrying out the day-to-day operations of the charity overseen by the Chief Executive, supported by the Trust Manager and a team of Fellowship Advisors and administrative staff.
Staff skills encompass financial management, academic research, marketing, communications, policy and public affairs, governance, administration, public-sector experience as well as expertise in understanding the issues returners face.
We are delighted to announce that Dr Katie Perry, the Trust’s Chief Executive has recently been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Surrey for her outstanding contribution and development of the Trust over the past decade. See her profile below for more details.
Meet our team
Dr Katie Perry – Chief Executive
Email: katie.perry@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
Katie manages the charity’s strategic activities and aims, working closely with the Board of Trustees. She develops and maintains relationships with stakeholders and sits on a number of national committees addressing diversity issues in STEM. Katie’s drive and commitment to engage with key sectoral players has transformed the Daphne Jackson Trust into the forward-looking organisation it is today.
Katie became Chief Executive of the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2011, having previously been Trust Manager. She has a background in science communication, including roles with the Institute of Physics. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Surrey, where she worked directly with Professor Daphne Jackson.
In July 2022, Katie was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Surrey for her outstanding contribution and development of the Trust over the past decade. Please click here to see a photograph and further details.
Dr Helen Marsh – Trust Manager
Email: h.marsh@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689162
Helen was appointed Trust Manager in 2018 after previously working at the Trust since 2013 as a Fellowship Advisor. She works closely with Katie Perry, Chief Executive, and the team, to manage the processes relating to the award of new and existing Fellowship sponsorship arrangements.
Helen has a strong background in research, having held positions at Imperial College London, the Health Protection Agency and the Pirbright Institute. Helen obtained a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and holds a DPhil in infectious diseases at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, also from the University of Oxford.
Dr Rosalyn Casey - Fellowship Advisor
Email: r.a.casey@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
As a Fellowship Advisor, Rosalyn is responsible for guiding applicants through the application process from establishing eligibility, supporting the applicants though the written application stage and preparing them for interview. She then supports and mentors Fellows throughout their Fellowship.
Rosalyn has a strong background in research, having worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College and the University of Surrey, and as a graduate microbiologist at a drug discovery start-up which later became acquired by AstraZeneca. Rosalyn has also worked in research administration as a Faculty Research Information Officer at the University of Surrey. She has a PhD in infectious diseases from the University of Surrey and a BSc in applied biology from the University of Bath.
Dr Andrew Clempson - Project Lead
Email: a.clempson@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
Andy is the Daphne Jackson Trust’s Project Lead. After joining in 2019 as the Data Compliance Officer he continues to ensure that the Trust is legally compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), and is working on a number of other projects, including a survey of former Fellows, an impact report and researching and implementing a new data infrastructure for the Trust.
Andy has spent ten years in the charity sector focusing on medical and health research. He helped hundreds of charities fund research during his time at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). He has a PhD in genetics from the Royal Veterinary College and BSc in Human Biology.
Dr Julie Dallison – Senior Fellowship Advisor
Email: j.dallison@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
As Senior Fellowship Advisor, Julie is responsible for assessing applicants’ eligibility for a Fellowship, supporting them through the application process, and mentoring successful Fellows throughout their Fellowship.
Julie holds a BSc in Chemistry & Food Science, an MSc in Science, Technology & Industrialisation, and a DPhil in Science & Technology Policy Studies, as well as a Diploma in Health and Social Welfare. She has a research background in the academic, public and charity sectors, mainly in the areas of food and health policy, with particular focus on food poverty. Alongside her role at the Trust, she also works for Citizens Advice.
Dr Gillian Halket - Fellowship Advisor
Email: g.halket@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 07548 759720
As a Fellowship Advisor, Gillian is responsible for assessing applicants’ eligibility for a Fellowship, supporting them through the application process and mentoring successful Fellows throughout their Fellowhip.
Gillian is herself a Former Daphne Jackson Fellow (2018) with a strong background in both industrial and academic research. She holds a BSC Hons degree in genetics and microbiology from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD in Bacterial Systematics from Glasgow Caledonian University. She spent time working in the USA as a senior scientist within a global biotechnology company, followed by many years as an academic research fellow prior to a six year career break to care for her young children. After completion of her Daphne Jackson Fellowship in 2020, Gillian worked in research support and coordination in a world-leading pharmaceutical manufacturing research centre at the University of Strathclyde, before joining us at the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2022.
Elaine Hunt – Fellowship Officer
Email: elaine.hunt@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 68 9166
Elaine focuses on managing the processes for sponsored advertised Fellowships. As well as liaising with sponsors and promoting the Fellowships, Elaine is also responsible for Fellows’ reports, adding information to the website and assisting with general office administration.
Elaine has an excellent background in sales, marketing and retail management from the corporate sector and joined the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2010 as a general administrator.
Tim Julier – Executive Officer
Email: tim.julier@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
Tim is Executive Officer to Katie Perry, providing executive administrative support and undertaking committee servicing and governance, policy work and public affairs for the Trust.
He has substantive experience of working in professional and higher education, including roles as Assistant Secretary to two Vice-Chancellors at the University of Surrey, Committee Support Manager at the University and Programme Manager at the Royal Academy of Engineering. Tim holds a BA Hons in Politics from the University of Sussex and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Fiona Karimjee – Finance Officer
Email: f.karimjee@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
As Finance Officer, Fiona is responsible for the day to day financial accounting and general finance administrative procedures for the charity. Fiona also deals with all financial aspects of the fellowships and sponsorship arrangements.
Fiona has previous experience working in finance gained from the corporate and voluntary sectors.
Farhat Mahmood - Trust Administrator
Email: f.mahmood@surrey.ac.uk
Farhat focuses on managing the processes for the Daphne Jackson Fellowships. She is responsible for assisting and managing the office administration and liaises with sponsors and helps to promote the Fellowships.
Farhat has recently joined the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2022 as a general administrator. Farhat has previously worked at the University of Law and brings with her a wealth of experience in student management.
Deirdre McMahon – Events Lead
Email: d.mcmahon@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: 01483 689166
As Events Lead, Deirdre is responsible for the overall management and organisation of all internal and external Daphne Jackson events, training courses, interviews, and meetings.
Alongside this role, she continues to work as Trust Administrator helping the Trust Manager to co-ordinate and manage Fellowship applications.
Prior to taking a 10-year career break, Deirdre had a successful career in Supply Chain Logistics with Gillette. Following her break Deirdre worked in the charity sector for CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development). Deirdre joined the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2016 bringing with her a wealth of experience gained from the charity and corporate sectors.
Kay Pearson - Fellowship Advisor
Email: kay.pearson@surrey.ac.uk
Kay is a Fellowship Advisor for the Trust. She is responsible for assessing applicants’ eligibility, supporting them through the application process and mentoring successful Fellows throughout their Fellowship.
Kay has an MA Hons degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge, is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a professionally qualified Coach with counselling skills. After a decade working in financial analysis in the City of London, she moved into the HE sector as a Career Consultant and Employability Advisor, working at the Universities of Cambridge and London, as well as the University of Law. Kay has worked with PGRs/ECRs as a Trainer for the Researcher Developer team at the University of Surrey, piloting a successful employer mentoring scheme for researchers. She has particular experience working with Physics and Law postgraduates on professional skills and career development. Outside paid work, Kay takes an active interest in her local community and manages a small gospel choir.
Francesca Scott - Communications Lead
Email: f.scott@surrey.ac.uk
Fran is the Communications Lead for the Trust. She is responsible for delivering the message around what the Daphne Jackson Trust do, coordinating information and raising awareness of the work of our fantastic Fellows.
With a Marketing and Product background, Fran has worked across a broad range of industries, including; technology, HR consultancy and IT product and Data solutions.