Tanya Klymenko, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences
Meet Tanya Klymenko, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences. Post Climate Action Week, that took place between 23-27 February, Tanya Klymenko tells us about her role in biomedical sciences, how her work aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and Strategy 2030.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve worked at Queen Mary?
It’s my second reincarnation at Queen Mary. I was a postdoc at the Barts Cancer Institute more than ten years ago and last academic year I came back as a lecturer in biomedical sciences.
Describe your average day/week
I am a Teaching and Scholarship member of staff, which means my main task is teaching. I am part of the Nanchang Joint Programme team, and all my students are in China. This creates a very unusual dynamic with two types of typical working days. While here, my working pattern isn’t too different from my London colleagues, but when in China, we work a very intense schedule, as we only have short periods of stay there to deliver our in-person teaching. I find my teaching experience on the programme very rewarding, with very keen students and a support team that always goes the extra mile to make our stays productive.
Are there any key projects you are currently working on that you’d like to highlight? Can you tell us how they align with the Sustainable Development Goals?
My role supports access to high-quality UK higher education, including face-to-face teaching that would otherwise be geographically inaccessible. Equitable access to internationally recognised teaching and curricula aligns strongly with inclusion and access aims under Sustainable Development Goal 4 Quality Education.
What do you see as your role in helping the University achieve its Strategy 2030?
I believe that Queen Mary’s employment of large numbers of staff from diverse backgrounds reflects its commitment to being the most inclusive university. As a migrant member of staff, I am part of that commitment in practice. I might sound arrogant, but I contribute to Strategy 2030 by doing my job to the best of my abilities, and I thoroughly enjoy supporting the University’s community-facing projects such as Climate Action Week.
What’s your favourite place on any of our campuses?
I used to think that nothing can beat the Charter House Square in warm season, but I have now also fallen in love with the small stretch of grass with weeping willow trees by the Regents Canal here in Mile End campus.
Do you have any hobbies, pastimes outside of work?
I don’t think it is a hobby, but I am a very active member of a Ukrainian community here in the UK. As a result, I am involved in multitude of projects which takes all of my time outside work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.