Beverly Brown
Receptionist / Personal Assistant to the National Graphene Institute Directors
I’ve worked at the University for twenty six years starting in Electrical Engineering as Machines Group Secretary and then P.A. to the Head of School. I manage the Directors’ diaries but it can be quite tricky at times, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without seeing what the picture looks like. I welcome visitors, sign them in and issue them with a pass and I then have to make sure the member of our staff is around for the meeting.
The Graphene Institute isn’t a traditional school, it’s an institute linking with different schools across the University. It’s amazing, the people that are interested in graphene and want to come and have a look round. The Dyson guy came in. Sir Dyson! I was like Beverly, behave. I get to speak to everyone from different universities around the world, business people, politicians. When the Chinese President, Xi Jinping visited, it was weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of planning and practising.
When I first started in Physics around 2004, it was as group secretary for Andre and Konstantin so I’ve known them a long time. It’s really kind of mind-boggling what they’re achieving here, but to me, they’re still my boys.