Meet the team

Helen has worked in Higher Education (HE) for over 25 years and began leading the Student Engagement in 2017. Helen particularly enjoys using quantitative and qualitative data to critically evaluate and improve the UniSkills service provision and plan new student-centred academic skills interventions.

“I feel lucky to manage a team of staff who put the student at the heart of everything we offer.”

Helen Jamieson

Joining Edge Hill in 2015, Julie oversees the operational management of the Student Engagement team. She is responsible for student engagement initiatives, events and campaigns including welcome, induction and transitional support. Julie is also the strategic lead on student communications for the three Catalyst Services: Library and Learning Services, Student Services and Careers.

“I love learning more about students and helping to make their university journey unforgettable!”

Julie Nolan

Prior to joining Edge Hill, Claire spent 22 years as a Further Education (FE) Lecturer and has a really sound understanding of the transition students make from FE to HE. Claire particularly enjoys helping students to gain confidence to develop their own academic style as they embark on their academic writing journey.

“I am always excited to experience the buzz of a new academic term and supporting students to develop the skills they need to succeed.”

Claire Swanwick

Helen Briscoe

Helen has been part of the Student Engagement team since 2018, and has worked at Edge Hill for over 20 years. She loves the variety that comes with her role as an Academic Skills Advisor and particularly enjoys meeting and supporting a diverse range of students. Helen is responsible for the development of the Returning to Learning student community of practice, which supports students who have had a break from education to develop their confidence.

Kat Molesworth

Kat is usually based at Manchester St. James’ but often travels to Ormskirk to work with the wider team based in Catalyst. Kat meets a wide range of students both at St James’ and online, through delivery of UniSkills Workshops and one-to-one support. She really enjoys talking about academic writing and critical thinking with students, learning more about what they are working on, and most of all seeing their hard work recognised in their feedback and results.

Claire Olson

Claire has worked at Edge Hill for 7 years, supporting hundreds of students who have struggled with their academic writing. She finds great satisfaction when a student suddenly grasps criticality or reflection and can apply it to their work. Claire also dedicates time overseeing UniSkills evaluation activities and enjoys reading student feedback and learning how much UniSkills support is valued. She is also passionate about building academic resilience and the impact this can have on student success.

Adam Paxman

Adam was the first person in his family to go to university and, prior to joining the team, has supported learners and taught in FE and HE. When he is not delivering study skills support to students his focus is on induction and transition. Adam loves the day-to-day aspects of his role, supporting students with academic writing or information skills through appointments, workshops and delivering embedded sessions on a wide range of topics.

Emily Pennington

Emily is the newest member of the team, joining in September 2022, having spent 10 years as a HE Lecturer. Throughout her career she has gained valuable insights into students anxieties as they transition into HE and is passionate about helping alleviate those concerns, helping to guide students to be the best researchers and writers they can possibly be.

Maisie Prior

Maisie has been an Academic Skills Advisor at Edge Hill for over 5 years. Her favourite part about working in the Student Engagement team is being able to help students realise their potential and achieve their best grades. Maisie was instrumental in the creation of the Being Critical Toolkit and is excited to continue developing new workshops and resources in the coming year.

Andy Tomkins

Andy is a qualified Librarian and has worked at Edge Hill for over 16 years. His role involves helping students with referencing, finding academic information and developing their academic writing. This involves one-to-one support, workshops and embedded delivery across the campus. Andy finds it very rewarding to help students problem solve something they may have struggled with and to see their understanding develop.

Christine Anderton

Christine has worked at Edge Hill for 19 years in a variety of roles within Student Services and Learning Services. She is responsible for managing the team of Student Advisors, co-ordinating campaigns and student engagement activity, social media communications and much, much more. Christine particularly enjoys how varied her role is, so no two days are ever the same.

Georgina Butler

Georgina will be joining the Student Engagement team in October 2023 and will work closely with the Student Engagement Manager to operationalise student communications (based on your feedback) across the three Catalyst Services: Library and Learning Services, Student Services and Careers.