Faye Watson

CMVM Public Engagement with Research Manager

Contact details

Address

Street

53 Portland Street

City
Post code
WC1V7QH

Biography

Background

As the Public Engagement with Research Manager (PEwR) for the College of Medical and Veterinary Medicine I devise, lead and develop new strategies to build, embed, sustain and enhance PEwR participation across the college. I work with a multitude of colleagues and communities across the University, Edinburgh City and beyond, to realise our mission of delivering research that responds to the needs of society. Prior to taking up this role at Edinburgh, I worked as the Engagement & Communications Coordinator at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) where I led on embedding an internal culture that valued and supported public engagement with research. I also managed the crisis communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we were the only research institute to remain open during the early stages of lockdown, and were key to the UK's response to the pandemic. Before joining the CVR I was the Public Engagement and Science Communications Officer at the UCL Wellcome Centre for Neuroimaging, and prior to this I was undertaking my own research in plant biochemistry at Cardiff University. 

I am the current Chair of the Scottish Public Engagement Network (ScotPEN), an inclusive network of people involved in public engagement across Scotland. We provide peer support, collaborative opportunities and a voice to shape and share good engagement practice. 

I am also a 2023 Churchill Fellow and was funded to travel to Botswana and South Africa in 2024 to undertake a project looking into community engagement practices within African communities, to support my work with African communities living in Scotland who are affected by blood-borne viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Following on from this work I was selected to join the Board of Trustees for Waverley Care, Scotland's largest sexual health charity and have been in this role since June 2024.  

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