November 29, 2021, by aczjb1

Welcome José and Claire, our new Ingenuity Learning Support Development Officers!

This semester, we’ve welcomed two new faces to the team at HGI. José Francisco González and Claire Donaldson have joined as our new Ingenuity Learning Support Development Officers.

The main purpose of their role is to collaborate with our academic tutors on HGI’s flagship teaching philosophy, the Ingenuity Process, and they have been contributing to the delivery of workshops, seminars and classes throughout the Institute.

“Jose and Claire have exceeded our expectations as they have shared their knowledge and experience of technology entrepreneurship and social enterprise with our budding entrepreneurs,” said HGI Director, Professor Simon Mosey. “They have already provided colleagues with invaluable support in the new digital enabled classroom. I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring!”

Bringing experience from across the higher education and social enterprise sectors, we thought we’d introduce our newest members of the HGI team and shine a spotlight on the expertise they bring to the Institute.

José Francisco González

My background is quite unusual – I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the UANL in Mexico and an MSc in Applied Biopharmaceutical Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship from the University of Nottingham. I am about to defend my doctoral thesis exploring Entrepreneurial Ecosystems for Biopharma SMEs.

Outside of academia, I have industry experience working in the healthcare sector, food industry, and biotechnology, where I’ve held several positions in the areas of quality assurance, new product development, project management and business development.

In my role as Ingenuity Learning Support Development Officer, I am supporting the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) through mentoring Early Career Researchers from STEM fields looking to get into entrepreneurship. I am also involved with other HGI initiatives such as the Ingenuity Lab, Ingenuity Programme, and the Witty Entrepreneurial Scholarship.

My role also extends to academic responsibilities as I provide students enrolled in the modules on the MSc Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management with mentorship regarding their assessed projects. From the spring term, my colleague Claire and I will be supporting students from the MSc with their business consultancy project.

I am delighted to join such a brilliant and committed team at HGI, and please reach out to me if you’re unsure about entering the world of entrepreneurship from a background in STEM!

Claire Donaldson

Having joined the university in October 2021, I am perhaps the newest member of the Haydn Green Institute team! With over 10 years’ experience in higher education and secondary education settings, my background is in the leadership of social entrepreneurship, experiential learning and development programmes, and in the design and delivery of coaching and training for impact-driven youth social and environmental action projects.

I have extensive experience developing blended teaching and learning opportunities for young people in schools, colleges and universities, engaging students in co-curricular and enrichment activities to support personal development. I’ve also worked closely with vulnerable people and marginalised groups with a focus on reducing educational inequalities and improving the outcomes for disadvantaged young people.

So far in the role, I have contributed to the design of a new entrepreneurship module with the theme of social change for final year undergraduates, and have collaborated on the early-stage planning for upcoming experiential learning team consultancy projects for the MSc Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management. I have also been developing mentoring relationships to aid various social impact programmes, including the Witty Scholars, as well as helping facilitate and support learning and development within a series of academic courses. My vision is to inspire and empower the next generation of socially responsible changemakers and to support others to grow, innovate and create meaningful and lasting impact.

I am delighted to have joined the very supportive HGI team and my first few weeks have been overwhelmingly positive. I am keen to connect and collaborate with any budding or established entrepreneurs or innovators – staff or students alike, particularly those with socially motivated ambitions.

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