After graduating in 2009, Nicola moved into small animal practice but after a short time away returned to the University to complete her PhD and has since worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Veterinary Parasitology understanding what happens in invertebrate hosts when they are infected by parasites and how this contributes to parasitic disease in livestock.
Nicola has been involved in the Association for 8 years and donates much of her own time running the ULVAA Facebook page as well as sourcing and writing news stories to promote the work of veterinary alumni across the world and organising activities and events, with this year having to switch to virtual events due to the pandemic.
She says: “When I meet fellow Liverpool alumni there are always many connections and similarities in our memories: the AJ and the Raz, the Guild of Students, the 699 bus service, the Harold Cohen library, out-of-hours work in the veterinary hospitals, ice cream or fish and chips at Parkgate, many fond memories.”
The Association also aims to support the next generation of vets. During Nicola’s time on the Committee they have introduced an annual round of student funding to support academic activities or non-academic activities that promote wellbeing as well as supported the annual Liverpool University Veterinary Society careers fair by connecting students with alumni who can share their varied career paths. She said: “We have also introduced the University of Liverpool Veterinary Alumni Association Final Year Student Award – nominations are sought for the final year student that is considered to be outstanding by their peers.”
As Chair of the Research Staff Association, Nicola has also worked to provide networking and development opportunities to research staff across campus in a voluntary capacity demonstrating her commitment to the University and its community.