Dr Lyndsey Middleton on the move

Dr Lyndsey Middleton

Dr Lyndsey Middleton

Congratulations – and good luck – to Edinburgh Napier University 2020 PhD graduate Dr Lyndsey Middleton as she embarks on the next stage of her career.

Lyndsey has recently transferred from her Senior Assistant Statistician post at the Scottish Government into the role of Senior Statistical Officer within the Capital and Borrowing Statistics team in the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This also means a switch of work base for Lyndsey from Edinburgh in Scotland to Darlington in England.

In her new role, Lyndsey will oversee some key tasks associated with the publication of statistics in the quarterly live tables and also annual data, including a statistical bulletin. She will also undertake data-related tasks such as quality assurance of the materials sent to, and data collected from, local authorities.

Further to this, Lyndsey now has some line management responsibilities, and opportunities for work-related travel for team days, networking, and learning events. She snapped the shot of the River Thames below on her return journey home to the north of England after her first work trip in her new role to the London office of the MHCLG last Wednesday 3rd December.

River Thames London

The River Thames, London. Photo credit Dr Lyndsey Middleton.

Celebrating with Toni Scullion at the Edinburgh Napier University Alumni Awards 2025 ceremony

Edinburgh Napier University Alumni Awards trophies 2025

Awards winner trophies at the ceremony. Photo credit: Greg Macvean.

Congratulations to Toni Scullion, Computing Science teacher and co-lead of Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science (STACS). Toni was recognised as an Edinburgh Napier University Alumni Excellence Award winner at a ceremony at the University’s Craiglockhart campus last Thursday 6th November. Continue reading

All change for Dr Bruce Ryan

Dr Bruce Ryan

Dr Bruce Ryan

After 13 years at Edinburgh Napier University, Dr Bruce Ryan’s role as Senior Research Fellow has come to an end. Last Friday, I joined Bruce for a special meal to mark his last day in paid employment at the University. Amongst the other guests were our (former) colleagues Dr Peter Cruickshank, Dr David Haynes, and Dr Rachel Salzano.

I worked closely with Bruce for over a decade when we were colleagues in the Centre for Social Informatics. Of the many projects on which we collaborated, three stand out: Continue reading

A new recruit and two retirees: news of Dr Rachel Salzano, Dr Peter Cruickshank, and Dr David Haynes

Dr Rachel Salzano

Dr Rachel Salzano

Congratulations to Dr Rachel Salzano, who starts the new academic year 2024/5 with a permanent contract as a lecturer in the Applied Informatics subject group of the School of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University.

Rachel initially took up a fixed-term post within the Group soon after completing her PhD on public libraries, forced migrants, and culture, which I supervised from 2019 within the Centre for Social Informatics alongside Dr David Brazier and Dr Gemma Webster (now a lecturer at Dundee University). It is great news that Rachel‘s contract is now open-ended. Continue reading

Deadlines approach for next iConference, hosted by Edinburgh Napier University Spring 2026

iConference, 2026, banner, Edinburgh, Napier

There is still time to submit contributions to the next iSchools iConference. However, if you are working on a research paper (full or short), or a poster, next week’s Monday deadline is fast approaching. Continue reading

A new role for Dr Iris Buunk

Dr Iris Buunk

Dr Iris Buunk

All the best to Edinburgh Napier University PhD graduate Dr Iris Buunk, who has recently taken up a new position at the Service écoles-médias (SEM), DIP Etat de Genève. Iris’ new job title is Scientific Assistant and Project Manager. In her new role as a member of staff of the Département de l’instruction publique, de la formation de la jeunesse, Iris contributes to the development of digital technology, audiovisual, and documentation services for teaching staff working in primary and secondary schools in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Iris’ new job also includes project management, research, and event organisation, as well as managing a team of around ten colleagues. Continue reading

The People’s dispensary archive: launch event at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

people's, dispensary, launch, event, bannerOn Wednesday last week, I paid a visit to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The purpose of my visit was to attend the launch event of a new online resource. The People’s dispensary brings together digitised case notes from the earliest years of the Edinburgh public dispensary. Continue reading

Marking the 80th anniversary of VE day with a contribution to The Conversation

The Conversation logoToday is the 80th anniversary of VE Day. On this date in 1945, the Second World War allies formally accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces.

Amongst the articles published in The Conversation this week to mark the 80th anniversary is ‘VE Day: how personal first-hand accounts help keep everyday narratives of wartime Britain alive’. This article highlights the value of audio to bring the words of ordinary people from the Second World War directly into the present. The content of the article draws on the analysis of audience engagement with Lorna Lloyd’s Diary of the war in two online formats: (1) text and images on Blipfoto posted from 1st September 2019; (2) an eight episode podcast series that starts with diary entries from early September 1939. The analysis was first presented in an article that I co-authored with Dr Bruce Ryan, Marianne Wilson and Dr Iain McGregor, published in Archives in December 2024. Continue reading

March 2025 work highlights

For a retired person, work-wise March 2025 has been a super-busy month for me. I have:

  • Helped edit a draft journal article manuscript
  • Provided feedback on documents related to the next Research Excellence Framework in 2029 (REF)
  • Prepared and delivered a presentation for archives and records professionals with Dr Bruce Ryan on our work on the Lorna Lloyd archive
  • Joined in the reboot of the Edinburgh Coffee Morning
  • Attended lectures on a range of topics ranging from radical thinking to dark matter
  • Written an award nomination for a former student who has achieved great things since graduating from Edinburgh Napier University in 2009
  • Submitted an abstract for a talk to be delivered in May 2025

Continue reading