Jennifer Rodley

2014-present - PhD Researcher, University of Leeds - for the past four years I have been researching the behaviour of molybdenum in ocean sediments.  This involves managing all aspects of the project including managing a budget; preparing proposals and reports; communicating my research to my research group and the wider scientific community through scientific papers, talks and poster presentations, and; analysing data to identify trends.  I have completed my research and am now writing my thesis.

2019-current - MinOrg Support, University of Leeds - I currently work on the MinOrg project developing the website and preparing required materials in the lab.

2018-2019 - Research Support Administrator, University of Leeds - I supported research projects in the School of Earth and Environment which involved collating information on suitable research grants, maintaining project websites and organising seminars.

2014-2014 - Ore Deposits & Commodities Intern, British Geological Survey – I assisted the BGS Minerals and Waste Team to compile the data set for the centenary edition of the World Mineral Production publication.  I also researched and produced a paper for publication on the history of the mineral statistics database. 

2010-2012 - Schools Liaison Manager, Research Toolkit Ltd – I developed and maintained relationships with schools in West Yorkshire to promote the STEM Ambassadors Programme.

2004-2010 - Personal Assistant, University of Leeds – I provided executive support for senior staff in addition to managing my own projects and events. 

1996-2004 - Various roles in the financial services industry – I initially worked as a receptionist and progressed in several companies to become a fully qualified corporate pensions advisor. In the later stages of my career in this field I managed a portfolio of large corporate clients providing pensions advice to management and employees.

As an Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholar I undertook research alongside my studies.
My scholarship enabled me to work with Dr Cris Little on his research into fossilisation processes at deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites.  

Although vents and the communities that inhabit them are thought to have existed for millions of years, these sites were only discovered in 1977 and consequently research in this field is still relatively new.  Little is known about the processes that fossilise vent communities and a better understanding of these processes could ultimately be used as a proxy for past environments.  To better understand the mineralisation and fossilisation processes at work, Dr Little submerged a series of identical titanium cages containing organic and inorganic material at two discrete vent sites along the East Pacific Rise and these were left for around one year.  Retrieval of these cages and the specimens contained within has allowed comparison between the different samples and the different vent sites.  Microscopic analysis of these specimens and sulphur isotope analysis formed the basis of my research.  A selection of the scanning electron microscope images I took during my research can be found here.  I presented a poster on my research at an international conference which can be found here.

• 2017 - AGU Fall Meeting, New Orleans, USA, poster presentation - The development of molybdenum as a paleoredox tool
• 2016 - Student Tour of Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK, talk - Using XAS techniques to identify molybdenum sequestration in sediments
• 2016 - Diamond Science Away Day, Oxford, UK, poster presentation - Development of molybdenum as a paleoredox tool
• 2015 - PRIMES Conference, University of Cambridge, UK, talk - Development of molybdenum speciation as a paleoredox tool
• 2015 - Nutrient Cycling on the Ancient and Modern Earth Conference, Leeds, UK, poster presentation - Development of molybdenum as a paleoredox tool
• 2013 - RSA Research Talk, York, UK, talk - Fossilisation processes at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
• 2012 - RSA Roger Boyle Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholar Prize Presentations, Leeds, UK, talk - Alumni Research and Leadership Scholarship Skills Development
• 2012 - University of Leeds Alumni Dinner, London, UK, talk - How the Research and Leadership Scholarship enhanced my student experience
• 2012 - Deep-Sea and Sub-Seafloor Frontiers Conference, Sitges, Spain, poster presentation - Fossilisation processes at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
• 2011 - German Student UK Universities Tour, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, talk - My life as a student at Leeds and research into deep-sea hydrothermal vents

• Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Publisher)
• ArcGIS
• CorelDraw
• OriginPro
• Midland Valley Move (structural modelling software)
• Athena (XAS software)

• Operating binocular, petrographic and scanning electron microscopes
• SEM preparation including carbon coating, consolidation and mounting
• Rock cutting and polishing
• Making and polishing polished blocks
• Maintaining a comprehensive and accurate lab book
• Selecting and preparing samples for sulphur isotope analysis
• Following wet and dry lab health and safety procedures
• Sequential extraction procedures
• Preparing samples for ICP-MS analysis
• AAS analysis
• Preparing samples for XAS analysis
• XAS analysis and XANES processing

• 2011 – 7 days in South Wales looking at igneous and sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Precambrian to Carboniferous
• 2011 – 12 days in Assynt, North West Scotland, examining a thrust system (the Moine Thrust) in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
• 2012 – 7 days in County Clare, Southern Ireland, looking at Carboniferous basin deposits
• 2012 – 7 days in Connemara, Southern Ireland, examining Precambrian to Ordovician intrusive and extrusive igneous lithologies
• 2012 – 21 days in North Yorkshire investigating Carboniferous limestones and sandstones with MVT mineralisation

• Full UK driving licence
• Full UK passport

• In my previous role as Schools Liaison Manager, I successfully developed and managed relationships with school teachers, students, academics and industry professionals to promote the STEM agenda.
• As a PhD Researcher I communicate my results and plans to my supervisors and other members of my research group. This includes verbal updates, email contact and the production of written reports and briefing documents. 
• I am a confident speaker and have given talks to a variety of groups in a range of situations including international conferences, students in small tutorial groups, senior alumni and university staff at formal dinners, and professional presentations to groups of twenty or more people during training sessions in my previous roles.

• I regularly worked in teams as part of my degree course. During team projects I led poster groups to coordinate tasks and pull members’ research into cohesive documents as well as facilitating communication between team members via email and social network sites to coordinate regular meetings to agree objectives and deadlines.
• I am the former Secretary and current Outreach Officer of the Leeds Student Union Vegetarian and Vegan Society.  These roles have required me to liaise with members to organise meetings and arrange events.  I also work with University staff and external charities and contacts to plan and deliver events to our members.
• As a research and leadership scholar I worked with the University Alumni Office to provide stewardship for donors and assistance with alumni campus visits. This involved working closely with the Alumni team to plan and execute successful engagement meetings with potential donors as well as providing clear and concise updates on my research for my own scholarship donor.

• In my role as a personal assistant at the University of Leeds I managed a range of projects and events alongside my support role. To carry out these tasks effectively I had to be very flexible and respond to urgent and sometimes unexpected tasks while maintaining schedules and deadlines for planned work. I achieved this by being organised and therefore able to re-evaluate and re-prioritise tasks and being flexible around working hours.
• After working full-time for over ten years, becoming a full-time undergraduate student was an enormous lifestyle change.  To successfully manage these changes I had to adapt to my new circumstances very quickly to avoid any impact on my studies. I was able to achieve this by maintaining a positive and proactive attitude and looking at change as an opportunity for personal growth.  As a result, I fit into university very well, achieved high grades and formed mutually supportive relationships with other students.

• I generate large volumes of data for my PhD research which require an analytical approach to identify trends and potential problems.  I have also developed a new scientific method as part of my PhD which presented a number of problems as the method evolved.  As issues have arisen with the method I have researched them and, if necessary, collaborated with colleagues to resolve them.
• During my undergraduate research I examined over 150 individual specimens to determine the processes at work in deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments. I employed a number of analytical techniques in my investigations including: observations using a binocular microscope and environmental scanning electron microscope and accurate recording of these observations using written notes and illustrations; development of a cataloguing process and systematic cataloguing of the specimens, and; comparison of observations using software packages. This enabled me to start to develop hypotheses on the processes at work that can be continually tested and developed as examinations of the samples yield further results.

• As a PhD Researcher I have to plan my activities to fit in with my research group in terms of booking equipment and ensuring lab consumables are available for experiments.  My PhD also involved spending time at an external research facility several times a year and I had to prioritise and plan my work to make sure I had materials ready for these fixed dates.
• In my part-time role as Schools Liaison Manager I had targets to reach in terms of school engagement meetings and school activities. To reach these targets I regularly monitored my progress and if necessary, changed my activities. If I was on track with school engagement meetings but needed to improve school activity targets, I temporarily stopped contacting new schools to arrange meetings and focused on any schools I had already met that needed additional support to set up STEM activities. This approach worked very well and helped me achieve my targets.
• During my role as a personal assistant at the University of Leeds I managed a large three-day event for senior University staff and alumni on campus. This project was in addition to my normal workload and required a great deal of planning and organisation to ensure that my core duties were not negatively affected. By putting together a detailed project plan with set timescales and regularly reviewing progress with staff involved I was able to deliver a very successful event and received congratulations from the University Vice-Chancellor, the Alumni team and several alumni guests.

• Developing a new scientific method requires a great deal of self-motivation when the project stalls or results are not as expected.  It is only by pushing my project forward despite set-backs that it has now reached fruition to the point where it can be presented to the scientific community. 
• To be considered for an undergraduate place at Leeds I needed a Geology A Level. As I was working full-time I enquired about evening classes but there were no colleges in Leeds offering this subject as a part-time course. I therefore arranged to sit the exams at a local school and taught myself the curriculum, including a fieldwork project. This required a great amount of self-motivation and dedication to furthering my passion for geology and although at times it was very challenging to manage studies around a full-time job, it was ultimately rewarding as I received the grade I needed to study at Leeds.
• In addition to my studies at Leeds, I am on the Committee for the Leeds University Union Vegetarian and Vegan Society.  I started as Secretary and, after speaking to members, it became clear that a significant cohort wanted to get more involved in outreach individually and in collaboration with charities.  I therefore developed the new role of Outreach Officer which I do along with two other students and we have delivered a number of well-attended activities that students showed an interest in alongside our planned social events.  I have also organised numerous other events to attract new members and our membership has increased significantly.