Long service recognition awards 2023

Karen first came to Surrey on a Youth Opportunities course, which combined college-based work with work experience at the University. After starting out in the Department of Microbiology, she moved to the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and has never left!

“My first role was to help out around the office and to run errands – all the typical things you do at the bottom of the pecking order - but gradually I worked my way up.

“There have obviously been big changes since then. Everything was still done on typewriters and the campus has changed a lot since. I remember when the Austin Pearce building and the piazza was just a field, sitting there with the technical staff and watching the Duke of Kent’s helicopter landing on degree day.

"I’ve been with the Ion Beam Centre for over 30 years, back from when it was a research group in the department to it now being a part of the Advanced Technology Institute and a National Research Facility.  I have always been happy working at the University and that has to be down to the people I’ve worked with and I’ve made some good friends over the years."

Karen has been PA to Professor Roger Webb - who has also been at the University for 40 years - since he took over the Directorship in 2002/03.

“The fact that we are both here is testament to the good colleagues we’ve had over the years,” she says.

Roger joined the Ion Beam facility in September 1983 as a research assistant after completing his PhD in Salford and spending three years in California working on his Post-Doc. He became a lecturer in the Electrical Engineering department a couple of years later, working his way up to Professor before taking over the running of the facility in 2002/03.

“The ION Beam Centre became a national facility for microelectronics in 1978 and received a very big roll-on grant in 1981/82; at that time they were looking for new staff to come in and help out and, as I’d done computer simulation work on Ion Beam related topics and could assist with the computing side, I got the call from Surrey.

“When I arrived, the elec-eng department had only three computers but desktops were starting to come in. One of my first roles was looking after the computing facilities in the elec-eng department – we were joined with maths and computer science then as a joint resource. The number of computational devices around the department grew in that time to a few thousand. It was revolutionary!" In his 40 years at Surrey, Roger has brought in just over £70m in grants and contracts.

Tony, originally from the Netherlands, started working at the University after a suggestion from a couple of Surrey technicians who happened to be living in the same B&B in Castle Street as him – and the rest is history. Originally a builder, he is now a painter by trade…

“When I started the University had 10 painters but I’m the only one left now! The initial attraction was having a steady job with steady pay – unusual for the building industry then. I got £40 a week to start with.

“The best thing about my role is that I can make things look pretty! I’ve worked alongside a lot of interesting people and teams over the years and had a few unusual requests too! I once had to plaster a student’s room after he decided to play golf in it after a night out. But I enjoy a challenge – that has always been my attitude.

“I have a lot of special memories including the time I got taken on as a security guard for the Queen’s car on the occasion of one of her visits, which was a harder job than it sounds as everyone wanted a photo with the car!”

Allan was already an Olympic and Commonwealth Champion by the time he began working part-time at Surrey in October 1982 having moved down from Edinburgh with wife Margot earlier in the year.

“Athletics provided the physical challenge but I felt like I needed to be more mentally active. I was a marine engineer in Edinburgh and I learnt a lot more once I began at Surrey, ending up as a systems engineer looking after the students – and I’ve carried on doing that!

“No two days are the same, so you’ve got to adapt to the new parameters. I enjoy the challenge the students come up with more than anything else. It’s been a brilliant experience. It’s character building and the students have always appreciated the support. I take a lot of self-satisfaction from what I do and I hope the students feel the same.

“Building the new library was a significant change in respect of bringing the University ‘up’, as was the Surrey Sports Park development. Around that time I was proud to host a couple of ‘Allan Wells sporting lectures’ with Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Trevor Brooking, which went down very well.”