School of Sport Technical Services Co-ordinator Emma Finlay began her career in forensics before transferring her skills to sport and exercise science at Ulster University.
Graduating in Forensic Science in 2013, Emma worked in forensic toxicology at Randox for the first 4 years of her career, testing blood alcohol levels and training to be an expert witness in substance abuse and alcohol consumption. In 2017 she moved within the company to establish and lead the Randox Health Check Laboratory team based in Holywood, operating as a satellite lab from the company’s facilities in Antrim and servicing the general public, health workers and signposting to GP services following results and analysis in the best interests of patient health and wellbeing.
Following the pandemic, which saw the team redeployed to COVID testing, Emma sought to return to a role that offered her plenty of contact with people. She explains:
“I missed being part of a tight team, the more personal touch, and the opportunity to make things better for colleagues or patients.”
A new role at Ulster University’s Belfast campus offered her just that – a chance to work in a busy environment across not just 1 but 3 state of the art labs on the new city centre campus and to make a difference to staff and students. Emma joined the UU School of Sport team in August 2022, as Technical Services Co-ordinator for the Biochemistry, Physiology and Biomechanics labs in the new Belfast city centre campus. Across research and teaching, it’s a role that combines technical skill and precision with a keen focus on supporting the confidence and capability of others.
Day to day, Emma can be found supporting researchers in their work - calibrating or demonstrating equipment, supporting research participants, assisting in student interaction and running the analysis and interpretation of results. She and the technical team are always on hand as the trained first aiders.
Emma adds:
“It’s very rewarding for us to provide a support network for such interesting research. Understandably, sometimes our PhD researchers may be a little nervous in interacting with their research subjects, and I enjoy being a colleague they can rely upon to be there for any technical queries that might come up. It’s about assisting them to make the very most of the resources on campus as they pursue their research study.”
Emma also supports undergraduate students with the research project in their final year of studies and demonstrates equipment, exercises and practical activities during lab-based teaching sessions, encouraging clinical awareness, confidence and appropriate use of PPE.
Liaising regularly with team colleagues on the Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry campuses, Emma adds:
“We are a small team on a large campus. Working closely with lecturers, researchers, research subjects and students, I most enjoy sharing my skills to help improve experiences for those who study, work or take part in research here at UU. Ulster has a long established reputation in Sport and that makes it even more rewarding.”
A mum of two young children, Emma is a keen gym user and was once a rhythmic gymnast, competing in her sport for a decade. She adds:
“I’m surrounded by colleagues and students who are committed to fitness, sport and exercise, fascinated by biomechanics and how the human body works – its possibilities and its limitations.
Coming from the health and pharma industry into Higher Education, I’ve been made so welcome at Ulster and am enjoying building my career in a sector that I might never have thought about when studying myself. University offers every bit as much opportunity as a place of work as it does for study.”