Helena Brown
- Position: Technical Specialist for Sorby Environmental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
- Areas of expertise: Particle size and shape analysis, Environmental Fluid Dynamics, Fieldwork, EDI and laboratories, EDI and fieldwork.
- Email: H.Brown@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 6765
- Location: 8.129/7.104 SEE
- Website: | ORCID
Profile
I am the lead technician for the Sorby Labs Suite and the technical specialist for SSPAL (Soil, Sediment and Pollutant Analysis Laboratory) in the School of Earth and Environment.
My role in the laboratory includes:
- Supporting staff and students while accessing the facility
- Undertaking field based sampling and laboratory analysis of sediment and water column samples.
- Advising lab users on equipment use, laboratory techniques, sample analysis and data visualisation
- Maintaining financial records
- Purchasing laboratory equipment and consumables
- Maintaining safety documentation and advising lab users on protocols and safe laboratory working practices
In 2020 I won a placement to be a part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture Demo Team for the Planet Earth: A Users Guide lectures. I subsequently took part in ‘I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here’ outreach and engagement to share my experiences at the RI, and the career path with brought me there, with school age students.
In 2021 I won the Water Woman Award for Research Support, awarded by water@Leeds.
I was the joint Equality and Inclusion Coordinator for the School from 2019-2024. In this position I was co-chair of the SEE E&I committee, a member of the Faculty E&I committee, and a member of the Faculty Athena SWAN self-assessment teams.
As of March 2025 I am the chair of the UK Technical Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network (TEDIN) Sub-Committee, funded by the UK Institute for Technical Skill and Strategy (ITSS).
Responsibilities
- Technical Specialist for Sorby Environmental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
- Technical Specialist for Sediment, Soil and Pollutant Analysis Laboratory