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Staff Profile

Karen Allenby

Head of Partnerships

Background

I lead 11 staff in the Partnerships team, part of the University's Business Development & Enterprise service. The team's responsibilities encompass several areas of interaction across all three faculties to support strategic objectives across research, education and engagement. Areas of activity include:

  • account management of several established and developing strategic partner relationships (large corporates)
  • managing a portfolio of relationships in the cultural sector
  • business engagement activity for a number of University projects and networks, including Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre North East (DERIC-NE), National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE)
  • partnership management for Apprenticeship programmes and business development for Continuing Professional Development (CPD), both with the University's Lifelong Learning and Apprenticeship Hub
  • outreach and business engagement for the Centre for Doctoral Training in Geospatial Systems

Background

Since joining Newcastle University in 2014, I have worked in an external-facing capacity across Schools in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) and as Strategic Partnership Manager for the University's relationship with Siemens. 

Prior to joining the University I worked in Civil Engineering consultancy, specialising in the design and construction of coastal protection projects. After completing my MSc at York University I worked within their Rolls-Royce funded University Technology Centre (UTC) specialising in software requirements engineering for aero-engine control systems. I have also worked in secondary science education (UK curriculum) in Singapore and as a high school academic coach (US curriculum) in the UAE and UK.

Qualifications

  • MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Liverpool, 1991
  • PGCE, Newcastle University, 1997
  • MSc Information Processing (IT conversion course), University of York, 1999
Publications