Meet the team

Beverly Roberts

"The best part of my job is the sense that we are working towards a grand, achievable vision and seeing my Centre make strides towards it every day (the office is also always well stocked with sweet treats!)." Beverly Roberts
Centre Manager and Executive Assistant to Centre Director, UK DRI at Edinburgh

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Supporting all aspects of the Centre’s day-to-day operations
  • Supporting the Centre Director (Prof Giles Hardingham) with implementing the delivery of the Centre’s strategic objectives
  • Oversight of Centre budgets including research grants
  • Advising Centre members on funding opportunities and contributing to scientific aspects of the grant writing
  • Managing Centre personnel/HR matters, including supporting recruitment processes
  • Manage, monitor and maintain records to meeting both internal and external reporting requirements and contributing to report writing when required
  • Organising Centre seminars and events and updating the local Centre website

Beverly has worked in Higher Education scientific administration since 2008. Her first role as Scientific Administrator was with the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. In 2017 she then joined the administration team (50% time) for the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (an autism research centre also at the University of Edinburgh). Beverly then added the Edinburgh UK DRI to her portfolio in 2018 (50% time). Prior to her move into scientific administration, Beverly held a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship (2004-2005) and then a 3-year MRC Special Training Fellowship in Health Services and Health of the Public Research (2005-2008) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. Both projects examined the impact of later life health outcomes on cognitive performance (cognitive epidemiology).

Beverly gained an MA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh in 2000. Her final year Honours thesis focussed on bradyphrenia (slowness of thought) in Parkinson’s disease. She then went on to complete a PhD at University College London in the Department of Epidemiology (2007) - examining the impact of retirement on cognitive performance.

Beverly is an avid gym enthusiast and particularly enjoys spinning and running.

Contact
beverly.roberts@ed.ac.uk