A new podcast series from Imperial College London, UK, explores the experiences of lab staff at in its animal units, and the unprecedented challenges they have faced during the pandemic.
Staff in animal research facilities fall under the key worker category, meaning they have continued to work on-site caring for the animals at all times – with the consequent restrictions in place to ensure the staff’s safety.
In the first episode of Animal Research@Imperial: voices from the field during pandemic, podcast producer, Dr Anna Napolitano, interviewed lab technician Julia who spoke of her passion for animal welfare, her early starts for work (5.30am) and her concerns about travelling on public transport.
In the latest episode Named Training and Competency Officer, Amy Wathen, shared her insights on her role in the animal units and said: “I’ve only been able to meet my responsibility thanks to the hard work of staff and researchers that have been able to remain on site all the time during this exceptional situation.”