Shama Sasikumar

Deputy President (Education)

Hello, I’m Shama.

I’m currently in my final year of Biological Sciences, but I was hoping I could be your DPE next year!

Having done a fair bit of legwork during my time here, I know there are ways our academic lives can be made easier.

Having spent the summer holidays and autumn term with the ED-TECH team at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, I was behind the scenes; seeing how infrastructure such as Blackboard is used to support our education. While there, I got my hands dirty, and did a bit of experimenting, trying to create practical tools to support our everyday needs; and I want to carry on doing this.

There are 3 ways I can make your academic life easier:

Open doors

Allow informed decisions concerning further education/ employment to be made easily by increasing access to Imperial based research and startups.

Create a designated site showcasing research within Imperial.
Coordinate with White City for more short-term placement opportunities.
Meaningful networking; pick up transferable skills whilst meeting recruiters.
Create an alumni book; allowing us to connect with alumni.

Streamline bureaucracy

Reduce time & energy spent on administrative tasks.

Simplify paperwork associated with accessing support e.g. the hardship fund, learning difficulties diagnoses.
Help understand the new Mit–Circ process.

Improve Postgraduate support

Improve Maintenance funding by establishing an Imperial Loan scheme.
Create an app allowing PG students to connect whether for interdisciplinary thinking or social events.

And there is always a need for more free areas dedicated to rest/study!