Meet the team

meet the team

The Academic Skills team is a small group dedicated to helping all students adjust to and succeed in their work at university. We advise undergraduates, postgraduates and staff members studying at Edinburgh Napier on all aspects of university study and writing. The team also works with academics to develop guidance tailored to particular disciplines and cohorts of students. For more detail regarding our services, visit our dedicated pages for students or academics. Learn more about each of us below.

Tayo, Team Manager

Tayo

Tayo moved to Edinburgh in 2010 to study towards Masters and PhD qualifications in the Biological Sciences. Having completed his research in 2017, he worked in the School of Applied Sciences as a demonstrator and a student project adviser, before joining the Academic Skills team in 2018. He was thrilled to be appointed the team’s manager in 2023. Tayo also spent four years working in the medical and pharmaceuticals industry. Additionally, he has over ten years of experience as a customer service analyst in the banking industry. When he isn’t working, Tayo spends time with his wife and children.

Angus

Angus

Angus first joined the Academic Skills team in 2013. He previously studied and taught at Georgetown University, before producing a political news programme for American radio. After sampling other pastures and finding them less green, he joined the team on a permanent basis at the end of 2018. Angus works closely with students and staff in the School of Arts and Creative Industries. He also spends time producing online study resources and leading on academic integrity issues. When not at Edinburgh Napier, he’s likely to be working on the manuscript of a book on emblems and the works of W.G. Sebald (the subject of his PhD thesis), growing things to eat (with mixed success), or exploring some of Edinburgh and the Lothians’ quieter corners.

Lorrae

Lorrae

Lorrae first came across learning development as an undergraduate student when she needed help with her academic writing. The guidance was so valuable that it inspired her to become a peer mentor, and the role sparked a passion for ‘facilitating learning’. Ten years later, she has experienced academia from several different perspectives, including as a student, lecturer, teaching assistant, and writing tutor in the UK and USA. Wanting to use the insight she has gained to dispel the myths of academic skills for other students, she joined the team in Spring 2022. Outside work, she can be found tending to her ever-growing plant collection and exploring Edinburgh on long walks. Lorrae is also writing her PhD thesis on corpus linguistics and language testing, and is still using the strategies from all those years ago to help her.

Annemarie

Annemarie

Annemarie joined the Academic Skills team in 2022 and works closely with postgraduate international students in the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment. She has navigated various transitions from school into the workplace, into university, back into work, and back into academia. As such, Annemarie is passionate about supporting students of all ages and backgrounds to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in higher education. Her educational background comprises undergraduate and postgraduate research focused on widening participation in higher education through the social sciences. She has taught social science subjects at various levels within the further and higher education sectors. In her spare time, depending on the weather, Annemarie can be found reading a murder mystery or out for a cycle.

Jasmine

Jasmine

Jasmine joined the Academic Skills team in the spring of 2023, after having taught Geography in both the secondary and further education sector in London for five years. In addition to her teaching roles, she also held pastoral responsibilities, with a particular focus on supporting students with their mental health and facilitating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students. Prior to this, she lived in Oxford for a year, where she completed a postgraduate qualification in education at the University of Oxford. She also has experience working with students for whom English is an additional language, having taught English in Rome. Her interests outside of work include travelling, roaming modern art galleries, and taking in Scotland’s beautiful landscapes.

Hannah

Hannah

Hannah joined the Academic Skills team in summer 2023. She was awarded a PhD in Human Geography in 2018, and has taught at universities around the UK since then. This teaching experience has given Hannah an awareness of the growing challenges facing students, including the ongoing impacts COVID-19, the rising cost of living, and increasing mental ill-health. She is passionate about supporting students to make the most of their studies, no matter their circumstances. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys visiting museums, exploring Scotland, and reading.

Susie

Susie

Susie started her studies and career in journalism, going on to work for the BBC and The Scotsman newspaper. However, raising dyslexic children made her passionate about supporting people to fulfil their potential in education and beyond. Hence, she took a postgraduate qualification in careers guidance at Edinburgh Napier University, and has been a board member of Dyslexia Scotland for nearly ten years. Concurrently, she has been working as an Academic Skills adviser, whilst also offering career guidance outside of the university. Susie has a love of animals, and particularly hedgehogs and tortoises. Incidentally, she also loves good grammar.

Martine

Martine

Martine has taught primary school children in Paris and worked as a bilingual editor for Oxford University Press. She returned to university to study Film, and later gained a Doctorate in Education from Glasgow university. She designed and taught various university courses in Film Studies and managed the Film and Creative Writing programmes at Edinburgh University’s Centre for Open Learning. She understands the challenges of working and studying while raising a family. In her spare time, she enjoys attending and contributing to local film festivals.