Sally McNamara

When did you realise this was the career path for you?

Very soon into my graduate training programme. At that point I didn’t have a clear vision of my future and how I would develop as a researcher, but I realised pretty quickly this was a profession that suited my skills and capabilities, where I got to do a range of different activities, and it was something I loved doing.

Have you got any words of wisdom for someone starting out in a similar role?

Like most professions, when you first start out it’s worth being willing to work on anything and do whatever tasks are needed, to gain the experience and work out what kind of researcher you’d like to be. Beyond that, research is a profession that welcomes all sorts of different traits and skills, and you can develop in very different ways – from deep expertise in particular methodologies or subject areas; or like me, being a bit of an all-rounder without claiming to be expert in any one thing.

Different organisations have different cultures, and will be doing different types of research, so the opportunities will vary depending on where you’re working. I feel the best researchers love what they do (and accept the occasional more challenging projects!), so if you’re not feeling that way, it could be you’re not in the right place for you.

How does SYSTRA stand out from the rest as a great place to work?

I feel lucky to have joined such a lovely team and to have such a great line manager. I felt welcomed and valued from the moment I joined, and feel very comfortable being able to work in the way that suits me, making my own contribution as part of a supportive team.

With such power in diversity, what unique perspective do you bring to the table?

I have an unusually diverse research skill set, having worked in market and social research, and used such a broad range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. However, as for everyone everywhere, the unique perspective I bring is that I am the only me. Everything I say and do is as a result of everything I am and have experienced, and for good or bad, there is literally no one else in the world who matches that. One thing I love about SYSTRA is we don’t homogenise people into defined groups – we have a broad understanding of diversity being about everyone being able to be who they are.

Where is the place that has inspired you the most?

I’d probably say Enfield, as the place where I grew up and spent my formative years. To repeat the for good and bad, acknowledgement, it’s growing up in Enfield that has made me who I am today.

What does true sustainability really mean to you?

If this question was just asking what sustainability was, I’d say it was changing the way we use resources in a way that doesn’t cause harm and will rebalance or renew.

But considering what true sustainability really means to me, gives me the opportunity to be more creative and imagine an unachievable utopia where humans’ population growth and technological developments evolve in a way that is in perfect balance with nature, rather than creating all this damage.

What would a green future look like?

We can and should be changing our behaviour to make all those small (and big) changes wherever possible. But, given where the world is, I think a green future needs technological breakthroughs to find new ways of countering the damage we’re doing, and have done, to our environment to achieve balance.

How do you look after your wellbeing outside of work?

Being physically active, having fun with my daughters, laughing at my husband, my husband laughing at me, reading, playing piano (with exceptional mediocrity), singing in a choir (with exceptional mediocrity), eating healthily and accepting that I am who I am.

If you could spend your lunchbreak with someone you really admire, who would you choose?

Greg Jenner. He’s an endearing and engaging historian, who was a consultant for the Horrible Histories TV series, and hosts a podcast I love called You’re Dead to Me. Greg makes history fun and accessible, and manages to convey the excitement I feel when reading a book about the Wars of the Roses, much better than I ever could (why do people call me boring?!). We’d have great fun discussing British regicides during a lovely walk in the park.

If you had to pick, which mode of transport would you use for the rest of your life?

My own two feet.