Jackie Carter is professor of statistical literacy at the University of Manchester, co-director of the Manchester Q-Step Centre for social sciences training and director for engagement with research methods training. She previously taught maths in secondary school,?before undertaking a PhD in geostatistics as a mature student. She developed a living-wage paid work-placement scheme, which has placed hundreds of social sciences and humanities undergraduates in summer internships where they?do data-driven, analytical research.

Where and when were you born?
I was born in Leeds in 1960.

How has this shaped who you are?
I was born into a very working-class family in suburban Leeds; my dad was a tailor¡¯s cutter, my mum was a full-time mum. She became a dinner lady when I was 10 or something. That has shaped how I am now because it grounded me; it¡¯s given me the values that I still use. We all had to go out to work when we were old enough to work, so?I had a Saturday job from when I was 14. I was brought up in a family that respected work and [was taught] to look after each other in a way that was about looking after each other in society.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to speak up sooner and be the voice in the room that you want to hear. I tell my students that now. It took me a long time to have the confidence and the courage to be that voice. I¡¯m now that voice for women in tech and data industries, as well as for disabled people because I have disabilities myself. But it wasn¡¯t until I was in my fifties and sixties that I was confident enough to be that voice.

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Tell us about someone in your life who has had an influence on you.
My eldest son ¨C Huw ¨C was diagnosed in 2019 with an incurable brain tumour. He is the strongest, most positive person I know. I think that¡¯s why I can¡¯t name anyone else...I can¡¯t look up to people who were born into privilege. I struggle to name people because I know so few who have made it to where they are now without struggling.

What has changed most in higher education in the last 5-10 years?
The challenges?for academic staff have changed, and they are immense. I¡¯ve worked in academia for 26 years, but I¡¯ve not always been an academic?¨C?I¡¯ve seen the change in workloads for academics go through the roof. The pressure on academics now to publish, to bring in grants, to teach more, to mentor, to do all of the emotional work around being in an academic setting has increased the skill set of an academic and?[universities have]?become a much more difficult place to work in ¨C the pressures are immense.

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What are the best and worst things about your job?
Best: I get to make a difference in young people¡¯s lives and open doors that they never knew existed. And I do that because I lump together all of my previous experience in building those bridges between the academic and the workplace. Worst: probably having so many things to do, having so many plates to spin and fitting that into a working week. Because I have disabilities, continuing to function at the level I previously functioned at without disabilities is very challenging.

If you were the universities minister for a day, what policy would you immediately introduce to the sector?
I would put far more emphasis across all universities?on the need to have a well-planned experiential learning programme. I think the ones who gain the most out of university are the ones who?take up?extracurricular activities alongside their academic activities.

What is the biggest misconception about your field of study?

The biggest misconception is that to get into the data or tech field you have to have a STEM background. It¡¯s a myth. Everything I do is to show that arts and humanities students are brilliantly creative, that they are great at reading huge volumes of literature and then thinking theoretically and practically. If we give them opportunities?[they can] put those into practice in the talent pipeline that the industry is missing.

What would you like to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for being the person in my students¡¯ lives that I wish I had had in my life when I was their age.

You¡¯ve won awards such as the?One in Twenty Women in Data and Technology award and the FDM Everywoman in Technology Academic Award. How much does that mean to you?
Quite a lot. Because I¡¯m a late bloomer, a lot of my work has flown under the radar because it doesn¡¯t fit into typical academic structures. I have been a bit of a maverick and ploughed my own furrow. I¡¯ve done that for the last?seven years and all of a sudden industry and academia are paying attention to it, so it means a lot that there is a spotlight on what I¡¯m doing and what I believe in. The awards in and of themselves are personally satisfying, but the biggest achievement for me is that the students going through this programme are having opportunities they wouldn¡¯t otherwise have.

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CV

1979-83?BSc in mathematics?with its application, University of Sussex

1983-84?PGCE, University of Swansea

1984-88?Secondary school mathematics teacher

1991-92?MSc in computer science, University of Cardiff

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1993-96?PhD in computer science, University of Leeds

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1997-2013?Professional services national role in development of educational and data services for higher education teaching and research, University of?Manchester?

2013 Director for University of Manchester Q-Step Centre

2020?AdvanceHE National?Teaching?Fellow for recognition of Data Fellows programme

2020?One in Twenty Women in Data and Technology award winner (academic category)

2021?Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences

2021 Member of UKRI ESRC?Strategic?Advisory?Group

2022?Member of UKRI ESRC Closer expert group?

2023?Winner of FDM Everywoman in Technology Academic Award

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com

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