Kay Pearson

Organisation

University of Surrey

Job title

Researcher development officer

Biography 

Kay has a degree in Geography from Cambridge University and spent ten years working in the City for the Bank of England and in investment management before moving into a  more people-focused role as a Career Consultant in HE. She has worked at Cambridge University, the University of London and more recently the University of Law (‘ULaw', formerly The College of Law). As a result, she has worked with hundreds of students across a range of disciplines on careers related issues as well as with private clients. Kay worked on various research projects at ULaw, including differential employment success rates among students and alternative work-based routes to qualify as a solicitor and has written many articles on careers and education topics.  She managed the first e-careers advice and coaching service for alumni of ULaw, having qualified as a Personal Performance Coach in 2010. At Surrey, Kay has worked in employer engagement for the Physics department and currently provides career and employability support for the Researcher Developer team. She is piloting a PGR/employer mentoring scheme at Surrey for physics students with a view to extending the scheme to other departments in 2015/16.