Project and Communications Coordinator (Higher Education)
Sarah Barnert – Short Bio
I'm originally from northern Germany and completed my undergraduate degree in communication design. After gaining professional experience in the areas of design, content marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO), I took on a position as assistant to the management at my former employer in Leipzig and organised internal and external events. At the same time, I studied for a Master's degree in Online Marketing. After graduating, it was time for international work experience. I joined the GPSEP team in April 2023. As part of the HE team, I coordinate higher education events and communicate with students, lecturers, tutors and alumni.
- BA Communication Design
University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany - MA Online Marketing
Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany
Organising the Gatsby Plant Science Summer Schools
The Project and Communications Coordinator (Higher Education) role is a core part of the Gatsby Plant Science Education Programme (GPSEP), administered through the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, with the office situated in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
In this role, I coordinate engagement activities focused on plant science for UK post-16 and undergraduate audiences. Together with the HE Project Manager Claire Pennycuick, I lead ambitious student engagement projects that aim to inspire the next generation of plant scientists.
Impression of the practical class ‘Plant Identification and Systematics’ at the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School 2024.
➔ Gatsby Plant Science Summer School 2023 – Lectures & Interviews
A large part of my role is to event-manage and coordinate the prestigious, annual Gatsby Plant Science Summer School (GPSSS) and the Cambridge-based Rootstock Summer School for undergraduates. This involves communication with all attendees and contractors, marketing, student recruitment, and administration.
I also support alumni of the summer school with clear communications of career-enhancing opportunities and the management of online resources and events tailored to them. Other important projects involve maintaining, overseeing, and creating content for the social media channels associated with the Higher Education projects and the maintenance of a new website designed to enthuse post-16 audiences across the UK with plant biology.
Rootstock Plant Science Livestream 2023 – Growing Connections
