Speaker Bio: Laura Breen is the Research Development and Impact Manager in the Research Strategy Team at the University of Manchester. She provides leadership to enhance the research development and impact cultures across the institution (and beyond). Driven by a passion for meaningful engagement and generally making the world a better place, Laura has navigated the path from being the sole impact officer on a specific project to coordinating the work of several large and diverse teams. She has led work in these areas across four very different universities and three REF submissions, supporting researchers in Art and Design, Music, Humanities and Media, and Health and Education - covering Science and Engineering in-between, to complete the disciplinary Bingo. Laura has a PhD in Museology, which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It was part of the Ceramics in the Expanded Field project - a collaboration between three contemporary artists and three museums. Her thesis Ceramics and the Museum was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. Prior to this, she worked in the museum sector for eight years at institutions across the north of England. As a first-generation commuter student from Greater Manchester, Laura is passionate about the university’s role both as an anchor institution and in generating wider societal impact.