Meet the Team

Dr Siobhán Jordan - Director:

Siobhán has led the Interface programme since it was established in 2005.   She holds degrees in Biotechnology and Process Engineering from Dublin City University and a  PhD in human genetics from Trinity College, Dublin.  Previous posts include senior researcher at the Medical Research Council, Human Genetics Unit and Applications manager for the Proof of Concept Programme, Scottish Enterprise. In her spare time Siobhán enjoys running, theatre and cooking. 

Laura Noble:

A graduate of Napier University, Laura began her career in the Oil & Gas sector working across a range of major engineering projects.  Since then she has worked in the financial sector holding supervisory roles within the areas of Life Assurance and Retirement Options.  Joining Edinburgh Research & Innovation, she was involved in the development of internal HR systems and recruitment processes and latterly managed the license portfolio across all sectors of university technologies.  Laura joined Interface at its inception in 2005 where she took a leading role in the development and implementation of the business systems and processes that Interface currently utilises. She is now involved in business development, account and event management, sourcing solutions to specific business enquiries and the co-ordination of many of the projects activities.

Louise Arnold:

Louise graduated from Napier University with a BA (hons) degree in Business Studies. Her career includes experience in the technology sector working for organisations such as NCR and Raytheon Systems. A large part of her time was dedicated to managing research projects, providing sales teams with information on their target markets, customers and competitors and producing marketing material that supported the company's strategy to enter new markets with new products. Before joining Interface, Louise was a Research Assistant at Queen Margaret University College where she developed a good understanding of research clusters in Scottish HEIs. Louise's role at Interface includes processing and monitoring enquiries, marketing, promotion and maintaining the Interface website. Out of work Louise enjoys yoga, walking her dog and socialising.

Dr Fiona Schaefer:

Fiona joined the Interface team to facilitate closer links between Scottish Research Institutes, Scottish Universities and businesses. As one of the founders of the IA Centre, she brings a wealth of experience working with Scottish companies to help them better manage their intangibles, such as technical know-how, intellectual property, customer and supplier networks and branding. Fiona has advised a wide range of organisations as well as having developed and ran a range of activities including awareness raising events and training programmes at the IA Centre and earlier initiatives. Originally a chemist, after gaining a PhD in materials chemistry from the University of Strathclyde, she turned to researching patent and technical information at a specialist patent searching firm, where she gained a strong grounding in intellectual property. From there she moved back to Scotland to become an information analyst working on a range of research projects within a government research agency. Having studied in both Germany and Switzerland, she is a fluent German speaker. (Formerly Fiona Jackson). 

Donna Kudarenko:

Donna brings a wealth of experience from the private sector including over 10 years marketing experience working within the IT industry - the most recent being business games development. Donna has held various senior marketing roles including managing global marketing communications and providing marketing consulting to some of the world's largest IT organisations. At Interface Donna is responsible for providing business support, account management and managing e-marketing activities. An 'IT buff', Donna is a great believer in the benefits of online networking and is responsible for our social networking activity. When not working or looking after her twin daughters, Donna can be found relaxing with a latte in Starbucks after participating in some well deserved (she thinks so anyway!) retail therapy.

Beverley Montgomery:

After growing up in Canada, Bev traded in the sun and snow for rain and, yes, more rain when she moved back to Edinburgh after 22 years.  She recently joined the Interface team as Project Administrator, responsible for updating the website, the Innovation Voucher scheme, organising events and various other administrative duties.  Prior to Interface, she worked at Edinburgh University, both in the Finance office and, latterly, as the Alumni Officer at the Vet School.  Bev is a graduate of the University of Windsor, where she earned a BComm.  When she's not too exhausted from running around after her two teenage children, Bev enjoys the three S's - skiing, skating, and socialising.

Caitlin McKenna:

Caitlin joins the Interface team bringing with her extensive experience across both the University and wider business sectors. After completing an MSc in International Marketing, she worked within the Office of Marketing Communications at the University of Strathclyde, helping to shape the University's brand identity through research into external perceptions. Following this, she spent several years working within account management at a top integrated marketing agency, where she developed and delivered campaigns for some of the world's biggest brands. Most recently, she has worked as a Brand Manager within a fast-growing SME, responsible for all facets of the brand's strategy and marketing. At Interface, Caitlin will focus on the West of Scotland region and be based between the main Interface offices in Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Her responsibilities include growing the visibility of the service amongst key business organisations, general marketing as well as processing and monitoring enquiries.