2026/27 Elected Members’ Candidate Statements

Bill Booth — Anti-Casualisation Officer

I have been at UCL for seven years on successive short-term contracts across two departments; I have been an active UCU member throughout that time. As a departmental rep I have – unfortunately! – had a good deal of experience of redundancy and redeployment cases, and this year as a member of the Executive Committee I have begun to work on issues around breaches of policy as well as non-compliance with the Teaching Concordat. I seek to continue that work as Anti-Casualisation Officer next year.

Alexander Champion – Postgraduate Officer

My name is Alex Champion, I’m an experienced activist and organiser, with experience within political parties, campaign groups and trade unions. To this end, I set up the York Branch of ACORN the renters union, organised Deliveroo riders with the IWGB and ran a strike support group, which organised solidarity efforts for the UCU and RMT strikers in York, successfully campaigning for the release of the University’s racial pay statistics.

I am a currently a first year Postgraduate Researcher in High Frequency Quantum Engineering, within the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department, and this is my 3rd year at UCL, after completing a part-time Physics MSc alongside working as an SEND Teaching Assistant.

I’m excited to help fight for an end to casualisation, overworking, the marketisation of higher education and for more formal recognition of the role of PGRs/PhD students.

Saladin Meckled-Garcia — Executive Committee Member

Saladin has been the President, Branch Secretary, Vice President, and Comms officer of the branch in the past. He led a comprehensive restructure of admin activities and establishing a permanent post for Branch Admin during his time as Branch Secretary. He has, with other officers, lead the branch in industrial action through significant disputes, such as those over the USS pension scheme, and pay, and has acted as a negotiator with management on local issues including academic staff terms and conditions. He is a prominent voice within the governance structures of the university, especially on academic freedom and academic governance.

Maria-Novella Mercuri — Executive Committee Member

I have been at UCL almost continuously since 1986, when I arrived for my Year Abroad in the English Department, to then continue as MA student (Philosophy), PhD student (German) and PGTHE student (CALT). I have been a member of UCU (and before of NATHFE as a Lecturer at University of Central Lancashire) since I started working at UCL as Academic Administrator and Teaching Fellow (Italian), Undergraduate Officer and Teaching Fellow (SELCS) and Lecturer (Teaching) (SELCS). I have represented Teaching Fellows in the Academic Board, in the SELCS Management Team and in the Concordat working group and now I hope that this combined experience may be of some use as Anti-Casualisation Officer.

I believe that it is in the interest of everybody—teachers, researchers, students, the institution and the union—to go back to the one academic contract that once existed, and that recognised the academic job in its integrity as a three-pronged one made up of equally valued involvement in teaching, research and administration. I believe that the bracketed ‘Teaching’ definition is derogatory as well as misleading, because there is no teaching that can be done at UCL without continual activity as a researcher in a chosen field. I am also concerned that the current sub-categorization has increased casualisation and, in the current climate of attack to freedom of expression and freedom of teaching, created a sub-class of vulnerable academic workers.

Benet Salway — Executive Committee Member

I have been a member of the branch Executive Committee for two years now but of UCU (and before it the AUT) since September 1994, when I started my first lecturing job at the University of Manchester. I have been at UCL (in the History Department) almost continuously since 1995 as Research Fellow, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor. In that time I have taken on various senior administrative roles at departmental and Faculty level, and governance roles on Academic Board and Council but, until 2024, had never before stood for membership of the UCU Executive Committee. Since then I have undertaken training to become a union rep and have supported members in departments across the full breadth of the institution, represented UCU in various consultations on policy revisions, and even presented one of our branch motions to UCU Congress in 2025.  Although I am undeniably overcommitted, I hope to still have enough time to continue to be useful to the Executive Committee.

Victoria Solomonidis-Hunter — Executive Committee Member

My commitment to unionism began as an undergraduate at the University of Athens in the 1970s. Organising under a military dictatorship taught me the vital importance of collective action and democratic representation. During my subsequent 35-year career in the Greek foreign service, I remained a dedicated union member, serving for five years as Secretary General of my union. This role provided practical experience in high-level negotiation and institutional mediation within complex environments.

Transitioning to academia in 2013, I volunteered as a Departmental Union Representative in 2024 and joined the Executive Committee in 2025. My concurrent membership of the departmental EDI committee reinforces my commitment to advocate for member equity. In addition, I know firsthand how casualisation impacts many of my colleagues who are on low FTE contracts, making anti-casualisation a key issue for me. I am standing for re-election because the union remains our most essential vehicle for navigating the current difficulties facing the university sector and beyond. It is my intention to use my background in institutional mediation to support the Executive’s ongoing efforts to protect member interests.

Anca Tacu – Treasurer

I have chosen to stand as the Treasurer of our branch, having been on the Executive Committee for a number of years, mostly as the Environment Officer. My time in the leadership of our branch has encompassed a period of fraught industrial relations and attendant challenges for our members. 

Throughout my time in branch leadership I have worked collegiately to ensure the branch focussed on our core function of protecting and expanding our members’ terms and conditions. I have proactively engaged with the employer and supported building our capacity to challenge ‘initiatives’ that would have a disproportionately negative impact on our members. 

I seek to continue this approach in the important position of branch treasurer if I am elected and contribute to keeping pressure on management as we face multiple systemic threats to our collective wellbeing and job security. I will also continue to be an active caseworker. 

In case you don’t know who I am, I work in STEaPP with my day job being focussed on policy engagement. I am currently in the process of studying for a doctorate, meaning I have a viewpoint that combines staff and student perspectives. I am strongly committed to the aims and values of UCU and hope to be elected as Treasurer to continue my contribution to our branch. 

I welcome anyone who wants to ask me questions in advance of the AGM to contact me. 

Nalini Vittal — Executive Committee Member

It is a privilege to be accepted back on UCL UCU Exec where I’ve been some years. It’s a lot of work, thus not everyone can be involved all the time but we never forget we’re here to serve members.

Our membership is disparate, of numerous functions, levels, remits and disciplines/ faculties. Reps aim to do our best collectively and sometimes individually. We don’t always achieve the success we wish but have got to keep on. Stopping isn’t an option.

I’ve represented UCL UCU at national meetings and Congress. I cut my teeth in our last fight as AUT nearly two decades ago. Sacrifices by trade unionists in the past gave us today’s benefits and relevance. It’s incumbent on us to keep fighting if we’re to guard and amplify our space.

Academic values, liberal and tolerant politics, seeing through cant, broadening worker rights while being unfailingly humane and progressive – these signify to me what UCU ought to be about. The union isn’t immune to trends. We should make UCL UCU exemplary on each count. It’s a constant struggle. Your Executive can’t do a thing without an alert, active membership!

Haiyan Wu – Communications Officer

I am standing for the position of UCL UCU Communications Officer because I believe effective communication is essential to ensuring that members are informed, engaged and able to influence decisions that affect their working lives.

If elected, I will work to strengthen clear, timely and inclusive communication across our branch, ensuring that members receive accessible updates on local and national issues, campaigns and negotiations. I would introduce a regular UCL UCU newsletter, improve opportunities for two-way communication, and help align local communications with UCU national priorities and campaigns.

I am also committed to supporting constructive dialogue during periods of organisational change, providing channels for staff and students to share ideas, concerns and good practice. By fostering open communication, transparency and collaboration, I hope to strengthen member engagement, support collective action where needed, and help ensure that the voices of staff and students are heard and represented effectively across UCL.

Nominated Members’ Supporting Statements

Seán Doyle

I was a UCL UCU rep, case- worker, executive member, Environment Officer and Treasurer for UCL UCU in the past. After a long-term illness, I am keen to become a rep and case worker again after a 2-year absence from UCL. I have had extensive experience representing members in a variety of disputes at UCL and LJMU for 15 years and successfully mediated to resolve them. I have been an active union member for 22 years and am a member of UCL Left and UCL Solidarity. If elected to the executive, I will voice the interests of members at local, regional, and national forums and continue to support individual UCL UCU members requesting case worker representation.

Giuliana Ferri

I have been at UCL for three years (although I was a part-time PhD student at UCL from 2010 to 2015). I am a committed member of the union, and I have a strong belief in the power of collective struggle and solidarity. In terms of priorities for us at UCL, I believe we must go back to one academic contract, address workload, moving to a transparent and consistent workload model, and fight the erosion of academic freedom. I am also passionate about intersectional social justice and addressing the additional burdens experienced at work by people who go through the menopause.

Jing Huang

Having joined UCL in 2024, I am a fairly new member of the branch. Even so, I’ve already seen how much difference good union support can make. My rep has been incredibly helpful to me, and it’s made me want to get more involved and show solidarity to others. I’m an economist by training and I’m keen to support the branch on pensions matters. I’m interested in keeping an eye on USS developments and flagging anything relevant to members, especially with the 2026 valuation underway.