Behind the scenes keeping Matilda Centre thriving

If you’ve ever met or emailed Matilda Centre Director Professor Maree Teesson, there’s a strong chance you’ve also met Jasmin Bartlett.  

As Senior Research Program Administrator and Executive Assistant to Professor Maree Teesson, Professor Cath Chapman, Professor Katherine Mills and Professor Nicola Newton, no two days are the same for Jasmin.  

Whether it is navigating university systems for researchers, ensuring the four Professors she supports are prepared and attending all their meetings and requirements, answering questions from Matilda Centre staff, or managing three Research Administration Officers, Jasmin always has a warm smile and an answer for your question.  

Having been with the team for 15 years, Jasmin has learned a thing or two about mental health and substance use. She joined us to share the most interesting thing she’s learned, how she takes care of her mental health, and her tips for anyone wanting to work in research administration.

I joined the team as a receptionist at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in 2010 and quickly moved into the role of Executive Assistant to the incredible Professor Maree Teesson.  

I was involved in the team’s move from UNSW to the University of Sydney in 2018 - the largest strategic hire in the University of Sydney’s history - which kept us very busy for the good part of two years. Being able to work alongside Maree and the Executive team and watch their research develop, their teams grow and see how their research has had genuine impact over the years has been nothing short of amazing.  

I am now a Senior Research Program Administrator working with a stellar group of research administrators in the Operations team.

That the passion for working in this area never goes away.  

Just last year I witnessed our Executive team jump up and down with tears of joy and hugs all round because they had been awarded their third National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence (CRE). They received the news with the exact same level of excitement and emotion as when they were awarded their first CRE.

The Executive set a tremendous example of what a fulfilling career in research looks like and they are more than happy to share their knowledge and experiences with everyone in the centre and build up the next generation of researchers.

Even after 30+ years in research, their continued passion is so motivating!

Laughter, gifs and puzzles. We always have a puzzle on the go in the office for people to take a break and look after their wellbeing. I’m a member of the Matilda Centre Social Committee where we organise lots of fun activities over the year including bake offs, trivia, ping pong tournaments, office decorating competitions, picnics, and monthly social events.  

For me, looking after my wellbeing at work doesn’t always mean taking time out to be by myself - I often feel revitalised after spending time having a good laugh with my colleagues. And if I can’t have a laugh in person with colleagues, I always manage to find an appropriate gif to send to whoever I’m communicating with via Teams or email. I’m also a serious over user of emojis and exclamation marks which add a bit a relief and humour to my busy days .

Outside of work I keep very busy with my family and working on my side hustle of voice acting. I’ve done several voice recordings for projects at the University of Sydney in what I would call my serious, corporate voice as well as loads of silly character voices for animations and video games.

How much fun you can have working alongside incredibly talented researchers that make a real difference to the lives of Australians, particularly marginalised groups. My daughters think working in research administration is the best job in the world because of how much energy and how welcoming everyone is at our centre.  

The culture at the Matilda Centre is one thing that makes me love my work so much and being able to support researchers and staff at the centre make a positive impact in the world is incredibly rewarding.