sparqs currently has a team of ten staff members plus one external consultant, all based in our office in Edinburgh.
We also employ a number of Associate Trainers each year on a part-time basis, a team of students who mainly deliver course rep training for us.
If you wish to contact any of our team, please call the sparqs office on 0131 622 6599 or by the mobile numbers listed.
To email a member of staff use the following format: firstname.surname@sparqs.ac.uk
Main staff team
Director: Eve Lewis (she/her)
Mobile: 07813 014679
Normal work days: Monday to Wednesday
As Director of sparqs, Eve is responsible for managing the SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) on behalf of the sparqs Trustee Board. She provides strategic direction and management support to the sparqs team, and maintains close links with other sector agencies in Scotland, across the rest of the UK and internationally. Eve took up her post within sparqs in July 2010. Previously, she was Education and Welfare Manager at Heriot-Watt University Students’ Association for eighteen years, managing their non-commercial activities including their extensive work on academic representation.
Eve is the sparqs contact for the following institutions:
Colleges - all of the UHI colleges.
Universities - University of the Highlands and Islands.
Deputy Director: Hannah Clarke (she/her)
Mobile: 07469 354245
Normal work days: Monday to Thursday
Hannah will provide leadership across a range of projects, including the development of student partnership within the new Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF), embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in learning and teaching, and supporting effective learner journeys. She will work alongside the Director to ensure sparqs continues to innovate and achieve ambitious goals. Hannah first joined sparqs in 2014, initially as a Development Consultant and then as a Senior Development Consultant, from 2014 to 2021. She moved on from sparqs to take up roles with Glasgow School of Art and then The Breastfeeding Network, before returning to sparqs in early 2026 to take up the role of Deputy Director. Prior to her original sparqs role, Hannah worked in college articulation at Glasgow Caledonian University and in student support services at the University of St Andrews. She is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and the University of London. Hannah rejoined sparqs in January 2026.
Development Consultant: Chase Greenfield (he/him)
Mobile: 07701 273779
Normal work days: Monday to Friday
Chase has overall responsibility for sparqs' annual training programme, That's Quality! He is leading the development of a postgraduate research experience model and is also supporting institutions and students' associations on their strategic partnership working. Chase is also exploring a project on reward and recognition for student officers as well as leading a related project for Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP). Chase also develops our Talking Student Partnership interview series. Chase holds a master’s degree from the University of St Andrews as well as two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Montana. During his studies, he served in a variety of student leadership roles, including as a Regent for the Montana University System. Chase has worked as a co-ordinator in students’ associations since 2018 before joining sparqs in January 2025.
Chase is the sparqs contact for the following institutions:
Colleges - Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee & Angus, Forth Valley, New College Lanarkshire and West College Scotland.
Universities - Dundee, Edinburgh Napier, Edinburgh University, Glasgow School of Art, University of Glasgow, QMU and Stirling.
Development Consultant: Amy Monks (she/her)
Mobile: 07513 712586
Normal work days: Monday to Friday
Amy’s main areas of work will include the design and facilitation of the Student Engagement Staff Network (SESN) and the Buddy Scheme which aims to support students’ association staff in their roles. She will also be working closely with the sparqs team in design and delivery of Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) training for student officers, Lead Student Reps (LSRs) and students’ association staff. Amy will also be developing resources to support students’ associations with key themes affecting the sector. Amy has been a tutor group leader at sparqs’ That’s Quality! event for three years. Amy joined sparqs in August 2025 from Dundee and Angus College as the Team Leader of the students’ association, where she was also a student officer and Hair and Beauty student. She has also worked with Education Scotland as a Student Team Member (STM) and with QAA as a student reviewer.
Amy is the sparqs contact for the following institutions:
Colleges - City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Clyde, Glasgow Kelvin, NESCol, Newbattle and SRUC.
Universities - Aberdeen, Abertay, Robert Gordon, SRUC, St Andrews and UWS.
Development Consultant: Shona Agnew (she/her)
Mobile: 07880 192722
Normal work days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Shona's work areas include responsibility for sparqs' social media and the development of Course Rep Training (CRT). Her educational journey began at the Scottish School of Forestry before transitioning to Social Sciences at Inverness College. She later completed a BA (Hons) in Social Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University and an MSc in Social Work at Robert Gordon University in 2012. She also undertook a number of Upskilling modules through the SFC-funded programme 2021-2024 and has since continued to undertake short course modules when available. Professionally, her previous work has focused on supporting disengaged school leavers to re-enter education, training, or employment, delivering both accredited and non-accredited youth awards and collaborating with local institutions to support transitions into college and outreach programmes. More recently, she worked with social housing tenants and landlords to strengthen tenant participation, helping to establish formal and informal groups - including tenants’ and residents’ associations - to improve housing and local services. She joined sparqs in August 2025.
Shona is the sparqs contact for the following institutions:
Colleges - Ayrshire, Borders, Edinburgh, Fife, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.
Universities - GCU, Heriot-Watt, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Strathclyde and The Open University.
Development Consultant: Cerys Davies (she/her)
Mobile: 07889 467891
Normal work days: Monday to Thursday
Cerys's work areas will be determined in due course, as will the institutions for which she will be the sparqs contact. She was previously the Student Representative Co-ordinator at Aberdeen University Students’ Association and, prior to this, she worked within the Widening Access team at Robert Gordon University as a Colleges Engagement & Articulation Assistant. Cerys holds a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Sciences from Robert Gordon University and an MLitt in Film, Visual Culture and Arts Management from the University of Aberdeen. Throughout her studies, she was actively involved in student representation and contributed to the development of the student experience. She joined sparqs in June 2026.
Development Consultant: Sophie Kennedy (she/her)
Mobile: 07889 467893
Normal work days: Monday to Friday
Sophie's work areas will be determined in due course, as will the institutions for which she will be the sparqs contact. She is on secondment from Abertay Students’ Association where she was the Democracy and Representation Co-ordinator - before this, she worked as a Student Consultant within the Abertay Learning Enhancement Team. Her educational journey began at North East Scotland College (NESCOL), where she took a night class in Higher Psychology. Sophie holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology & Counselling from Abertay University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). During her studies, she was actively engaged in a number of representative roles and was previously a Trustee for the Dundee Carers Centre. She joined sparqs in August 2026.
Business Manager: Nicola Cameron (nee McIntosh) (she/her)
Mobile: 07785 626159
Normal work days: Monday-Friday
Nicola manages the Central Support Team, which involves ensuring everything in the office runs efficiently and effectively. She also monitors the finances and deals with recruitment and human resources. Prior to sparqs, Nicola has worked in the finance sector and the civil service. She has worked with sparqs since 2006.
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Communications Co-ordinator: Ali McDade (she/her)
Mobile: 07585 969882
Normal work days: Monday to Friday
Ali's role includes data management and communications, including sparqs' publications and resources, database management and maintenance of the website. She is also responsible for co-ordinating attendance at sector committees for sparqs, NUS Scotland and student reps. Ali is a graduate of Edinburgh Napier University and her background is in learning and development co-ordination and project co-ordination. She joined sparqs in November 2010.
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Central Support Team Co-ordinator: Sarah Davidson (she/her)
Mobile: 07585 969881
Normal work days: Monday to Thursday
Sarah is responsible for the sparqs Course Representative Training bookings system. Managing events and processing finances are also other key areas of her role. Before joining sparqs, Sarah worked in the finance sector. She is our longest serving employee, having been with sparqs since its inception in 2003.
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Associate Trainers
In 2026-27, we are delighted to have 13 continuing Associate Trainers from previous years, as well as 11 new trainers, making up our largest team to date! The 2026-27 team bring a wealth of experience from their studies and course rep activity within their institutions. The bios for the team are below.
You can find out more here about the Associate Trainer scheme generally and how it works.
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2026-27 AT team
To email an Associate Trainer use the following format, unless noted otherwise beside their name: firstname.surname@sparqs.ac.uk. (names including hyphens have been clarified).
Clare Hunter (she/her)
Clare is currently finalising her dissertation to complete her Master’s in Careers Guidance and Development at the University of the West of Scotland. She hopes to be undertaking further research studies later this academic year, with aspiration of PhD study. Clare has studied at UWS for twelve years, and has completed degrees in specialisms of Business and New Media Art. In that time, she also held the sabbatical post of Vice President Student Development with SAUWS for two years. Her career goal is to become a lecturer in HE/FE and she feels that her role as an AT adds to her already varied skills and employment experience. Clare has also worked as a student guide, a student mentor and as a registry assistant, so she is very student orientated, with a particular interest around widening access and articulation. This is her tenth year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Beth Macphee (she/her)
Beth is a fourth year BA (Hons) International Tourism Management student at Edinburgh Napier University, with an extensive background in student advocacy and representation. Over the years she has embellished her passion for student representation by exploring a variety of student movement positions; she previously served as an institutional Associate Trainer and Volunteering Officer within the student parliament team during her time at college. At university level, she expanded her leadership by undertaking the role of student lay director and, in late 2025, became a student reviewer for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Now entering her fourth year as a sparqs Associate Trainer, Beth remains thrilled to be a part of the journey again and deeply committed to enhancing student representation across tertiary education. Following her undergraduate studies, she aims to pursue a master's degree, a PhD, and a PgCert to support her long-term goal of becoming a university lecturer.
Duncan Weatherston (he/him)
Duncan is in the fourth year of a Physics Master’s degree at the University of Strathclyde, where he is a course rep and has been elected to the committee of the Physics Society as the Social Media manager. He was also previously a course rep for the Access to STEM course at Glasgow Kelvin College. Duncan hopes to become an astrophysicist and his long-term goal is to obtain a PhD in the subject and contribute directly to the field. He’s very approachable and can explain almost anything in easy-to-understand terms. He enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, video games, and writing. This is Duncan’s fourth year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Madeleine Brown (she/her)
Madeleine is in her third year studying Economics & Business Enterprise at the University of Strathclyde Business School. She has worked within the education sector for several years, having served as a local and regional student officer for the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association and is currently an outreach mentor for the University of Strathclyde’s widening access department. This is her fourth year working as an associate trainer for sparqs.
Takaaki Iwai (he/him)
Originally from Japan, Takaaki is a final-year student of MA (Honours) Mathematics and Russian at the University of St Andrews, and Professional Development Award in Data Science at Edinburgh College. Takaaki has a multicultural background, having lived in Japan, Russia, Switzerland and Scotland, and also has a wide range of experience in student representation. He was a course representative for music in 2022-23 and for Russian in 2023-24 at the University of St Andrews, as well as for data science in 2024-25 at Fife College. Following these roles and a year at sparqs, he will serve the European Students' Union as a Quality Assurance Student Expert for 2025-26, representing the United Kingdom. Takaaki also has rich experience in academia, and his research into the history of mathematics in Russian and Soviet fisheries is especially well-recognised. In the future, he aspires to become a general insurance actuary and a researcher of Russian cultural studies, focusing on the interaction between the art and music of 1850-1920. In his free time, Takaaki enjoys art history, classical music, Japanese calligraphy and curling. This is his second year as a sparqs Associate Trainer. While not staying on as an AT for 2026-27, Takaaki is completing an ongoing project for sparqs over the summer.
Sonique Noreiga (she/her) [email format: sonic.noreiga@...]
Sonique is currently studying Access to Medicine at Edinburgh College; she previously studied Advanced Biochemical Studies at Glasgow Kelvin College where she served as a Class Rep for two years and as the Student President of Learning and Teaching. Now stepping into her third year as a sparqs Associate Trainer, she is super pumped to continue in the role! Resilient, approachable, and always easy to talk to, she loves building Lego and collecting Hot Wheels in her free time.
Aryan Aggarwal (he/him)
Aryan is studying for a BSc in Computing at Abertay University. He has been actively involved in student representation, having served as a class representative for his course and as a student senate representative at his institution. This is his second year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Ciara McCarthy (they/them)
Ciara is a second-year Social and Public Policy student at the University of Glasgow with a strong background in student activism and representation. Before joining the University of Glasgow, they spent two years at City of Glasgow College Students’ Association, serving first as Vice President of Diversity and Wellbeing and then as Student President. During this time, they worked closely with sparqs and became actively involved in the wider student movement. At the University of Glasgow, Ciara currently serves as Disability Equality Officer, advocating for disabled students and promoting more inclusive educational environments. Alongside their representative work, they are a disability activist and content creator, using their platform to raise awareness of accessibility issues and amplify the experiences of disabled students. This is Ciara’s second year as an Associate Trainer.
Maliha Tasnim (she/her)
Maliha is in her second year studying her LLB in Law with English Law and European Legal Studies at the University of Aberdeen. She has served as a class representative for two consecutive years and was the Community Executive Officer at North East Scotland College in her final year. With aspirations to become a solicitor, Maliha is particularly excited about how her work with sparqs aligns with her legal studies and interest in working with people, including those on the front line of legal services. This is her second year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Marlene Asare (she/her)
Marlene is a student at the University of the West of Scotland Paisley campus, studying Social Science and going into her fourth year. She is an active student in her role as course rep, where she has helped her classmates with different things, such as information on class changes or communicating with lecturers. Marlene is also engaged in Union activities, joining many societies as well as creating them. One of the societies she has created is the K-Pop society, which won best new society and is doing well. Additionally, Marlene won volunteer of the year helping the Freshers’ welcome week at Paisley/Ayr/Lanarkshire, creating memorable moments for new students starting university. This is Marlene’s second year as a sparqs Associate Trainer and she’s very excited to work with everyone and hopes to help as many people as she can.
Nika Fabrio (she/her)
Nika is a Croatian student at the University of St Andrews. She is currently entering her third year studying Psychology. She is a student ambassador, and was the EDI representative for one of her courses. Having grown up in China, Nika’s international background has taught her the importance of collaboration in any sorts of spaces. Throughout her academic life, she has made equity and acceptance a priority to be achieved and maintained for all students from a young age, starting an EDI committee in high school. In the future, she hopes to continue her studies into forensic psychology before venturing into a career in the field. This is Nika’s second year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Rufus Hornyold-Strickland (he/him) [email format: rufus.hornyold-strickland@...]
Rufus is in his fourth year at the University of St Andrews, studying Geography and International Relations. A few of his key interests include geopolitics, the development of countries, diplomacy, and sustainability. Rufus was one of the second-year Geography reps and during this role he took part in a large review of the department, which involved critically assessing all aspects of the School. Outside of academics, Rufus is a keen musician, singing and playing both the trumpet and bagpipes, along with being a committed rugby player! In his second year as an Associate Trainer, Rufus is looking forward to continuing to coach and help others to achieve their leadership potential.
Sarah Al-Hajj (she/her) [email format: sarah.alhajj@...]
Sarah is in her fourth year at the University of St Andrews studying English Literature and Psychology. Her main interests within her subjects are Old English poetry and judgements of collective action. Sarah was a class representative in Comparative Literature for her first two years at St Andrews and was the recipient of the Outstanding Class Rep Award for Arts and Divinity in 2025. In her free time, she enjoys singing, writing, and swimming. This is her second year as an Associate Trainer with sparqs.
Ellie Birchall (she/her)
Ellie is a first year PhD student in Health Psychology at the University of Stirling, where her research focuses on chronic pelvic pain and sexual satisfaction in individuals assigned female at birth. This is Ellie’s second year as an Associate Trainer, having rejoined us this year after her initial year delivering training during 2024-25. She has held a range of student partnership roles at Queen Margaret University, including, Peer-Assisted Learning Intern, Student Champion, Student Ambassador, Class Representative and Society President. Ellie also studied at college before progressing to university, giving her experience across different educational settings and institutions. She will draw on these experiences to provide a broad student perspective during Course Representative training.
Adam Lowe (he/him)
Adam is currently studying HND Illustration at Edinburgh College, studying at Edinburgh College for only one year in Foundation Art and Design before he moved on when he was elected Student President for 2024-25 and then 2025-26. His role included being a direct advocate for FE to local government and councillors, but also worked in representation, developing Edinburgh College’s rep system with ECSA (Edinburgh College Students’ Association). Adam also ran for NUS Scotland President, attempting to be the first NUS Scotland President from an FE background since the 1980s; Although unsuccessful, he showed that could be a possibility for an FE NUS Scotland President. Adam is now returning to study after serving two years as a student officer. Being interested in Street Art and communicating messages through his work he is hoping to blend his interests of activism and representation. This is his first year as an Associate Trainer.
Aoife D’Souza (she/her) [email format: aoife.d’souza@...]
Aoife is a fourth-year Psychology student at the University of Stirling. During her time at university, she has served as an academic representative for three years, alongside volunteering with the LEAPS programme and spending a year as a Steer Peer Mentor. Alongside her studies, Aoife is a member of the Psychology Society and serves on the committee of the Neuropsychology of Women Society. Through these roles, she has enjoyed contributing to student life and connecting with others across the university community. Aoife has a particular interest in psychology, student engagement, and fostering opportunities for students to share their experiences and perspectives. Outside of university, Aoife enjoys reading, particularly classic literature, and exploring photography. This is Aoife's first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer and she is looking forward to meeting students from across Scotland and building on her experience in student representation.
Calvin Goh (he/him)
Calvin is currently an Intermediality PhD student at The University of Edinburgh. He is the Postgraduate Research (PGR) programme representative for the Department of European Languages and Cultures (DELC) in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, where he works with fellow PGR representatives to introduce new initiatives for PGR students, including monthly Breakfast socials and plans for a PGR Conference in November 2026. As a former educator, Calvin believes strongly in supporting and empowering students to find their voice. Outside of academics, Calvin dabbles in creative writing projects and sings with the Edinburgh University Singers and the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. This is Calvin’s first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Fan Fei (she/her)
Fan is entering second-year for her undergraduate degree at The University of Edinburgh, studying English Literature and History. In high school, she served as a student academic leadership representative and co-authored research articles on student wellbeing and course design for an Asian international school league’s magazine. In her first year at university, she continued her interest in student representation as a course representative. This is Fan's first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Francis Emeka Mbanefo (he/him) [email format: francis.mbanefo@....]
Francis is a third-year PhD candidate in Applied Social Science at Robert Gordon University, where his research focuses on maternal mental health and promotion. He previously served as the School of Law and Social Science Postgraduate Research (PGR) Representative, advocating for the interests of postgraduate research students and contributing to student engagement within the University. Francis is looking forward to supporting student representatives in developing the knowledge and confidence to make a positive impact within their institutions. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys travelling and football. Following the completion of his PhD, he hopes to pursue a career in consultancy and higher education as a lecturer, combining research, teaching, and community impact. This is Francis’s first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Gordon Smith (they/them, he/him)
Now entering their second year of Mental Health Nursing studies at the University of the West of Scotland, Gordon hopes to bring an engaging blend of lived experience, advocacy, peer support and strategic leadership to their work. Driven by a core belief in the power of transformative development and the deep understanding of how meaningful representation can reshape the student experience and improve institutional practise, their drive to make the student voice heard is clear from their active, multi-layered leadership roles. They serve as both a Course Representative, Divisional Representative and charity board member, working directly to ensure student feedback drives real improvements in quality assurance and course delivery. Stepping into their first year as an Associate Trainer with sparqs, they are incredibly excited to combine their passion for peer support while teaching complex frameworks, their navigation and ultimately the fundamentally empowering co-creation principles of class representation. They look forward to helping students across the country to participate fully in shaping their own educational journey and beyond.
Jitrenka Melton (she/they)
Jitrenka is currently studying her final year of Social Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University. Although this is their first year working as an Associate Trainer, they have been a student rep for over 2 years, during which they have received the Best Student Rep of 2025 for the School of Applied Sciences. Following their work as a student representative, Jitrenka was invited to serve as President of the Social Sciences Society, since they have consistently organised events and initiatives to support student engagement and make education more accessible and approachable. Currently, her passion project has been organising a university-level screening of a documentary about Roma rights in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with a panel of activists. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD focusing on human rights, social justice, and decolonial theory.
Karina Zabnina (she/her)
Karina is in the final year of the four-year Master's in Counselling at The University of Edinburgh. She has served as a Programme Representative for three consecutive years and as a member of the School Community Council for two years, working in partnership with staff and students to enhance the learning experience. Through these roles, she has contributed to improvements in student engagement, greater clarity around assessment and marking, and increased support for students throughout the professional qualification. Alongside her counselling training, she brings experience in education, coaching, and organisational change. She is excited to bring her experience of student partnership and facilitation to her role with sparqs. This is her first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Kinza Ashraf (she/her)
Kinza is studying an MSc in Project Management at the University of the West of Scotland. She is a class representative for her programme and is passionate about ensuring that students' voices are heard and represented. Before joining UWS, Kinza worked as a Project Officer in a Strategic Project Management Office back in Pakistan, and has a background in architecture, project management, and organising international workshops through COMSTECH. She enjoys supporting fellow students, encouraging engagement, and helping to create a positive learning experience. This is her first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer and she is excited to develop her skills while supporting course representatives across Scotland.
Sam Marshall (she/her)
Sam recently completed her BA in Music Industries with the University of the West of Scotland and is progressing to Year 4 Honours at University of the Highlands and Islands. Throughout her studies, she has been actively involved in student support and student voice work, including experience as a course representative. Sam brings project management experience and has also developed a student‑led digital support hub. She looks forward to applying her facilitation and partnership skills within the Associate Trainer role. This is Sam’s first year as a sparqs Associate Trainer.
Tomisin Osinubi (she/her)
Tomisin is currently studying an MSc in Social Innovation at Glasgow Caledonian University. She previously served as the University's full-time Vice President and Student President, representing students through university governance and national policy work. Passionate about student partnership and equitable education, she has worked closely with course representatives and student leaders to strengthen student voice across higher education. This is her first year as an Associate Trainer for sparqs.