Heather Burgess is Embroidery Technician within Textile Art, Design and Fashion and Technical lead for the Technician Commitment, a university and research institution initiative to work towards raising the profile of technicians in higher education and research.
She is also a member of the newly formed UK Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS), which is home to the Technician Commitment and its mission is to ensure the long-term sustainability of UK technical skills and careers. As part of a teaching team, Heather facilitates and teaches practical sessions to students at level 4, 5, 6 and 7 across the Belfast School of Art. She covers all aspects of embroidery, from hand and machine stitching to digital embroidery.
Heather also supports academic research on TADF and has been involved in research projects externally, being part of a research team, which brought her together with Queens University and Hanoi University of Public Health in Vietnam, were they worked on creating an exhibition to help women be more aware of breast cancer through storytelling.
Having recently been awarded Highly Commended Technician of the Year in the Times Higher Education awards. Heather works towards ensuring her students have all the support possible to complete their education.
Heather is dedicated to improving and enhancing the student experience and in her role she strives to teach students in a way that fosters independence in the use of the embroidery workshop and how they can utilise their new skills and knowledge to work towards realising their ideas.