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Dave Banfield

Botnar Buildings and Facilities Manager

Upon arrival in the UK and Oxfordshire in 1994, I began what has become a long association with the University, starting work with the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory as part of a lab services team in November 1994. Following that, I joined the School of Geography, initially as a workshop and field work technician, helping to run the buildings, electrical testing, and maintaining field equipment, and assisted with the running of field trips. I completed an undergraduate diploma in computing with the University and formally became part of the Geography IT team.

I resigned in 2007 and spent a year mostly in Australia visiting family. Upon return to the UK, I secured a position with the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics on the Old Road Campus as their senior building technician. I was seconded to NDORMS at the Botnar in January 2013 and was offered the position of Technical Services Manager in March of that year. Along with our excellent team of Haidar, Alan, Nick, Jason, Magda, Trevor, Toufik and Isuara, we are responsible for Botnar facilities such as goods-in, liquid nitrogen, security systems, furniture, laboratory equipment servicing, autoclaves, glass washing, cold rooms, meeting rooms, cryogenic storage, -80 freezers, electrical testing, compressed gases, and Reception. I am your first point of call in relation to maintenance of the building and structural changes to the rooms and laboratories. I am your Fire Officer and your Security Liaison Officer, working in conjunction with Oxford University Security Services, and apparently, I am also your Deputy Health and Safety Officer. I am a member of the Design and Stakeholder teams for the Botnar Phase Three build.

Apart from work, I enjoy cooking and travel. I have traveled widely throughout Australia and north and south east Asia, Europe and beyond. I have varying success growing vegetables in my allotment. I was weaned off the lager many years ago and enjoy the delights of English real ale. As a musician, I currently play in a band, playing bass guitar and privately play piano at home. As a result of travel, I am able to say hello and thank you in about twelve languages, struggle in basic French, Italian and Indonesian, remembering how to ask the questions but unable to comprehend the answers.