A tweet from a Perth woman has gone viral, when she said she was “state school proud”, after being made a professor at Glasgow University.
Dr Katie Robb announced she would start as a professor in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing in August on the social media platform.
However, she did not expect such an enthusiastic reaction from people congratulating her new career move.
She wrote: “I’m particularly state school proud today as heard I will be Professor Robb from August at the University of Glasgow. From the tiny Forgandenny Primary School (school roll 34) to the ‘big school’ of Perth High School. I’m grateful for the start they gave me.”
Her tweet was liked more than 600 times, with people from across the world congratulating the move.
I’m particularly #StateSchoolProud today as heard I will be Prof Robb from Aug @UofGlasgow From tiny @ForgandennyPS (school roll ~34) to ‘the big school’ @PerthHighSchool I’m grateful for the start they gave me 😀🥳 @UofGIHW @UofGMVLS pic.twitter.com/2dTwYLUZNe
— Katie Robb (@Katie_Robb_Glas) July 2, 2021
Dr Robb, whose research helps improve cancer survival rates, said: “It’s been so lovely. People that I don’t know personally being happy about me being made a professor at Glasgow University.
“But it’s been really, really nice. I was completely amazed at the response I got which was lovely.”
However, the 44-year-old did not always set out to be a doctor, saying: “I definitely did not ever think I would be Dr Katie Robb growing up. I would have never thought about becoming a professor. It does seem surprising.”
State School Proud
Dr Robb moved to St Andrews University after Perth High School, studying an undergraduate psychology degree.
She then moved to University College London, studying her masters and then her PhD in health psychology.
Taking a place at Glasgow University, she worked her way up from a fellowship to her new role as a professor.
“I remember when I was at primary school, my mum said to me ‘you can do anything you want, but you just have to work hard’,” Dr Robb recalled.
“I think that’s been true, because I have worked very, very hard to achieve what I’ve done, but I really enjoyed it along the way.
“I’ve been fortunate to have that positive experience, that no one along the way kind of said ‘well you’ll never manage that’.”
Workplace Equality
However, it has not always been easy. Dr Robb said that even during her career, she has noticed a change in equality within the workplace.
Glasgow University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing was awarded gold status from the Athena Swan Charter.
The framework is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.
Dr Robb said she was thankful for all the support she had received, adding: “I remember my supervisor at UCL saying she had been the cohort of women who had to work full-time to get anywhere in their career.
“I have seen that culture changing for the better even within my own career. It’s not just about the part time work, but also being able to have flexible working hours and not having meetings outside core hours of 10am to 4pm.
“In the old days, you’d have seminars with visiting speakers and you’d have to be there at 5pm, and then they would socialise and network afterwards.
“Then anyone who maybe needed to get home, you’d miss out on all of that. So now they have to be accommodated from the hours of 10am to 4pm.”
She continued: “I think it has improved a lot more now where you can work more flexibly but still make good progression. I’ve benefited from the environment at health and wellbeing towards supporting women.”
Dr Robb said she was incredibly excited to start her new role in August, adding: “I am delighted and thrilled to bits about the new job and I’m really passionate about doing my research and looking forward to starting.”