Let's say hello to...
Where Good Chemistry Meets Community
Hi, I’m Calum and I’m the Duty Manager here at the Union. I’m originally from a tiny village in Perthshire, very rolling hills, very quiet, so moving to Edinburgh for university felt like stepping into a completely different world.
I studied Chemistry at Heriot-Watt and graduated last year, and honestly, I just fell in love with the place. The campus, the greenery, the fact it feels like you’re in the woods but still part of something busy and alive keeps me sane.
I’ve started getting involved with the Union as a class rep, then become a Department Officer, where I somehow threw myself so fully into it that I ended up winning Department Officer of the Year. I think that’s when it really clicked that the things I cared about, like community and making actual change, did matter.
After graduating, I picked up a job in the Union kitchen to save for a Master’s in Biomedical Science, and when the Duty Manager role came up, I just grabbed the opportunity. Now in my role I support the bar and catering teams, help run events, jump between café, kitchen and bar, and basically get pulled wherever I’m needed most.
No two days look the same, and I love that. One minute I’m planning the end-of-year party, the next I’m helping student staff feel supported. That’s probably my favourite part, making sure people are enjoying what they’re doing. I’ve always believed in what Unions stand for and that mindset carried into my time as a Department Officer, where I worked on building a sense of community in a really small Chemistry department, setting up sessions to make things better.
Fun is my favourite value because everything we do needs that to bring people in and make it worthwhile. For me, it’s about creating a space where students can hang out without pressure, especially when everything else feels overwhelming.
Outside of work, I’m really into growing things, my kitchen is currently full of a hundred basil plants, which is strangely calming, and I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to books, especially fantasy ones. I even bought a Spanish edition of Jules Vernes books just because they looked good, bear in mind I don’t speak any Spanish. A slightly unexpected fact about me? I got a black belt in karate when I was 15, which is still kinda cool.
Ways to get in touch with me...