Over the next few weeks we will be posting profiles of some of the BICC research community, starting today, with Dr Astrid Nordin, now at Lancaster University. BICC has to date involved over 40 core researchers at all stages of their careers — although we have not yet had any retirements — and scores, if not hundreds, more through our conferences and workshops. The largest body of BICC researchers came through the studentships funded by the 2006-12 award, and their work is now starting to reshape the resarch landscape in their fields, nationally and internationally.