President

Tahmid Khan

su-president@qmul.ac.uk

Tell us a bit about yourself, your role and your time at Queen Mary

Hello, I’m Tahmid, your Students’ Union President!

I studied Aerospace Engineering at QM. Prior to coming to Queen Mary, I undertook a foundation year at Swansea University, where I became the VP of the Islamic Society. Although I was a little thrown in the deep end by the role, it was a great introduction into the (often perplexing) world of student representation.

My first experience with QMSU was in 2021, as a National Union of Students (NUS) Delegate, submitting a policy to the NUS National Conference on improving university timetabling practices. In 2022, I then became a Student Trustee, where I saw first-hand the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the Union and our student community. This led me to run to be your Vice-President Welfare in 2023, which amongst many other things I worked to expand the QMSU Food Pantry, review the Financial Assistance Fund, and secure funding to improve lighting across campus!

I decided to run for the President role as I wanted to go further on tackling the cost of living on campus, make the university experience more inclusive and accessible for all, and improve representation structures within the QMSU and QMUL to better support student voices.

(I’m also a proud, born and raised East Londoner – so expect lots of references on the @presidentqmsu Instagram stories throughout the year about how much I love the area!)

Favourite spot on any of our campuses?

Canalside – especially on a sunny day when the geese are swimming around :)

If you could recommend one thing the Students’ Union has on offer for students to get involved in, what would it be?

Join a society (or many)! QMSU has loads and they’re a great space to make friends, build skills or to just have fun.

Top study tip?

Make a plan! Even if it’s 48 hours until your coursework deadline, do it. Breaking down your project into small achievable tasks lets you process things quicker. Spending an hour planning is better than wasting several hours panicking.

Tell us about a hobby you do and why you love it?

Coin-collecting. Coins tell us the story of nations, show the extent of their power (or lack thereof), and explain the journey of their people. My favourite coin in my collection is a Danish 5 kroner coin, mainly because it has a hole in the middle of it, which apparently comes from the fact that the Vikings used to carry their coins on loops of string!

What’s one thing at Queen Mary that you couldn’t live without? ?

The Multi-Faith Centre (MFC) in the SU Building is my go-to. When exam stress is building up and your coursework group has become unresponsive, the MFC is a really nice space to rest, pray and think.

What’s your ideal day out in London?

My ideal day out is having brunch near Notting Hill, before heading to Portobello Road Market and buying some old stuff, then ending the day at Hyde Park, sitting near the Serpentine or on the grass, enjoying an ice cream :)

Grabbing food* with friends after Friday Prayer is good vibes too.

*food typically being the local cuisine, PFC.

translation for the uninitiated: (PFC = fried chicken)

What’s a piece of advice you’d give students?

Take regular walks. As with most of you, I spent much of my degree sitting in a chair staring into a screen, losing all concept of time. I found that a quick walk helps to refresh the mind and allows you to think more clearly.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

Teleportation, although a surprisingly high number of my predecessors mention mind-reading… But they knew I would say that.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

Probably Ramadan, it’s always a calm and relaxing period with open iftars and night prayers taking place across campus!

I’m also looking forwards to working on and finishing up on my projects with our amazing SU staff in what will be my final year as an Executive Officer :)