Staff recognised at the Discovering Excellence Awards

Last night staff from across the University of Leicester celebrated the innovation, creativity and dedication of our fantastic colleagues at the fourth annual Discovering Excellence Staff Awards.

Presented by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah, and friend of the University and TV legend Maggie Philbin, the awards covered the whole scope of staff excellence in a celebratory event.

This year a record number of nominations underlined the sheer volume of excellent work taking place across our University. With such a high number of nominations, nearly 400 in total, just being a finalist was already a huge achievement. We were able to shine a light on colleagues who often go unrecognised. We have discovered staff who have secured huge amounts of research funding, who have provided life-saving support for our students, and who have used their ingenuity and creativity to develop world-changing ideas.

Judges drawn from across the University had the unenviable task of choosing from the many deserving nominees. From tackling the health challenges faced by today’s society to giving students the opportunity to build their confidence outside the classroom, and from research with an interstellar impact to the largest grant ever awarded to the University, our winners have made a huge difference to the University as a whole.

This year’s winners are:

  • Research Excellence Award: Professor Emma Bunce: Physics and Astronomy
  • Research Team of the Year: Virtual Vauxhall Gardens project
  • Student Recruitment and Retention Award: Dr Sarah Lee: Geography, Geology and the Environment
  • Teaching Excellence Award: Dr Dylan Williams: Chemistry
  • Teaching Team of the Year: Modern Languages Teaching Team
  • Student Experience Champion: Dr Paul Jenkins: Director of Music
  • Exceptional Team Member: Dr Judith West: Leicester Medical School
  • Impact Champion: William Wells: Research and Enterprise Division
  • People Champion: Dr Maribel Canto-Lopez: Law
  • Professional Services Team of the Year: Admissions Team Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery
  • Inspiring Leader: Dr Angie Pears: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Equalities Champion: Harriet Smailes: Student Welfare
  • Technician’s Award: Dipali Thanki: Physics and Astronomy
  • President and Vice-Chancellor’s Award: Professor Martin Tobin

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