Members of University of Leicester community recognised in New Year’s Honours

A University of Leicester student who struck gold at the 2024 Olympics, an internationally recognised surgeon and an expert in atmospheric science are among the outstanding individuals announced in this year’s New Year’s Honours list.

Economics undergraduate, Lauren Henry, has been recognised with an OBE for services to rowing, after winning gold in the women’s quadruple sculls, at the Paris Games.

Professor Paul Monks has received the Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2024 New Year’s Honours. 

David M Lloyd, a Professor of Surgery and Consultant Laparoscopic and Liver Surgeon at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, has been recognised with an OBE for services to surgery.

Lauren, who suspended her studies to train full time, was part of the women’s quadruple sculls in rowing for Team GB who secured a historic victory after a gripping race which ended in a photo finish. It marked the first time that Great Britain have won gold in in this boat class.

Lauren began rowing when she was 13 and was a sports scholar at Leicester which meant she was provided additional funding for sporting activities, equipment and competitions such as British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) and beyond. While she trained at Leicester Rowing Club she was supported by the University Boat Club and raced under BUCS when she could.

Lauren, who comes from Lutterworth, won the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials in 2023 at the age of 21. She was then selected for the GB Women’s Quad which went on to take the British Record at the Varese World Cup and became World Champion in a stand-out race in Belgrade later that year.

As well as being Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Earth Observation Science at the University of Leicester, Professor Monks has held the role of Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and formerly the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), since 2020.

Professor Monks’ research covers the broad areas of air quality, atmospheric composition and climate change. He was chair of the Defra Air Quality Expert Group for ten years and deputy-chair of the Defra Science Advisory Council alongside roles in the UKRI-NERC advice structures. As founding director of G-STEP, a university innovation initiative, he developed a business-facing organisation with the aim of using space data to enhance the competitiveness of industry, particularly focused on SMEs. He has also been a Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College of Science and Engineering at Leicester.

In his time in government, he has brought science to bear on issues ranging from COVID, Critical Minerals to the COP process.    

Professor Monks said: “I am very much humbled to be recognised for the work of getting science into government. It has been rewarding to see how science can make a real difference to decision making.”

Professor Lloyd has an international reputation in hernia surgery and gallstone surgery and is one of the most experienced laparoscopic surgeons in the world.

He qualified in London and trained in liver surgery in Chicago being one of the first surgeons to perform a living related liver transplant. In the early 1990s he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine (MD) by the University of Leicester.

He was head-hunted to continue this work in Hamburg and became a consultant surgeon in Leicester in 1994, specialising in liver and laparoscopic surgery. He pioneered many operations and developed a microwave machine to treat liver cancer in 2001. He was the first to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Leicester in 1990, and was the first to perform laparoscopic anti-reflux procedures and splenectomies in children within the UK. In 2015, Professor Lloyd was appointed Professor of Surgery at the University. He developed his Lloyd Release Procedure to treat athletes with groin pain also known as sportsman’s groin and has treated famous athletes such as Shane Williams, Michael Carrick, Peter Crouch, Jamie Vardy and Peter Schmeichel.

President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester Professor Nishan Canagarajah said: “To be recognised in the New Year’s Honours list is acknowledgment of a truly inspirational contribution. 

“Our heartfelt congratulations go to David, Lauren and Paul, who really reflect what it means to be Citizens of Change.

“Lauren’s dedication to her sport has brought her the ultimate prize – an Olympic gold medal. Her Paris Games performances were truly inspiring, as she and her team-mates gave absolutely everything they had to bring home gold. She’s a fantastic role model and her OBE is recognition of the hard work Lauren has put in every single day to reach the very top of her sport. What an inspiration she is.”

He added: “Professor Lloyd’s OBE is richly deserved. He has become an internationally recognised practitioner during his time here at Leicester, helping and improving the lives of thousands of patients. A medical pioneer, Professor Lloyd is a true Citizen of Change.”

Reflecting on Professor Monks’ honour, Professor Canagarajah added: “Universities play a vital role in providing the latest knowledge and understanding to decisionmakers, and Professor Paul Monks has been at the forefront of this as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero. His well-deserved honour reflects both his exceptional expertise in the science of our planet’s atmosphere, as well as his commitment to ensuring that government has access to the best science available.”