And the winner is...
The 13th annual Vice-Chancellor’s Awards dinner took place on Thursday 5 December, recognising the exceptional contribution that our academic staff, PGR students and colleagues from professional services, research and teaching make to our University.
The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony that took place at the University Hall and was also streamed online.
Colleague of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Colleague of the Year recognises an individual member of staff who has markedly and consistently enhanced the working environment of other staff in the University, and exemplified our core values: Inclusion, Inspiration, Innovation and Integrity.
This year’s nominees were: Lucinda Ditchfield, Kim Hart and Laura Smythson
AND THE WINNER IS...
Lucinda Ditchfield, Campus Welcome Manager, Campus Services
Lucy will do everything in her power to help and support anyone who comes through the door, whether they be a colleague, a student, or a visitor. Always helpful, positive and knowledgeable, she makes time to help everybody and goes above and beyond to assist.
Considerate and collegiate, she always brings as many people as possible across different directorates around the table, ensuring they are kept up to date and feel able to share their opinions.
Lucy is always looking for ways to evolve the Campus Welcome offering, including an enhanced key collection package for conference visitors, compiling information from across the institution and leading on a new virtual reception programme.
She always holds herself to the highest of standards and her strong understanding of both the commercial and customer service aspects of the business makes her an invaluable asset to the University.
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Leadership recognises an individual member of staff who has exhibited strong and effective leadership (or potential) by undertaking activities either formally through their role or simply by taking responsibility when leadership was required to achieve a particular goal.
This year's nominees were: Prof Esat Alpay, Hollie Baker, Abigail Bradbeer
AND THE WINNER IS...
Prof Esat Alpay, Associate Dean (Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Esat works tirelessly to make a positive difference in student experience and outcomes, seamlessly bridging the demands of academia and Professional Services to drive the University towards its mission.
His strategic thinking, meticulous planning, and ability to inspire colleagues have been instrumental in helping the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences to achieve its goals but, importantly, Esat strives to support all colleagues, irrespective of their School, and will frequently go above and beyond seeking a solution.
His pragmatic approach has been invaluable in many areas including Confirmation and Clearing, where his ability to analyse data with personal insights from across the University leads to decisions that are informed and widely supported, and international student recruitment, particularly in helping enhance academic-marketing / recruitment / admission collaboration and exploring partnership-based recruitment and transnational education opportunities.
Moreover, Esat has been instrumental in raising the profile of equality, diversity and inclusion matters in teaching in FEPS.
Public and Community Engagement
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Public and Community Engagement recognises colleagues or teams who have excelled in public engagement activities over the past year, enhancing the University's impact and reputation. This includes involving the public in research, sharing its benefits with non-academic audiences, or contributing to societal improvements through stakeholder or policy engagement. This award is open to any member of staff whose efforts have been over and above their normal core duties, and for whom public engagement is not their main role.
This year’s nominees were: Prof Prashant Kumar, the SpaceCraft Team, Dr Andrew Rogoyski
AND THE WINNER IS...
The SpaceCraft team, Surrey Space Centre (pictured standing, l-r): Paul Morris, Maria Campbell, Luca Ferrian. (Pictured seated, l-r): Prof Keith Ryden and Prof Craig Underwood. (Not pictured: Moe Ahmed)
The SpaceCraft team at Surrey Space Centre has been incredibly active in making space more accessible to prospective students and to small businesses wanting to get ahead in the sector.
The team’s key engagements have included: exhibits at four national space shows including UKSpace (Belfast) and Farnborough International; visiting colleges and presenting at school careers fairs; and helping to develop a new Space Hub at Alton College.
This involved working closely with staff and students at Alton College to develop the new hands-on, 1-week, SpaceCraft course for 16–18-year-olds to allow them to experience the fun and exhilaration of space engineering before making career or HE-pathway choices. Twenty students at six local FE institutions have already participated and there is a waiting list of five more colleges.
SpaceCraft has also opened up SSC’s specialist facilities and expertise to local space businesses and organisations to help get their payloads into space: 27 have approached SSC so far and 11 have already benefited from the facilities.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion recognises an individual member of staff who has substantially contributed to the development and/or celebration of our diverse and inclusive culture by, for example, acting as a positive role model who consistently champions equality, diversity and inclusion, or developing events and activities with demonstrated outcomes.
This year’s nominees were: Jo McCarthy-Holland, Pranay Shakya
AND THE WINNER IS...
Pranay Shakya, MySurrey Hive Case Coordinator, Student Experience
As Chair of the Surrey Embracing Ethnic Diversity (SEED) Network, Pranay has demonstrated outstanding leadership in fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment at the University.
His efforts in developing key initiatives such as the SEED Allyship Programme, Diversity Walk and Culture Week have significantly promoted EDI values and inspired staff engagement. In 2023, Pranay trained 53 staff members for the SEED Allyship Programme, followed by another 33 in 2024, showcasing his commitment to empowering colleagues to advocate for inclusivity.
One of his most notable achievements is the SEED Listening Circle, which provided a safe, open space for staff in the aftermath of the August 2024 race riots, helping to foster a sense of belonging during a difficult time.
Pranay has also been instrumental in connecting BAME staff members and organising events that enhance community engagement. His work inspires others to embrace diversity and challenge discrimination.
Wellbeing, Health and Safety
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Wellbeing, Health and Safety recognises colleagues who excel in fostering a safe, supportive environment and promoting a culture of care. It celebrates outstanding contributions to health, safety, and wellbeing, recognising exceptional efforts to enhance practices within departments. The award also highlights innovative approaches to improving physical and mental wellbeing and acknowledges leaders who champion mental health awareness and create open, supportive workplace environments.
This year’s nominees were: Revd Canon Duncan Myers, the Wellbeing Team, Lisa Wernick
AND THE WINNER IS...
Revd Canon Duncan Myers, Anglican Chaplain, Religious Life and Belief
Duncan makes a profound difference in the lives of many students and staff through his constant presence, support, and genuine care. He embodies warmth, love, and compassion, reaching out to students of all faiths and none, and ensuring that every individual feels seen and supported.
Duncan initiated weekly outreach stalls in KGB and the Vet School, where he provides countless hot drinks to students and staff, creating a welcoming atmosphere and building strong support networks. Many in these departments know him by name and turn to him for pastoral care, recognizing him as a trusted figure who is always ready to listen. He has persistently advocated for the establishment of a Hive on Manor Park, where he now serves as a consistent pastoral presence, supporting those who might feel isolated.
Additionally, Duncan has been a steadfast advocate for Christmas provisions for students staying on campus over the festive period. One of Duncan's most significant initiatives has been the establishment of a Bereavement Group in collaboration with the Students' Union, offering vital support to students and staff who have experienced loss.
Innovator of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovator of the Year is presented to an individual who has developed an outstanding innovative product, technology, process or service that clearly demonstrates an economic, social or environmental benefit to society.
This year’s nominees were: Prof Melissa Hamilton, Dr Izabela Jurewicz, Dr Carlos Maluquer de Motes
AND THE WINNER IS...
Prof Melissa Hamilton, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, Surrey Law School
Melissa is nominated for her work in developing a comprehensive toolkit for sexual misconduct investigations within UK higher education institutions. Building on a foundation of decades of research and teaching on issues of sexual misconduct in criminal justice and educational settings across North America and Europe, Melissa recognised a critical need for specialized training in UK universities. She led an interdisciplinary team to create a resource addressing complex issues such as trauma-informed interviewing, perpetrator strategies, and the neurobiology of trauma.
The toolkit, which includes a widely praised consent diagram, has transformed the way universities handle misconduct cases, providing practical exercises and decision-making guides that empower higher education staff to manage cases more effectively and compassionately. Over a dozen institutions and counting, have adopted the toolkit, generating revenue for Surrey and reinforcing institutional best practices. Melissa has also contributed thought leadership through free webinars, publications, and expert guidance on regulatory changes, significantly advancing justice and support systems in academia.
Researcher of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Researcher of the Year recognises colleagues whose recent research has successfully challenged dogma, created a new field of research, elucidated a new paradigm, made a fundamental change in thinking, or had a significant impact on society.
This year’s nominees were: Dr YingFei Héliot, Prof Michael Pluess, Prof Jhuma Sadhukhan
AND THE WINNER IS...
Prof Jhuma Sadhukhan, Associate Head (Research and Innovation), School of Sustainability, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Jhuma co-leads strategic large interdisciplinary UKRI grants of over £38million. A Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist, Fellow IChemE, and a world-leading innovator at the nexus of sustainability, engineering, AI and global healthcare, Jhuma has successfully challenged traditional approaches and created a new paradigm in lifecycle-inspired resource-efficient climate-resilient systems integrating molecules to supply chains, adopted across diverse global sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing.
She advances sustainable bioproducts as the UK lead of the prestigious $14million Global Bioeconomy Center (one of six NSF/UKRI and four countries-funded centers worldwide). As co-lead of the £14million UKRI-ELEMENTAL-Hub, she advances metals’ circularity. As a BBSRC Strategic Advisory Panel member, she helps shape the UK’s £100million Engineering Biology Mission for the circular net-zero bioeconomy. With ten publications annually, including 4* first-authored, her versatile interdisciplinary research spans FEPS, FABSS, and FHMS, advancing engineering biology, AI for net-zero to pioneering hospitality-tourism carbon calculators.
Research Supervisor of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Supervisor of the Year recognises an individual or supervisory team who has/have created the most supportive, stimulating, and inspirational research environment for their postgraduate researchers during their time at the University.
This year’s nominees were: Dr Bing Guo, Dr Albert Kimbu, Dr Rose-Marie Satherley
AND THE WINNER IS...
Dr Bing Guo, Senior Lecturer, School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bing is nominated for her dedication to her students' research and career development. She provides outstanding mentorship, fostering a positive, supportive, and collaborative research environment, where PGRs and postdocs support each another.
Bing views each student as an individual with unique talents, offering personalized guidance that acknowledges and celebrates cultural and personal differences. She promotes professional development and leadership by encouraging teaching experience, public engagement, and visibility at international conferences. Her leadership extends to building national and international partnerships, enhancing students' research experiences and networking opportunities.
Her mentorship has led to numerous achievements of each individual, including conference presentations with awards, ECR funding, published manuscripts, and successful organization of workshops and events. Additionally, Dr Guo raises awareness and participation on EDI, for example, ECR culture and Women’s Engineering Society.
Her commitment to research culture, student-centred guidance, and EDI, exemplify the qualities of an outstanding research supervisor.
Postgraduate Researcher of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Postgraduate Researcher of the Year recognises exceptional postgraduate researchers based on the excellence and breadth of their cumulative research achievements and acknowledging those who are on a rising trajectory, actively contributing to their field and achieving meaningful impact through their work.
This year’s nominees were: Gul Hameed, Dr Gilang M Majid, Mary Phillips
AND THE WINNER IS...
Mary Phillips, Postgraduate Researcher, School of Biosciences
Mary commenced her PhD (part time) in October 2019. She is motivated to undertake research to improve the clinical care of patients with pancreatic disease, a field she has worked in as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Dietitian) for over 20 years.
Since starting her PhD, Mary has secured two grants, published 19 papers (nine as first author); led the UK guidelines for the management of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency; worked on three European pancreatic guidelines; published a book: ‘Nutritional Management of the Surgical Patient (2023)’ and presented her work in Europe, Asia, America and Australasia.
Mary was invited to join the Scientific Committee of ‘United European Gastroenterology’ in 2023, (the first non-medic), and teaches on their Masterclass in chronic pancreatitis. She is Associate Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vice-chair of the Pancreatic Cancer UK optimal care pathway committee, and a collaborative/clinical supervisor for another PhD student.
The Collaborative Teaching Award recognises teams who are involved in teaching and/or supporting learning, and who contribute to the enhancement of student outcomes and the teaching profession. The Award is not only open to those in Faculty-based teaching roles, but to any teams within the University that contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning.
The Sport and Exercise Science (SES) programme is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and due to the dedication, talent and innovation of the team it has consolidated its position in the UK as one of the top universities to study SES.
Its programme aims to provide the underpinning scientific understanding for sport and exercise science, allowing the translation of knowledge and skills into the applied arena, whether sports performance or exercise and health. The team has ensured the curriculum is created to allow progression of knowledge into applied environments, with interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, ensuring application of the scientific principles to physical activity and sport, achieved through Biomechanics, Physiology and Psychology.
Not only does the team work collaboratively to provide a PRSB-accredited undergraduate programme, but team members work collaboratively with students to forge successful staff:student partnerships whether associated to research, applied settings or co-creation within our pedagogy.
Team Leaders: Dr Ralph Manders and Dr Andrew Hulton.
Team members: Patrick Atkinson, Dr David Bartlett, Harri Cizmic, Dr Nicholas de Cruz, Dr Julie Hunt, Dr Catherine Payne, Dr Harry Roberts, Dr Billy Senington, Dr Nicole Swann, Dr James Wild
(Pictured l-r): Dr Billy Sennington, Paddy Atkinson, Dr Andrew Hulton, Dr Nicholas de Cruz, Dr Ralph Manders, Dr Julie Hunt (seated), Dr Harry Roberts
Teacher of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teacher of the Year recognises and rewards staff who have been teaching at the University of Surrey for three or more years and have made a significant contribution to enhancing students’ learning experience and the quality of their learning.
This year's nominees were: Dr Sarah Hack, Stella Kazamia, Dr Christopher Wiley
AND THE WINNER IS...
Dr Sarah Hack, Lecturer, School of Psychology
As a firm believer in the power of education to transform lives, Sarah is committed to supporting students to achieve their potential, regardless of their prior educational experiences. Sarah is the Director of the Psychology Foundation Year, leading in the development of inclusive teaching and learning experiences to enable the FY students, typically comprising under-represented and disadvantaged groups, to fulfil their potential. Her commitment to inclusivity is further demonstrated as the Widening Participation and Outreach tutor for the School of Psychology.
Sarah is one of the University’s leading ambassadors for innovation in education. Her work is informed by her ongoing commitment to research-informed teaching and continuous professional development. Sarah has disseminated ideas and practice through Surrey Excites and SIoE showcases, as well as an invited speaker at external events. Recently Sarah has focused on the implications of GenAI for learning and teaching, and as a member of the AIEIO group has influenced much of the training and support offered by SIoE for staff and students.
of the Year
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Early-Career Teacher of the Year recognises and rewards staff who are within their first three years of teaching and have made a significant contribution to enhancing students’ learning experience, and quality of learning.
This year's nominees were: Dr Georgia Bowers, Nick Frymann, Dr Nana-Fatima Ozeto
AND THE WINNER IS...
Nick Frymann, Lecturer, Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Nick has made significant contributions to teaching and learning innovation in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. His focus on integrating industry-strength technologies for streamlined assessment into the curricula encourages students to independently improve their problem solving and technical skills, allowing for scalability to large student numbers whilst offering personalised feedback. He has introduced a new module, Ethical Hacking and Pentesting, demonstrating his dedication to aligning the curriculum with real-world problems which contributes to our status as an Academic Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Education.
Beyond teaching, Nick has lead technological innovations that support the student experience, including solutions for improving SurreyLearn’s usability, customising the IT provision to improve the AI experience for Computer Science students, and a new technology-enhanced scavenger hunt exercise during welcome week to encourage teamwork and interaction. He has also champions supporting student societies, for example, running hackathons that students that enhances our students' skills.