Several SEMS staff were recognised at the Annual Faculty of Science and Engineering Celebration on the 3rd December 2024. Congratulations to all of you for this wonderful recognition of the excellence of your work. The SEMS winners were:

Matt Horsfield was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Professional Services Award” for his exceptional dedication and resourcefulness. Faced with significant staff shortages, Matt has ensured the Education Services Team continued to deliver excellent support for our students. In less than a year, Matt has become a key figure in delivering outstanding professional services within SEMS.

Dr Jae-Hwan Park was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Education Award” by helping to develop the new vibrant MSc programme in Engineering Management that is already the best recruiting post graduate programme in SEMS. He has created a wonderful community amongst the students, and this is all underpinned by his delivery of excellent innovative teaching.

Dr Stefaan Verbruggen was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Research Award” for his research contributions in the development of organ-chip models. Recognising his help in securing the new EPSRC Centre for Doctoral training, leading an EPSRC grant and collaborating on a MRC grant that work in the same area. He is also contributing greatly to the EDI and outreach activities in SEMS.

Prof Joe Briscoe was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact Award” in recognition of his work on the development of manufacturing techniques using aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition that has resulted in a spin-out company: AeroSolar. The company applies Joe’s technology to manufacture next generation solar cells.

Dr Tim Hopkins was awarded the “Outstanding Post Doctoral Researcher Award” for his work in helping to secure several significant grants from EPSRC and BBSRC. Tim is also hugely collegiate supporting the research teams of Prof Martin Knight and Prof Hazel Screen, training PhD students, managing the labs, building industry collaborations, and presenting to Government.