Dr Deepshikha and the EduMark AI team of Dr Li Wang, Dr Xinru Deng, Dr Giuseppe Viola, Professor Conrad Bessant and Hashir Hamid from the School of Engineering and Materials Science have received Queen Mary University of London’s highest institutional honour – the President and Principal’s Prize at the Education Excellence Awards 2025. The award recognises their pioneering project EduMark AI – an innovative, ethical AI-driven assessment and feedback platform designed to enhance fairness, accuracy, and efficiency in higher-education marking.

EduMark AI has transformed the assessment landscape at Queen Mary by integrating artificial-intelligence tools with structured rubrics and prompt frameworks. The system enables faster, more consistent feedback for students while significantly reducing academic workload.

This year’s Education Excellence Awards recognised projects that advance student experience, inclusivity, and digital transformation in line with Queen Mary Strategy 2030. The President and Principal’s Prize celebrates the most impactful of the university’s award-winning initiatives and is personally endorsed by the President and Principal.

Dr Deepshikha said “I’m truly honoured to receive the President and Principal’s Prize for EduMark AI. This recognition celebrates our collective commitment to reimagining assessment and feedback through responsible, human-centred AI. I look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to scale the project to support both staff and students across Queen Mary and beyond.”

Professor Hazel Screen, Head of School, congratulated Dr Deepshikha, saying “We are incredibly proud of Deepshikha’s achievement. EduMark AI exemplifies the innovative and inclusive spirit of our teaching community and represents a major step forward in the university’s digital-education strategy.”

The EduMark AI project continues under the Draper’s Fund for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, with plans to expand pilot modules, enhance rubric-aligned AI feedback, and share best practices across the institution.