Public Engagement Awards

The University's Public Engagement Awards recognise the important role played by those who undertake excellent public engagement with their research, increasing the non-academic impact of their research, improving their own skills and leading by example.

Each year, six finalists for the Awards perform at the Engage: Public Engagement in Practice event, an event that also sees winners announced for the Images of Research competition.

Awards are presented to both staff and postgraduate researchers, with the Staff Award featuring in the Summer Graduation Ceremony.  For the Staff Award, there is no assumption that candidates will be in a senior, supervisory or managerial position.

There are two public engagement with research awards:

1) Vice-Chancellor's Award for Public Engagement with Research 

Consists of £750 salary payment and £1500 professional development budget.

2) Vice-Chancellor's Postgraduate Prize for Public Engagement with Research

Consists of £500 direct payment. 

Engage Public Engagement in Practice 2018

The finalists presented their engaged research at the 2018 Engage event

The 2018 finalists were:

Vice Chanellor's Award for Public Engagement with Research

• Dr Ventsislav Valev (Department of Physics)

Vice Chancellor's Prize for Public Engagement with Research

• Bethan Charles (Department of Chemistry, Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies)
• Annaleise Depper (Department for Health)
• Caroline Hughes (Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering)

View videos of the 2018 finalists.

2018 Award Winners

The judges (Professor Jonathan Knight (Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)); Professor Davide Mattia (Associate Dean for Research, Deparment of Architecture & Civil Engineering); Dr Lesley Paterson (Head of Public Engagement, University of Oxford); and Dr Afroditi Stathi (2017 Staff Award winner) announced the following winners:

Staff Award: Dr Ventislav Valev, Department of Physics 

Ventsi’s work focuses on the interactions between light and new chiral nanomaterials. These emerging materials are creating opportunities to expand the use of light for chiral sensing, chiral separation and chiral synthesis — all vital functions for modern biochemistry and pharmaceuticals.

As part of his public engagement, Ventsi takes complex science and translates this to help inspire the next generation through extensive outreach work at local primary schools. Judges were impressed by his enthusiastic presentation and for the ways in which he has used public tools to inform his research.

Hear more from Ventsi on why he enages with the public

Postgraduate Prize: Bethan Charles, Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies and Department of Chemistry

Bethan’s PhD is focused on next generation solar cells – known as perovskites – and their potential to transform solar energy generation, including by being incorporated into everyday objects such as walls and windows.

Her public engagement activities have included establishing a Bath in Science Policy group here at the University, working with local teenagers on science projects through BRLSI, and managing the ‘Atoms to Galaxies’ section of the popular Pint of Science Festival.

Hear more from Bethan on why she engages with the public

Past Award Winners

2017 Staff Award: Dr Afroditi Stathi, Department for Health

2017 Postgraduate Prize: Daniela De Angeli, Department of Computer Science

2016 Staff Award: Dr Kit Yates, Department of Mathematical Sciences

2016 Postgraduate Prize: Jemma Rowlandson, Department of Chemical Engineering

2015 Staff Award: Dr Sarah Bailey, Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology

2015 Postgraduate Prize: Jon Chouler, Department of Chemical Engineering

2014 Staff Award: Dr Paul Shepherd, Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

2014 Postgraduate Prize: Lisa Sargeant, Department of Chemical Engineering