15 nominations were received for academic staff, teaching assistants, technical and administrative staff across five departments.

They were judged by Professor Nick Brook (Dean of Science), Amanda Harper (Director of Administration), Dr Alan Hayes (Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching) and Malcolm Holley (Director of Faculty Technical Services).

Congratulations to the winners

Dr Kit Yates from the Department of Mathematical Sciences received the Teaching Award for the quality of his teaching and commitment to technology-enhanced learning. He was also praised for raising the profile of the department through his widening participation and public engagement activities, “enlivening the courses with examples of his own applied research”.

Chemistry PhD student, Alex Cousen received the Teaching Assistant Award for his contributions to teaching activities across the department, such as supporting students through lab units and tutorials, as well as his widening participation activities. The Head of Department, Professor Chris Frost said: “Alex is without doubt one of the most enthusiastic, dedicated and caring postgraduate students.”

The Learning Support Award was given to Laboratory Assistant, Josh Byers for his efforts working in the chemistry teaching lab, particularly during a difficult period of technical support staff shortages. Josh’s nominator said: “I am left in no doubt that the undergraduate student experience has been enhanced at a time when it would have been all-too-easy for it to have dropped.”

A tricky decision

Winners were announced during an event hosted by Professor Nick Brook on 4 June.

Nick said: “As with last year’s inaugural awards, the quality of the applications this year was very high, making it all the more trickier to choose the winners in each category. It was clear from all the applications that there are many people willing to go the extra mile to ensure our students experience the best education possible.

“I’d like to thank all the nominees for their achievements in providing a first-class education across the Faculty and especially Kit, Josh and Alex for their outstanding contributions.”

Nominate someone for 2019

Nominations for the next Faculty of Science Teaching Awards will open in January 2019.