Senate report – major achievements and awards
29 Oct 2024
Congratulations to our colleagues for the recent major achievements and major funding, reported in the latest Senate report (October 2024)
Major achievements and awards secured by the University since the last Senate report include:
Funding
UoM is leading and participating in projects funded by the UKRI cross research council pilot scheme to stimulate interdisciplinary research:
- Professor Jon Williamson (School of Social Sciences) is leading a project ‘Interdisciplinary Systematic Review: Mechanistic Evidence and Epistemic Justice’.
- Professor Caroline Jay (School of Engineering) and Professor Thomas House (School of Natural Sciences) are partners in a project led by UCL on the mathematical modelling of epidemics.
In addition:
- Professor Carole Goble (School of Engineering) is co-leading BioFAIR which aims to establish a cohesive, UK-wide digital research infrastructure and UKRI have approved investment of £34m from their infrastructure fund and digital research infrastructure programme for the project.
- Professors Bernard Keavney and Maciej Tomaszewski (both School of Medical Sciences) have been awarded £4m from the British Heart Foundation to lead a Centre of Excellence on cardiovascular research.
- Professor Stuart Allan (School of Biological Sciences) has been awarded £3m from the Alzheimer’s Society to lead a Doctoral Training Centre for Vascular and Immune contributors to dementia.
- Professors Tony Chen, Philip Martin and Hujun Yin (all School of Engineering) have secured £2.4m from the OFGEM Strategic Innovation Fund (UKRI/Innovate UK) for UoM’s participation in a project led by National Grid Electricity Transmission to explore ways to end the use of sulphur hexafluoride, a potent greenhouse gas in electrical systems.
- Dr Matthew Cliff (Senior Technical Specialist Faculty of Science and Engineering) has been awarded one of 23 Transformative Research Technologies projects by the BBSRC. The project will use atomic resolution spectroscopy to identify key chemical groups for evolution, to more reliably produce low-cost alternatives to monoclonal antibodies for use in diagnostics and research.
Elected Fellows and Fellowships
Seven Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships have been awarded to:
- Dr Jack Benton (School of Environment, Education and Development)
- Dr Justina Berškytė (School of Social Sciences)
- Dr Lia Brazil (School of Arts, Languages and Cultures)
- Dr Thuy Duong Khuu (School of Environment, Education and Development)
- Dr Martyna Ewa Majewska (School of Arts, Languages and Cultures)
- Dr Julia Percezel (School of Social Sciences)
- Dr Laura Towers (School of Social Sciences)
In addition:
- Dr Holly Smith (Alliance Manchester Business School) has been awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship to examine the relationship between professional identity commitments and propensity to industrial action for workers in the caring and creative industries.
Awards, Prizes and Recognition
Four UoM professors were recognised in the King’s Birthday Honors List:
- Professor Ian Hall (School of Natural Sciences) has been awarded an OBE for his services to public health, to epidemiology and to adult social care.
- Honorary Professor Richard Wakeford (School of Health Sciences) has been awarded an OBE for his for services to the advancement of the science of radiation protection.
- Professor Paul Klapper (School of Biological Sciences) has been awarded an OBE for services to viral diagnostic testing.
- Professor Paul Howarth (School of Engineering) has been awarded a CBE for his significant contribution and service to the nuclear industry and to UK research and development.
In addition:
- Professor Perdita Barran (School of Natural Sciences) was listed in The Analytical Scientist 2024 Power List as a leader and influencer in human health.