At this year's Sussex Awards we were delighted to have excellent representation from Sussex Researcher School (SRS) colleagues and members of the emerging researchers community.

One of our early career researcher representatives Dr Henry Dore 3D printed the trophy, designed by student Mabli Vuijk, using recycled filament. A couple of members of SRS won awards and our CHASE team (Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-east England) was nominated in the Postgraduate Researcher Support for their creative and inclusive training programme as well as their compassionate support for postgraduate researchers. Our Adam Weiler PGR Impact Awards winners were also recognised at the awards emphasising the key role that postgraduate researchers play in the fabric of the University.

Education for Employability and World Readiness: The DISCnet / SEPnet Team

Susanne Bell (SRS) manages the DISCnet Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) alongside colleagues in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. She won the award together with Prof Jacob Dunningham, Dr Kate Shaw and Prof Kathy Romer.

The programme focuses on training a new generation of postgraduate data intensive scientists and won the award for their exceptional industry placements scheme. Each year they place approximately 100 students in paid roles across the sector, including finance, energy, and aerospace. This CDT is financially sustainable, with over 70% of placements fully funded by employers. The scheme has excellent participation rates and reflects the student body population across gender, ethnicity, and neurodiversity.

The results show that the students greatly benefit from gaining industry experience, leading to career clarity and job offers. The companies have praised the excellent standard of work and direct impact on product production and services.

Research and Innovation Culture: Women's Leadership Academy 

Katy Stoddard, SRS Researcher Development manager, worked with Dr Elizabeth Rendon-Morales, Prof Erika Mancini and Vicki Love to create this academy. This highly impactful, sustainably funded programme, addresses the gender gap in promotion applications among early career researchers. The programme has been very successful, with all participants reporting they are ready to apply for promotions and 91% feel greater career confidence. Feedback has also highlighted the value of the community support between participants. Additionally, the programme has given the opportunity for growth through funded participant-led initiatives.

Adam Weiler PGR Impact Awards

Professor Michael Luck (Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost) presented the Adam Weiler PGR Impact Awards to the postgraduate researcher winners, whose work demonstrate the potential to make impactful changes in their fields.

 Laura Steege accepted the FoSEM award for developing a successful method of testing for Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial species in hospitals, which has been adopted into NHS guidance. Dina Abdelhafez won the Media, Arts and Humanities award for her innovative cultural history study of 1960s Egypt, viewing societal change through domestic interiors.

 This year's third winner, Sunisha Neupane (Social Sciences), was out of the country but received resounding applause for her award-winning work on maternal health inequalities in rural Nepal.

 See our awards announcement for more on their impressive bodies of work.

Back to news list