Celebrate Our Staff – February 2020
Here we celebrate our colleagues’ achievements across the University this past month.
Professor Philip Howard has been awarded an OBE for his services to healthcare
OBE Honour for Antimicrobial Pharmacist
Professor Philip Howard – visiting professor in antimicrobial stewardship – was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to healthcare.
He is a Consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the first pharmacist President of the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
He has been involved in developing standards, quality improvement schemes and education for the responsible use of antibiotics for many years locally, nationally and internationally.
Professor Howard said: “I'm deeply humbled and honoured to receive this award, and would like to thank those who nominated me.
“I have been actively involved in combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for many years now, so receiving an OBE for services to healthcare, rather than pharmacy, reflects the multidisciplinary team working that has existed within the UK for many years to contain antimicrobial resistance.”
AMR is a major threat to modern healthcare globally, so requires a continuous effort to keep antibiotics working, and to discover new antimicrobials or alternative therapies.
The field of Pharmacy looks poised to become more actively involved in AMR globally in the coming years, with pharmacists taking a greater role in primary care, and the likes of the Department of Health Fleming Fund and the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy continuing to support AMR and stewardship education.
Professor Howard added: “Personally, this is a fantastic way to end the decade for me, especially as few pharmacists receive an honour for clinically-focused activity.
“Hopefully, I have played a small part in getting pharmacy more engaged in driving the AMR agenda in all sectors, at home and abroad.”
University of Oslo Visiting Fellow appointment
The University of Oslo have appointed Dr Carrie Bradshaw a Visiting Fellow
The School of Law’s Dr Carrie Bradshaw has been appointed a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oslo’s TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture.
The appointment is part of a research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council, led by Dr Julia Szulecka.
Dr Bradshaw’s research on food waste law and policy, and contributions to ongoing debates on reducing food waste, earned her the invitation to join the BREAD project – Building Responsibility And Developing Innovative Strategies for Tackling Food Waste.
The project will see a group of interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners examine mechanisms linking public policy and corporate responsibility for food waste reduction.
Dr Bradshaw’s work will focus on the UK Country Report, including an analysis of legal and policy aspects of food waste regulation. The aim is to help provide details to be used as a point of comparison in the early stages of the project.
She said: “It is an enormous privilege to have been invited to work with Dr Julia Szulecka and her team on this important project.
“I am looking forward to spending time in Oslo at the TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, and working with excellent scholars from other disciplines and jurisdictions to explore the role of corporations in tackling food waste.”
Medicine School Equality and Inclusion Committee appointment
The School of Medicine's Equality and Inclusion (E&I) Committee has made Dr Bridgette Bewick the new Chair
Dr Bridgette Bewick has been appointed as the new Chair of the School Equality and Inclusion (E&I) Committee.
Dr Bewick, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, will lead the School in developing a learning and working environment that provides true equality of opportunity for all staff and students.
She aims to help foster an environment where everyone is respected and can develop their potential.
Dr Bewick said: “It’s my intention that the School of Medicine leads the way in creating an inclusive environment for staff and students.
“I’m looking forward to finding opportunities to engage a greater number of people in the E&I agenda. Only by building capacity to embed inclusive practice and culture can we ensure everyone is included, everyone is involved and everyone belongs. I’m excited to be leading the development of a more intersectional approach to secure equality and fairness for all.”
Double award joy
Pictured (from left) are Nicky Campbell, award ceremony host and TV presenter; Dr Deborah Antcliff; Jim Potter Group Chairman, and Raj Jain, Group Chief Executive Officer, at the Northern Care Alliance Staff Awards
Dr Deborah Antcliff has won the 2019 Research Worker for the Year award at the Northern Care Alliance Staff Awards.
She was also runner-up for the Early Career Researcher of the Year award in the 2019 Greater Manchester Clinical Research Network Awards.
Dr Antcliff is currently undertaking a Health Education England/National Institute for Health Research (HEE/NIHR) Clinical Lectureship, which is jointly hosted by The School of Healthcare at Leeds and the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group in Greater Manchester.
Dr Antcliff said: “I’m delighted to have been presented with this research award in recognition for the work I have undertaken during my HEE/NIHR ICA Clinical Lectureship.”
Her Clinical Lectureship work currently involves developing coping strategies for symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue.
“My Clinical Lectureship has provided an incredible learning opportunity, as part of the development of my clinical academic career,” Dr Antcliff added.
Glittering achievement for Information Technology Work
Pictured (from left) are Dr Subhajit Basu, Gurinder Singh (Secretary-General of NRI Welfare Society, Indian Observer Chief Editor), Smt. Meira Kumar (first female speaker of the Lok Sabha) and H.E. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan (President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, UAE)
Dr Subhajit Basu has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to education and his achievements in the field of Information Technology Law – particularly in developing countries.
The Hind Rattan (a Hindi phrase, which translates to English as ‘Jewel of India’), is awarded by the Non-Resident Indians (NRI) Welfare Society of India.
It is one of the highest Indian diasporic awards, and is granted annually to non-residents of Indian origin.
“I feel humbled to receive this award,” said Dr Basu. “I accept it with the understanding that everything I have managed to achieve is because of values my parents instilled in me, for my education both in India and in the UK, and due to the brilliant teachers I had in my life, again both in India and the UK.”
His research and writing both focus on ‘emerging technologies’, especially the Internet and the challenges it has presented while also transforming lives, for example in governance and legal frameworks around online privacy.
He is the Chair of British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association (BILETA) and the Managing Editor of the International Review of Law Computers and Technology (IRLCT).
The award was presented on the eve of India’s 71st Republic Day during a function held by the NRI Welfare Society at India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Various dignitaries were in attendance, including senior members of the Indian government, ambassadors and industrialists.
Dr Basu added: “Any award is precious, but to receive a national award from the 'mother country' for something I have done, makes one feel proud. This recognition is close to my heart.”
Lifetime Achievement Award for Statistician
Professor Kanti Mardia, who was has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Indian Statistical Association
Professor Kanti Mardia has been recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Indian Statistical Association (IISA).
The IISA, which promotes the education, research and application of statistics and probability throughout the world, with a focus on India and the USA, presents the award to those who represent “models of excellence” to members.
Professor Mardia, a Senior Research Professor in the School of Mathematics at Leeds, is the seventh recipient of the award and the first who is not primarily based in the USA.
His citation highlighted his contributions to statistical science, as well as his lasting leadership role in interdisciplinary research.
He was also recognised for the establishment of high-profile annual research workshops and his pioneering research monographs.
In his acceptance speech, Professor Mardia said: “I recall the formative period of the 1990s when the seeds were sown for the IISA. The first chair – the late Jagdish Srivastava – and the team took many visionary steps. I was delighted to be the first Vice-Chair and followed that vision.
“It is really gratifying to note that the Association has grown into one of the key international statistical associations. Myself and many others have been wanting an IISA presence in the UK and Europe, and I feel that this should happen in some new format in the near future.”
Random acts of kindness
Professor Nick Taylor, who helped start a Random Acts of Kindness Week in the School of Law
Professor Nick Taylor has helped kick-start a ‘Random Acts of Kindness Week’.
The idea came to him just before Christmas as part of his ongoing mission to generate ways to strengthen the School of Law’s community.
Professor Taylor, Director of Student Education in the School of Law, said: “I have Parkinson’s disease and it has led to me losing my cynicism about things like this. Little shots of dopamine are hugely beneficial to me – but they are to everyone.
“In January, I then lost a relative in an accident – no time to waste. If something makes one smile, get on and do it.”
The initial idea was that the school would encourage people to get involved in the project during the first week back at University in January, in order to help everyone returning from the festive break remember they are surrounded by wonderful people.
The aim was to encourage little acts that could mean a lot, from calling elderly relatives to cooking for friends or talking to people sitting on their own at lectures.
“We advertised it to students and staff and it appears to have had an effect. I don’t know what people are doing – the point is random small acts.
“This is what the Law School is about – community; helping your peers for the sake of it. That has to be a good thing and Parkinson’s has taught me that.”
Honour for Competition Law expert
The Greek Ministry of Development and Investments have convened a Lawmaking Commission feturing Dr Konstantinos Stylianou
Dr Konstantinos Stylianou has been appointed to the Greek Ministry of Development and Investments’ Lawmaking Commission on the modernisation of competition law.
It was convened in January and will also transpose recent EU Directives into Greek law.
It is headed by the President of the Hellenic Competition Commission and comprises academics and practitioners based in Greece, the UK and the US. It is expected to present its work by May of this year.
One of the main topics to be discussed is the application of competition law in digital markets and the telecommunications sector.
Dr Stylianou said: “This is an exciting opportunity to bring Greece in line with other highly-regarded and active jurisdictions in competition law enforcement.”
In this role, Dr Stylianou will be drawing on an extensive wealth of knowledge on the subject. This includes a recent article entitled Exclusion in Digital Markets, which appeared in the Michigan Technology Law Review, as well as work he has previously undertaken in his doctoral dissertation on the application of competition law in the telecommunications sector.
He has also previously participated in the European Commission’s public consultation on Shaping Competition Policy in the Era of Digitisation and delivered training at the Hellenic Competition Commission on the application of competition law in block-chain markets.
Dr Stylianou currently teaches Law and Economics of Business Regulation which, among other things, explores the interplay between competition and regulation - specifically telecom regulation.
He added: “The members of the Lawmaking Commission are all recognised experts in the area and I am looking forward to contributing and learning from them.”
Unlocking the future of infrastructure
Pictured (from left) are Dr Suzi Iacono (NSF head of Office of Integrative Activities), Dr Juan Pablo Gevaudan, Dr Chelsea Heveran (Assistant Professor at Montana State University) and Dr F Fleming Crim (NSF Chief Operating Officer). Photo courtesy of Bill Petros Photography
Dr Juan Pablo Gevaudan has won the National Science Foundation (NSF) 2026 Ideas Machine contest.
The NSF is the major American funding body – equivalent to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Dr Gevaudan is a Marie Curie Research Fellow and works with Professor Susan Bernal (who is part of UKCRIC) in the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds.
He is also an affiliate faculty member at Penn State University.
The proposed ‘Big Idea’ – Unlocking the future of infrastructure looks to highlight a need to create automated construction systems and next-generation materials capable of building large-scale urban infrastructure to ensure the sustainable development of cities.
Dr Gevaudan said: “In only two years, we expect to see the first global sand shortages; an integral component of the most utilised construction material in the world – concrete.
“Thus, research that addresses these limitations is critical for our society to meet future grand challenges, such as urbanisation and global climate change.”
The winning idea, jointly submitted with a colleague from Montana State University, was selected from more than 800 submissions, and will help influence future research agendas in America.
Dr Gevaudan added: “This achievement has the transformative potential to revitalise our current scientific approach to infrastructure challenges and inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists.”
This prize will allow his research group at Penn State (the responsive and adaptive infrastructure materials – Re-AIM – laboratory) to begin exploring the development of construction materials produced from local resources and capable of adapting to extreme environments.
CAARI Fellowship to carry out research in Cyprus
Anna Reeve has been awarded a Fellowship by the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute
Anna Reeve has been awarded the Danielle Parks Memorial Fellowship for 2020 by the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI).
The Fellowship supports travel to, and living expenses in, Cyprus, for the purpose of research on Cypriot archaeology and culture.
Anna’s research explores the history of Cypriot archaeology, along with the history of collection and display of ancient Cypriot material culture that is now in the UK.
Her doctoral thesis focuses on the ancient Cypriot collection at Leeds Museums and Galleries, and is funded by the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH).
Anna, a Doctoral Researcher in Classics in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies,has also researched the University’s own ancient Cypriot collection, and recently ran a project with undergraduate interns to produce a display that can be seen in the Ullman Foyer of the Michael Sadler building.
She said: “I’m delighted to have been awarded this Fellowship, and to have the chance to spend time in Cyprus in June and November this year, which will be invaluable for my research.
“I am looking forward to exploring the Cyprus State Archives and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, and tracing back the excavation and collection histories of objects now in Leeds. I am very grateful to CAARI for this opportunity.”
Middlebrow Matters wins Modern Language Association prize
Professor Diana Holmes, who has won the 27th Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies from the Modern Language Association of America (MLA), with Judith Butler, American philosopher and gender theorist. Photo courtesy of Nat Seymour/Be Good Event Photography
Professor Diana Holmes won the 27th Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies from the Modern Language Association of America (MLA).
The award came for her monograph: Middlebrow Matters: Women’s Reading and the Literary Canon in France since the Belle Époque (Liverpool University Press, 2018).
Professor Holmes, from the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at Leeds, was presented the award at a ceremony in Seattle, Washington.
The annual prize is for an outstanding scholarly work in its field – a literary or linguistic study, a critical edition of an important work or a critical biography – written by a member of the Association.
Professor Holmes said: “The Modern Language Association of America, founded in 1883, is the principal US professional association for scholars of language and literature, and its annual prizes – usually awarded to US authors – are highly prestigious.
“I was therefore surprised, as well as thrilled, to learn that my book had won, especially as (in the judges’ words) it ‘challenges the ways we read and think about the canon’, by looking at why women (in particular) love to read fiction, and what they choose to read.
“This book is my re-evaluation of the much maligned category of the middlebrow, and I am absolutely delighted to have it considered ‘an outstanding contribution to the fields of French and feminist studies’.”
Digital Education Service is top of the class
The Digital Education Service is celebrating international recognition for a number of online courses
Leeds is celebrating success in the Class Central annual list of best online courses.
We have four courses in the top 30 for 2019 – more than any other institution in the world.
Professor Neil Morris, Dean of Digital Education at Leeds, said: “Praise from our learners is always pleasing, but to have four of our courses in Class Central’s top 30 – more than any other University in the world – is particularly rewarding, and is a testament to our academic staff and colleagues in the Digital Education Service, who have created well-designed, learner-centric online learning experiences.”
Class Central is the number one review site for online learning, with millions of learners reviewing courses delivered by prestigious institutions from around the world.
The Leeds courses that made it into the top 30 for 2019 are:
- Transport Systems: Global Issues and Future Innovations – Academics from the Institute for Transport Studies help learners discover how the transport sector can develop infrastructures that meet 21st Century needs.
- Atmospheric Chemistry: Planets and Life Beyond Earth – The School of Chemistry explores the atmospheric chemistry of planets and celestial bodies, as well as the possibility of finding life beyond Earth.
- The IB Extended Essay: Managing your Research Project – This online course is designed by experts from the University to help support students preparing for the IB Diploma extended essay.
- Ecology and Wildlife Conservation – Discover ecology with academics from the Faculty of Biological Sciences and learn how we can protect wildlife and conserve the natural world.
You can find out more on the Digital Education Service website.
Research independence courtesy of the British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation has awarded Dr Charlotte Scarff with a research fellowship
Dr Charlotte Scarff has been awarded a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship.
She is currently a cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) scientist and Research Fellow in the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology.
Dr Scarff said: “Winning the fellowship is a dream come true for me.
“I have always wanted to be a research academic and now I am! After several years of trying to obtain an independent research position, I am very excited to start this new chapter.”!
She plans to use her Fellowship to conduct research into how mutations in myosin and associated proteins result in heart disease, linking genotype to phenotype. This is an area of extreme interest within the field.
Dr Scarff is also keen to highlight the help and support she received from her colleagues, and even has some advice for anyone looking to follow in her footsteps: “I want to say to anyone else out there trying to break through the barrier to research independence – keep going and take all the help you can get!
“I wouldn’t have obtained the Fellowship without help and support from colleagues, so reach out to those around you, get them to check through your proposal, quiz you and ensure you have all the attributes and skills you need to succeed in place.
“Persistence is omnipotent; keep trying and you will get there!”
Please contact Internal Communications if you or one of your colleagues would like to appear in this monthly feature. This is open to all staff – professional and academic.