28 May 2020

Leeds Partnership Awards 2020

Winners have been announced for the prestigious Leeds Partnership Awards 2020.

The coveted accolades celebrate those people who truly put into practice the Leeds Partnership – an agreement setting out our shared commitment to work together to support all aspects of our University community.

In previous years, the gala awards ceremony has been organised by Leeds University Union (LUU) as part of its Celebrate Week – seven days of ceremonies to mark the outstanding contributions of staff, students and postgraduate researchers towards achieving this shared goal.

But with lockdown restrictions in full force, this year’s celebrations moved online, with the ceremony held virtually via LUU’s Twitter page to ensure the hard work and dedication of the winners (listed below) didn’t go unrecognised, even during these exceptional circumstances.

And with a record figure of more than 2,800 nominations received across 14 categories this year, there was plenty to celebrate.

Professor Tom Ward, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Education, said: “This year, more than ever, it’s important that we celebrate the Leeds Partnership and the fantastic ways in which colleagues and students work together across all of these categories.

“While we missed the opportunity to be together on campus during Celebrate Week, it’s great that we can still recognise and value the Partnership, shown in all of the nominations and especially demonstrated by those shortlisted.”

LUU’s Education Officer, Abiha Khan, and Head of Student Support at Leeds, Chris Warrington, also heaped praise on the winners, nominees and all those who went the extra mile by making sure people were put forward for this special recognition.

Abiha said: “This year has presented many challenges but I am so proud of how our community has come together in tackling them.

“Whether you are a member of staff, a student or a group, thank you for going above and beyond this year. The Partnership working between LUU and the University has been stronger than ever. We are here with the Partnership Awards to show that it does not go unnoticed and deserves to be recognised.

“Plus, it’s safe to say that we are all in need of some positive energy and good news to celebrate our community’s hard work this year.”

And Chris added: “The Leeds Partnership, through all the nominations, shows how importantly we value and recognise our shared approach to supporting each other and supporting students.

“Last year, I had the honour of winning the Partnership Award, something that has stayed with me all year, remaining at the core of my work and approach. We can see that our shared commitment to working together supports many aspects of our University community, which is so positive for colleagues and students.

“It’s great to be able to continue to celebrate our Partnership, so thanks to everyone involved for making it happen.”

Shortlisted nominees and winners are:

Equality and Inclusion

This award celebrates the people who strive to create a fair and equal environment in which everyone can achieve their potential.

Staff winner: Arts and Humanities Outreach Team, Educational Engagement

Student winner: Tanya Arackal (OnBeat Society)

Shortlisted nominees: Claire Smith, Heather Ugarte, James Johnston, Kate Pangbourne, Sarah Crossland, Yuhan Liu and the Year 1 IDEALS facilitators (MBChB Leeds)

Feedback

This award recognises the person who provides invaluable and supportive academic feedback, in both content and delivery method, which helps others to develop and excel in their work.

Winner: Victoria Yorke

Shortlisted nominees: Andrew Jackson, Caitlin Branagan and Jessica Martin

Global

This award celebrates staff, students or groups who work with a global focus. It aims to recognise excellence amongst those who have actively engaged in the promotion and maintenance of international or intercultural activities, education or competence. It also recognises those who are involved in the internationalisation of the University or Leeds University Union, formally or otherwise.

Staff winner: Adam Strickson

Student winner: Frank Chen

Shortlisted nominees: Asa Roast, Aysha Divan, Bethany Madden, Katharine Missin, Kya Hany, POLIS Study Abroad (students in Hong Kong), Sam Lewis and the SWJTU-Leeds Joint School SES teams

Innovation

This award celebrates a person or group who uses innovative methods and approaches to engage and excite others. This may be through embracing new technology, developing new and innovative ways to enhance the student experience, or presenting challenging ideas in a way that sparks discussion and further understanding.

Winner: Dave Riley

Shortlisted nominees: Callum Rodgers, Catherine Wilkinson, Charlotte Haigh, ChemSoc, Edina Decsics, GutSoc, Niamh Byrne and the LUBS1951 and LUBS1952 Delivery Team (Cat, Sean, Peter Hughes, Stefan Castine and Cathy Donner)

Inspirational Teacher

Inspirational Teachers use their passion and dedication for a subject area to inspire others to be ambitious and enthusiastic, and to challenge them to develop new ideas.

Winner: Jane Hetherington

Shortlisted nominees: Andrew Cuming, Andrew Jackson, Beccy Bardgett, Chris Randall, George Zhou, Hugh Pearson, James Van Alstine, Richard De Ritter, Roger Berry and Tadeusz Gwiazdowski

Mentor

Whether an SES staff member, an academic or a student, a mentor’s guidance and support encourages and nurtures others to develop their skills and prospects for the future, helping them to grow and progress, either personally or in their learning.

Winner: Anna France

Shortlisted nominees: Anna Mdee, Charlotte Crowe, Christopher Fox, Ian Wood, Kashmir Kaur, Kay (Yu Dian), Marta Wawrzyniak, Natasha Merat, Sophie Williams and Sunny Dhillon

Personal Tutor

This award recognises someone who does their utmost to support their students, promoting engagement with academic and co-curricular activities, and facilitating their personal development.

Winner: Anthony Herbert

Shortlisted nominees: Claire Eldridge, James Smith, Jessica Kwok, Samantha Pugh, Stephen Harding, Tao Jiang and Tom Campbell

Positive Impact

This award recognises the person who has made an exceptional difference to others’ experiences through an outstanding contribution to their school, faculty, department or service, or who has worked hard to make individuals’ experiences better.

Staff winner: Mel Prideaux

Student winner: Women Breaking Barriers

Shortlisted nominees: Admissions Interns (James Tucker, Niall Cameron, Fiona Jones, Amy Bingham, Blake Smith-Tyler and Eleanor Stroud), Carol Elston, Cathy Dolan, Frank Chen, Electronic and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Student Support Team, Elena Karali, Frances Roberts, Gita Winder, Gordon Hutchins, Hayley Smith, Helen Copeland, James Woodward, LevelUp, Linda Watson, Rhiannon Bland, Sebastian Schmidt, Shivam Kotecha and Ziran Yang

Postgraduate Researchers Who Teach or Demonstrate

This award recognises a registered postgraduate researcher who, while undertaking their own study, has also actively and exceptionally contributed to other students’ education as a module assistant, seminar leader or demonstrator.

Winner: Karen Tatham

Shortlisted nominees: Annabel Whipp, Christopher Turner, Liz Travis, Luiza Galarion, Maje Haruna, Oluwaseun Olabode and Rebecca Starr

Student Academic Rep of the Year

This award goes to the School Rep, Course Rep or Postgraduate Research Rep who has actively worked in partnership with others to secure positive, student-led change.

Winners: Melissa Hartmann, Razi Khan and Stephanie Boon

Shortlisted nominees: Alexander Flach, Fatimah Haris, Haruko Nakao, Jason Wang, Kareena Julier, Quy Pham, Samuel Greet and Serena West

Supervisor

This award goes to the dissertation, thesis or final year project supervisor who has guided and inspired others to push the boundaries of their research.

Winners: Elena Jones and Maria Lonsdale

Shortlisted nominees: Abel Ugba, Briony Thomas, David Churchill, Duncan Quincey, Gregory Tierney and Magnus Hultman

Wellbeing

This award goes to the staff member, student or group who makes an exceptional contribution to wellbeing at Leeds through raising awareness, supporting individuals and/or actively referring others at Leeds.

Staff winner: Anthony Butcher

Student winner: Holistic Health and Wellbeing Society

Shortlisted nominees: Anna Nixon, Jeanette Youds, Jo Moran, Lauren Woodcock, Louise Gill, Sally Mortimer, the Faculty of Biological Sciences’ wellness team, Tom Woodruff and Ziheng Feng

School of the Year

This award is made to a school based on the exceptional scale and scope of partnership working evident in its nominations.

Winner: Southwest Jiaotong Joint School

The Partnership Award

This award is selected by the judging panel, comprising University and LUU colleagues. It celebrates those who work with great drive and vision to make Leeds the exceptional institution that we celebrate today.

Staff winner: Alison Voice

Student winner: Meegan Worcester

More in-depth profiles of each of the winners will appear on the For Staff website during the coming weeks. These will also be promoted via the fortnightly All Staff enewsletters and the Staff Twitter account.

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