Celebrating Leeds Partnership Awards winners
Winners of the Leeds Partnership Awards were announced during a special event held yesterday (9 May).
The winners of the 2023 Leeds Partnership Awards
Nominees gathered for a special gala event in Leeds University Union (LUU) to celebrate the staff and students 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.
A total of 14 awards were handed out, including those for equality and inclusion, inspirational teaching and supervising, as well as the overall Leeds Partnership Award for the person or group making an exceptional impact on our community.
Speaking on the night, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, Professor Jeff Grabill, said: “The University of Leeds is clearly a special place. The Partnership Awards received more than a thousand nominations across the 14 categories, with some individuals and departments receiving hundreds of nominations each.
“In every category, we have heard about how important community is, how much we value each other, and how much we can achieve when we work together. I’m humbled to have been with you tonight and to celebrate you all.”
By being nominated for one of the prestigious accolades, staff and students are acknowledged for their successes outside of traditional markers, such as grades or performance reviews, adding to their sense of wellbeing and belonging at Leeds.
Historically, the awards have always looked to celebrate the achievements of our staff and students, but since last year we’ve realigned them to be even more inclusive of all those in our community who contribute to making sure our students love their time at Leeds.
Bethan Corner, LUU Education Officer, said: “The Partnership Awards have always been a fantastic celebration of the hard work and dedication of staff and students across our community. I am amazed by the diversity of initiatives we are surrounded by and feel very lucky to have been able to celebrate with everyone involved.
“We saw more than a thousand individuals nominated throughout the process, and they should all be very proud of the role they’ve played in contributing to a sense of belonging and a culture of inspiring others at Leeds.”
The winners
Equality and Inclusion
Nominations in this category will recognise people working inclusively, either in their everyday roles or through initiatives to create a sense of belonging. Nominees can be students, staff or groups from across the University.
Winner – Saba Siddiqui (Design)
Nominees – Jocelyn Kwok (Law) and Rachael O’Connor (Law)
Professor Jeff Grabill praised the University's community at the awards
Feedback and Assessment
This category recognises commitment to our students by a member of staff or group of colleagues who provide our students with an excellent experience in assessment and feedback.
Winner – Rebecca Wray (English)
Nominees – Mohammad Faisal Ahammad (International Business) and Blake Lawrinson (POLIS)
Global Award
The Global Award celebrates members of our community 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.
Winner – FBS Global Community
Nominees – Alison Starkie, Burkhard Hauder, Ben Oldham, Dr James Wilson and Dr Pavel Gudoshnikov (Languages, Cultures and Societies); and The Nuffield Centre (Medicine)
The ceremony was hosted by LUU Education Officer Bethan Corner and Wellbeing Officer Emily Tabern
Innovation
This award celebrates the student, staff member or group who uses innovative methods and approaches to engage and excite others or solve problems.
Winner – Baines Family Tree (Healthcare)
Nominess – Dr Fiona Douglas (English) and the Minerva Upgrade Project Team (Digital Education Service)
Inspirational Teaching/Supervisor
This category will recognise the individual staff member or group who continually inspires students, using their passion and dedication for a subject area to inspire others to continually develop their thinking and academic skills.
Winner – Professor Guy Ziv (Geography)
Nominees – Dr Clare Tweedy (Biomedical Sciences) and Professor Dayananda Palihawadana (Marketing)
Mentor
Whether an Student Education Service (SES) staff member, academic or a student, this person’s guidance and support has encouraged and nurtured others to develop their skills and prospects for the future, helping them to grow and progress, either personally or in their learning.
Winner – Kimberley Guy (Healthcare)
Nominees – Charlotte Armstrong (EPS) and Professor Simon Lightfoot (FOSS)
Outstanding Student
This award recognises a student or student group who has volunteered their time to enhance the learning experience of their peers. This may be through the creation of community events or supporting the liberation of student groups.
Winner – Bryony Brown (Medicine)
Nominees – Jo Huett, Kimberley Crossley and Emma Taylor (LLC); and Tauheed Arshad (PRHS)
Academic Personal Tutor/Supervisor
This category is for an exceptional Personal Tutor, dissertation, thesis or final year project supervisor who, through their passion and leadership, promotes academic engagement and a sense of belonging and enables students to push the boundaries of their knowledge.
Winner – Dr Tom Bennett (Biology)
Nominees – Professor Gehan Selim (Civil Engineering) and Dr Samuel Smith (Medicine)
Postgraduate Researcher
Any registered Leeds postgraduate researcher who, while undertaking their own research, makes a significant impact on our learning/research community or the wider world.
Winner – Jean-Yves Desaules (Physics and Astronomy)
Nominees – Alex Scoffield (Georgraphy) and Sophie Green (Medicine)
Student Academic Rep of the Year
The School Rep, Course Rep or Postgraduate Research Rep who has actively worked in partnership with others to secure positive, student-led change that makes a real difference to students and staff.
Winner – Alexandra Wilkinson (Dentistry)
Nominees – Charlie Aldous (PRHS) and Safa Kadir (Work and Employee Relations)
Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Award recognises the partnership working across schools and services at Leeds.
Winner – FBS Student Support and Engagement Team
Nominees – Farhat Yaqoob (Chaplaincy) and Dr Gabrielle Kingston (Law)
School Community Partnership of the Year
This award will celebrate meaningful changes developed in partnership with school staff and students.
Winner – Women Breaking Barriers (Law)
Nominees – Dr Alex Beresford (POLIS) and School of Music
Positive Contribution to Student Experience and Opportunities
This award recognises a person or group, either student or staff, who has made an exceptional difference to opportunities or experiences for students.
Winner – School of English SES Team
Nominees – Marianne Savory (LUBS) and Middle Ground Network (LLC)
Overall Partnership Award
This award is decided by the shortlisting panel and given to the person or people whose work embodies the ethos of the Leeds Partnership and has an exceptional impact on our community. Often this will be a person, group or school that has been nominated broadly, or particularly active on a specific issue.
For the first time, two winners received the prize – one individual and one group.
Winners – Claire Gribben (Earth and Environment) and the Middle Ground Network (based in the Lifelong Learning Centre)