Awards and Celebration

Creating a Positive Research Environment

The 2024 winner of the Creating a positive research environment award category was:

• Mario Martínez-Jiménez, Business School

The 2024 finalists of the Creating a positive research environment award category were: 

• Talia Shmool, Chemical Engineering 
• Laure Sioné, Civil and Environmental Engineering - Runner up 
• Julia Sanchez-Garrido, Life Sciences 
• Arnaud Beth, Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Many research staff members at Imperial are actively involved in creating and maintaining a supportive, fair, and inclusive research environment. Examples include: organising seminar series for researchers of all levels to showcase their work; contributing to policy development aimed at improving the research environment; coordinating networking and development events; contributing to and organising activities that help to promote an environment that allows researchers to thrive in their careers.

Criteria for this award - nominees should have:

• Carried out exceptional work within, above or beyond the examples outlined in the Reps core areas of responsibility
• Provided support or advice to an individual which has had a significant impact

Any member of the research staff can be nominated for this category, including those in the Reps Network. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of their role.

Supporting Research Staff and Students

The 2024 winner of the Supporting research staff and students award category was: 

• Stav Zalel, Physics

The 2024 finalists of the Supporting research staff and students award category were: 

• Brian Appelbe, Physics 
• Guglielmo Vivarelli, Aeronautics 
• Rodrigo Chacon Quesada, Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
• Tsz Kan Ma, Chemistry 

• Stefano Vezzoli, Physics - Runner up 

Being a supportive colleague, particularly to new researchers and students, can help to retain outstanding talent within the research sector.

Research staff regularly set time aside to support other researchers and students through activities such as: formal and informal mentoring; providing wellbeing advice and support; providing guidance on navigating Higher Education to students; helping others to progress in their careers and enhance their wellbeing.

Examples of practices meriting this award:

• Carried out exceptional work within, above or beyond the examples outlined in the Reps core areas of responsibility
• Provided support or advice to an individual which has had a significant impact

All research staff can be nominated for this category, including members of the Reps Network. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of their role. Candidates may not nominate themselves.

Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award

The 2024 winner of the Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award category was: 

• Catrin Davies, Mechanical Engineering

The 2024 finalist of the  Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award category was:

• Stella Pedrazzini, Materials – Runner up 

Champions play a key role in the research environment for postdocs and fellows in their department. They ensure that the Postdoc and Fellows voice is heard, work with Reps to support events, networking and other opportunities, provide advice, and engage with other Champions to share good practices. Examples of practices meriting this award:

• Exceptional work within, above or beyond the Champions core areas of responsibility
• Individual support or advice to a postdoc or fellow which has had a significant impact

Please note there is no monetary prize for the Champions Award.

Nominations for the Champion Award can come from Postdoc and Fellows Reps, Heads of Department individual postdocs and fellows or Reps teams. Candidates may not nominate themselves.

The 2023 winner of the Creating a positive research environment award category was: 

• Othman Almusaimi, Chemical Engineering

The 2023 finalists of the Creating a positive research environment award category were: 

• Lucia Lombardi, Chemical Engineering
• Alexis Barr, Institute of Clinical Sciences

Many research staff members at Imperial are actively involved in creating and maintaining a supportive, fair, and inclusive research environment. Examples include: 

• organising seminar series for researchers of all levels to showcase their work; 
• contributing to policy development aimed at improving the research environment; 
• coordinating networking and development events; 
• contributing to and organising activities that help to promote an environment that allows researchers to thrive in their careers. 

All research staff can be nominated for this category, including members of the Reps Network. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of the role. 

The winners of the 2023 Supporting research staff and students award category were: 

• Nina Moderau, Surgery & Cancer
• Francesco Leofante, Computing

The finalist of the 2023 Supporting research staff and students award category was: 

• Yubing Hu, Chemical Engineering

Being a supportive colleague, particularly to new researchers and students, can help to retain outstanding talent within the research sector.  

Research staff regularly set time aside to support other researchers and students through activities such as: 

• formal and informal mentoring; 
• providing wellbeing advice and support; 
• providing guidance on navigating Higher Education to students; 
• helping others to progress in their careers and enhance their wellbeing. 

All research staff can be nominated for this category, including members of the Reps Network. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of the role.  

The winner of the 2023 The Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award was:

• The Department of Chemistry

The finalists of the 2023 The Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award were:

• The Department of Chemical Engineering
• The Imperial Academic Writing Sessions - Organising team

To qualify for the Team Award, the team must achieve the following over the academic year:

• Make an outstanding contribution to postdoc/fellows life as a result of teamwork
• Establish an engaged community within their department as a result of teamwork

Teams are invited to submit self-nominations for the Team Award. In addition to addressing the criteria and including evidence of the impact of their activities, the nomination should also include a brief supporting statement from their departmental Postdoc Champion, seconded by the Head of Department.