Exceptional colleagues recognised at Outstanding Staff Awards
03 Oct 2025
Celebrating the Humanities Outstanding Staff Award winners and highly commended nominees for teaching, learning and student experience
The winners and highly commended nominees for the 2024/25 Humanities Outstanding Staff Awards for Teaching, Learning and Student Experience were announced by Faculty Vice-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Students, Professor Fiona Smyth, at a ceremony in Christie’s Bistro on Wednesday, 1 October.
The Faculty’s Outstanding Staff Awards is an annual initiative which gives students the opportunity to recognise and nominate colleagues who have made a positive difference to their time with us. They celebrate the dedication, innovation and commitment of our academic and PS colleagues, whose efforts significantly enhance the academic journey and personal development of our students.
This year, students had the chance to nominate colleagues across seven categories and were encouraged to include specific examples of how staff had helped, supported or inspired them. These examples were instrumental in helping the panel decide on the winners and highly commended nominees.
Our 2024/25 winners and highly commended nominees:
Outstanding Undergraduate Dissertation (or long essay/research project) Supervision Award
This award celebrates supervisors who have had a positive impact on undergraduate students’ experience of completing a dissertation and have contributed to the development of their independent researcher skills and critical thinking.
Winner
- Alexandre Campsie, Lecturer in Modern British History, SALC
Highly commended
- Rubina Jasani, Lecturer in Humanitarian Conflict Response, SALC
- Carl Emery, Lecturer in Education, SEED
- Andrew Gunn, Lecturer in Education, SEED
- Eric Lybeck, Senior Lecturer Education, SEED
- Thiago Oliveira, Lecturer in Policing, SoSS
- Maisie Tomlinson, Lecturer in Sociology, SOSS
Outstanding Postgraduate Taught Dissertation Supervisor Award
This award celebrates supervisors who have had a positive impact on postgraduate students’ experiences of completing a dissertation and have contributed to the development of students’ independent researcher skills and critical thinking.
Winner
- Catherine Atkinson-Ross, Senior Lecturer in Education, SEED
Highly commended
- Ellen Yazhou He, Presidential Fellow in Accounting and Finance, AMBS
- Rebecca Herissone, Professor of Musicology, SALC
- Dmitry Nikolaev, Lecturer in Computational Linguistics, SALC
- Martin Parham, Dr Martin Parham, Lecturer in Disaster Management, Humanitarian Conflict Response Institute, SALC
- Paul Armstrong, Reader in Education, SEED
- Helen Hanna, Lecturer in Education, SEED
- Farhad Hossain, Professor of Public Management and International Development, SEED
Outstanding Professional Services Staff Award
This award celebrates professional services colleagues who have provided help and support to students with a positive attitude and have demonstrated exceptional care and assistance for students.
Winner
- Annie Griffin-Carter, TLSE Co-ordinator, SOSS
Highly commended
- Matty Woodcock, TLSE Administrator, SEED
Outstanding Programme of the Year Award
This award celebrates programmes where students are well-supported by the academic, technical and professional services colleagues that run it, and where students have been encouraged to aim high and believe in themselves.
Winner
- MA Educational Leadership in Practice, SEED
Highly commended
- MSc Operations, Project and Supply Chain Management, AMBS
- BA Italian Studies (Joint Honours), SALC
- UG Certificate in Egyptology, SALC
- MA Healthcare Law & Ethics, SoSS
Outstanding Teaching (Lecturers and Teaching Assistants) Award
This award recognises teaching staff who have consistently provided a well-organised course that is supported through high-quality assessment and feedback and have engaged and challenged students in a supportive manner.
Winner
- Raymond Obayi, Lecturer, AMBS
Highly commended
- Reza Salehnejad, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics, AMBS
- Abigail Bleach, Teaching Assistant, SALC
- Sam Thoburn, Teaching Assistant, SALC
- Lawrence Ado Kofie, Lecturer, SEED
- Luija Feng, Lecturer in HRM and Development, SEED
- Stephen Rayner, Honorary Research Fellow, SEED
- Kathryn Telling, Lecturer in Education, SEED
- Fae Garland, Lecturer in Law, SoSS
- Emily Turner, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, SoSS
Outstanding Teaching and Employability Award
This award celebrates colleagues who have played a role in improving students’ employability skills and have effectively incorporated employability into a programme or course unit.
Winner
- Dimitrija Kalanoski, Lecturer in International Business & Strategy, AMBS
Highly commended
- Tom Newall, Teacher of Conducting, SALC
- Nozomi Yamaguchi, Language Tutor, SALC
- Jade Fawcett, GIS Technical Specialist, SEED
Outstanding Academic Advisor Award
This award celebrates academic advisors who have provided an outstanding level of advice and guidance, have helped students to develop academic skills and have built strong relationships with advisees through motivation and encouragement.
Winner
- Vlad Schuler-Costa, Lecturer in Social Anthropology, SoSS
Highly commended
- Anna Goatman, Professor of Marketing and Management Education, AMBS
- Alison Zimmer, Lecturer, AMBS
- Catherine Atkinson-Ross, Senior Lecturer in Education, SEED
- Antonio Savoia, Reader in Development Economics, SEED
Congratulations to all the winners and highly commended nominees.