Celebrating excellence: Department of Chemical Engineering award winners
09 Jun 2026
The awards shone a spotlight on achievements from research to teaching to social responsibility
On Wednesday 3rd June the Department of Chemical Engineering was delighted to come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of our community. Across 8 award categories the Department provided an opportunity to honour the dedication, innovation, and impact of our wonderful colleagues, PDRAs and PGRs.
The winners were:
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Research Excellence | Christopher From (PDRA) |
| Teaching Excellence | Ashwin Kumar Rajagopalan (Lecturer) |
| PGR of the Year | Highly Commended: Ehsan Vahabzadeh Asbaghi and Rebecca Dunn Winner: Mehdi Ghasemi |
| Outreach | Wennie Subramonian (Senior Lecturer) |
| Technology Transfer | Alex Stokes (PDRA) |
| Environmental Sustainability | Ivy Joseph (Senior Technician) |
| EDIA | Robert Hoeven (Senior Technical Specialist in Bioprocessing) |
| PDRA of the Year | Highly Commended: Dougal Ferguson Winner: Jingyue Hao |
For the Special Thanks Award, the Department recognised Alexander Emmett Buck from the Assessment & Progression Team (TLSE). He is highly regarded for his professional, fair, and respectful approach, even under pressure. By streamlining processes and increasing flexibility, he has improved the timeliness and accuracy of exam data, leading to stronger right first time outcomes, fewer appeals, and a better experience for both students and staff. An additional Special Thanks award was given to the Chemical Engineering Operations Team that support the smooth running of the Department.
Phil Martin, Head of Department commented ‘These were our first departmental awards, offering a valuable chance to pause and reflect on the extraordinary work across our community. What stood out most was seeing the winners’ genuine pride and joy—their passion and dedication were clear.
Recognising effort and achievement in our Department is vital. I left feeling proud and grateful to everyone whose contributions, often made quietly and without fanfare, help to deliver world class research and teaching alongside social responsibility.’