Winners of 2020 Vice-Chancellor Awards for Teaching, Research and Practice Announced

The annual Vice-Chancellor Awards recognise and celebrate inspirational and outstanding teaching, research and practice at Nottingham Trent University

Newton & Arkwright Building on City campus

Winning an award is a mark of recognition by the NTU community that individuals have demonstrated a high level of distinction in their respective areas.

Both staff and alumni are invited to nominate colleagues who they believe meet the criteria for excellence. The specific criteria against which an award is judged have emerged from consultation with NTU students, staff and alumni.

For teaching, this includes: creating memorable and positive learning experiences; being a catalyst for change; and embodying the discipline, practice or profession for students.

For research, this encompasses: a successful record of research outputs; clear evidence of leadership achievements in the advancement and promotion of research; evidence of current or potential research impact; and sustained success in securing external research funding relative to career stage.

For practice, nominees are assessed against three criteria: excellence; engagement; and impact. This award covers the entire breadth of academic practice at NTU, involving many disciplines and external settings. The award considers the impact of the practice on external reputation, evaluating how it may contribute to improving public policy and people’s lives beyond NTU.

Once nominations are received, the subsequent shortlisting and selection process involves gathering supporting information and student feedback, seeking approval from School Executive teams, conducting observation sessions, and finally an awards selection panel comprising our Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Heads of College.

On this year’s awards, Vice-Chancellor Professor Edward Peck, said: “The Vice-Chancellor Awards give us an opportunity to celebrate some of the extraordinary activity and accomplishments demonstrated by colleagues across teaching, research and practice. Much of our recent success as an institution is rooted in providing a transformative teaching experience for students, undertaking groundbreaking research, and ensuring our professional practice contributes to wider society. Thank you to this year’s winners for their dedication to making our institution a great place for learning, research and practice-based study.”

Teaching award winner Zena Rashid, the first Professional Services colleague at NTU to receive the award, said: “I currently deliver teacher training for postgraduate courses, and was the lead on the SCALE-UP project. I am thrilled to receive this prestigious award, and thank all those who have supported me on this journey. My lifelong passion for active and collaborative learning and teaching is central to how I support and inspire my learners, so hopefully they can embody and share this as they teach others at NTU and beyond.”

Outstanding Researcher Award Winner Professor Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem said: “I am really delighted to receive the award. There is nothing more rewarding in a researcher’s career than recognition from your institution, particularly as NTU is full of world-leaders and research pioneers in many fields. The award underlines the support given at NTU to innovative and impact-led research in global heritage. Such recognition is only achieved through the cooperation of NTU colleagues, and of research partners in the UK and internationally. I am particularly grateful to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, my research team, School and College leadership and the Research Office for their incredible support over the years.”

Outstanding Established Practice award winner Professor Peter Murphy, said: “I am delighted to receive this award, and also the first to appreciate that I couldn’t have achieved anything without my colleagues and collaborators - particularly those within NTU and Nottingham Business School. I am also very fortunate to be at a university that appreciates both applied research, and research that addresses local community issues with national and international resonance.”

See below for a full list of this year’s winners.