The University has honoured four staff members with Chancellor’s Awards for their teaching and research excellence and outstanding contribution.
Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones Dr. Deval Desai, Dr. Jeni Harden and Dr. Lorraine Kerr, are this year’s Chancellor’s Award winners and were congratulated by the Chancellor and the Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, Dame Sue Bruce, at a gala dinner held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse recently.
Established in 2003, the Chancellor’s Awards reward staff in four categories for teaching, research, outstanding contribution and showing great potential in early career teaching and/or research.
Outstanding Contribution
Dr. Lorraine Kerr, Director of Strategic Partnerships for North America at Edinburgh Innovations, was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution in recognition of her proactive approach to supporting staff and her stewardship of some of the University’s important partnerships.
Dr Andrea Taylor, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Edinburgh Innovations congratulated Lorraine on her significant achievement,
Huge congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Chancellor’s Award, but I am particularly delighted Lorraine has been awarded this prestigious accolade. It is a fitting recognition of her many years of contribution to the University of Edinburgh and her skills in working at the academic and University interface to deliver major partnerships.
The Chancellor’s Award is also a great boost to the whole team at Edinburgh Innovations and particularly the Strategic Partnerships Team. We are very grateful for the acknowledgment of the importance of successful collaborations between the University and major industry partners. Such an endorsement of our activities is a real boost to the next phase of our international outreach.”
Professor Susan Rosser, Director of the Edinburgh Mammalian Synthetic Biology Research Centre and Co-director of the Edinburgh Genome Foundry was equally thrilled;
Lorraine is a superstar and an absolute pleasure to work with. I have worked with her for 10 years on projects bringing industry and academia together. Her input was invaluable bringing company support into the £13.4M UKRI funded UK Mammalian Synthetic Biology Centre.
More recently Lorraine was instrumental in the development of a highly successful relationship with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDBK) which has resulted in a £2 million Centre of Excellence in Bioprocessing funded by the company and a £8M EPSRC prosperity partnership with FDBK led by the University of Edinburgh with collaborators from the universities of Manchester and York.
What Lorraine really excels at is the building of the relationship between companies and academics so that projects are mutually beneficial, and participants enjoy working together. She is extremely professional and has fantastic people skills and is hugely valued by the academic community.”
The other winners of the prestigious Chancellor’s Awards are:
Research excellence
Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones holds Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry in the School of Chemistry. Guy received the Chancellor’s Award for Research award in recognition his major contributions to the University’s profile for research excellence and his impact on the prominence of chemistry at the University. In particular, for his pioneering applications of nuclear magnetic resonance and instrument development, and his industrial collaborations.
Rising Star
Dr. Deval Desai is a Lecturer in International Economic Law based in the Edinburgh Law School, and received the Rising Star Chancellor’s Award for his proactive approach in driving transformative change and establishing a reputation for creative and excellent scholarship. In particular, in securing and delivering research funding; engaging with policy makers; possessing a significant track record of translating his research into policy impact; and being an excellent mentor and leader.
Teaching
Dr. Jeni Harden is the Reader based in the Usher Institute. Jeni received the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching for her enhancement of the teaching reputation of the University by developing innovative approaches to student learning, enhancing students’ role as educators, and by contributing nationally and internationally to curriculum development for social and behavioural sciences in medicine.
Find out more about the Chancellor’s Awards.
