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York shortlisted in three categories at THE Awards 2022

York shortlisted in three categories at THE Awards 2022

Posted on 2 September 2022

The University of York has been shortlisted in three categories at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2022.

The awards are known as the ‘Oscars of higher education’

The nominations are for International Collaboration of the Year, Outstanding Support for Students and Outstanding Technician of the Year.

The winners of the awards, which are known as the "Oscars of higher education", will be announced in November in London.

Each year the awards attract hundreds of entries that exemplify the talent, dedication and innovation of individuals and teams across all aspects of university life.

International Collaboration of the Year

The Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project is led by Dr John Wilkinson and Professor Alistair Boxall from the Department of Environment and Geography. The project established the Global Monitoring Consortium which consists of 127 people across 87 institutions globally. The project and Global Monitoring Consortium aim to better understand the distribution and impacts of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.

The researchers faced significant challenges to collect water from rivers located on all seven continents at more than 1,000 locations across 104 countries for the first time as a truly global effort. The study uncovered the ‘pharmaceutical fingerprint’ of about half a billion people worldwide and produced transformative scientific findings.

Dr Wilkinson said: “We are very proud to be shortlisted for the award. This represents the achievement of an incredible consortium of scientists across all seven continents.

“We ultimately revealed the first truly global picture of the state of pharmaceutical pollution in the world’s rivers.

“It is an honour for us as a consortium to be recognised by being shortlisted and I’m confident it will serve as a catalyst to continue our collaborative research into the future.”

Outstanding Support for Students

Opening opportunities for all is a key focus for the University of York, ensuring everyone can achieve their full potential.

Supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society is core to this aim and a demonstration of the outstanding support available at the University of York.

From pre-entry, through admissions, transition, on course, graduation and beyond our Access and Outreach and Student Support teams work together, taking a holistic whole university approach to provide support for care experienced students.

Rebecca Clark, Head of Access and Outreach at the University, said: “We are really proud to be shortlisted. The nomination stands for how important we as a university community believe it is to open opportunities for care experienced people so that they can reach their aspirations and potential.

“Our staff, students, supporters and alumni work collaboratively to provide a holistic, person centred support programme spanning the entire journey into and beyond university.

“We will continue to grow and develop this support with the voices of care experienced people at the centre of everything we do.”

Outstanding Technician of the Year

Abigail Mortimer is a scientific glassblower in the Department of Chemistry, supporting our undergraduate teaching laboratories, and a wide range of research activities through design and production of bespoke apparatus.

Abby produces large volumes of specialist glassware, and provides an almost endless repairs service – every undergraduate passing through York Chemistry Department has used something either made or fixed by Abby.

Often behind the scenes, much of the department research and teaching output could not happen without Abby. In addition, Abby is a passionate proponent of the Technician Commitment, and has been pivotal in its launch, development and success at the University of York.

Dr Graeme McAllister, Technical Operations Manager in the Department of Chemistry, said: "I am thrilled that Abby has received this well-deserved nomination.

“Abby has the incredible ability to take a researcher’s idea from a blue-sky description to a piece of quality laboratory equipment. All of us in the Department of Chemistry send our warmest congratulations.”