York horticulturist honoured at THE awards

Posted on 7 December 2023

Jason Daff, Horticulture Manager at the University of York's Department of Biology, has been named Technician of the Year at the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards.

Jason Daff, Horticulture Manager, Technician of the Year

He received his award at a ceremony held at the ACC Liverpool, the first time the event has been held outside of London in its 19-year history.

Jason leads a team of six horticulture technicians who are responsible for operational support of the Department’s plant science research portfolio, as well as supporting students and teaching through the production of high-quality biomaterials and project support.

He provides a complete horticultural service for more than 20 research groups, from advising on experimental design, propagation and production of biomaterials, routine maintenance, care of research plant materials, dealing with biosecurity and plant-health issues and the identification and treatment of pests and diseases.

Outstanding

The judging panel said Jason was an 'outstanding technician' who has initiated 'new ways to support technical career development, and regularly volunteers his time and expertise to encourage and educate the next generation of horticulturists.'

Jason said: “It was an incredible evening celebrating not just my own award, but also the achievements of the wider higher education community. This award means a lot to me and I would like to thank the teams of researchers that I work with whose dedication and passion for what they do makes my job a real pleasure.”

Widely recognised as the 'Oscars of higher education', the University was also nominated for University of Year for its response to the cost of living crisis, and for the Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year for Northern Accelerator (with the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, and Teesside.)

For the full list of winner on the night visit the Times Higher Education Awards webiste.