Nearly 200 people filled the Wills Memorial Building Great Hall on Wednesday, where they heard dozens of touching extracts from some of the 1,069 nominations, most of which were made by students.
One student said their tutor made them feel “valued, heard and understood” and another praised their lecturer’s “passionate and enthusiastic teaching”.
Prof Tansy Jessop, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students, thanked staff and highlighted that students were increasingly co-creating the University curriculum.
And that co-creation was on show at the Awards, with the event a collaboration between the Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) and Bristol SU.
Students announced many of the award winners and there were performances from the salsa, pantomime and music societies. The University’s knitting society created colourful, woollen flowers for the tables.
The masters of ceremonies were Bristol SU’s Undergraduate Education Officer Nicole Antoine and Union Affairs Officer Adam Michael. Nicole praised staff for their “impact on the university community”.
Thanking all Bristol staff, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Prof Judith Squires said that the Bristol Teaching Awards “just go from strength to strength”, adding: “Every year we’re able to celebrate such talent amongst our organisation and there are always innovations – we’ve never had knitted flowers, salsa and pantomime before!
“A huge congratulations. It is wonderful to be recognised by your colleagues and your students as you go above and beyond to do something that is exceptional. Everyone has done amazingly just to be nominated.”
As well as teachers, the 19 awards celebrated personal tutors, research supervisors, support teams and more. Each year, one of the winners is hand-picked to receive the Vice-Chancellor’s Award, for their exceptional contribution to education.
This year, Dr Andy Flack, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Environmental History, was the worthy winner. He also won in the category ‘Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award - Faculty of Arts’.
Andy said winning the award was “astonishing, very exciting also really humbling”.
He added: “I’ve been teaching now for about 10 years and I’ve always prized the relationships that I build with my students. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and what they [the students] have achieved.
“I’d also like to recognise my colleagues: the School of Humanities is very close knit. We encourage each other in our teaching and we lift each other up.”
Winners received a framed certificate and seeds from a wildflower meadow planted in their honour in Royal Fort Gardens.
There was a special award for Santi Rodriguez, Associate Professor in Medical Education, who sadly died earlier this year. His work and research were praised, and he was described by colleagues as “gentle and kind” with a “deep compassion for others”. The award was posthumously received by his wife.
The winners and nominees were:
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award - Faculty of Arts
Andy Flack, Senior Lecturer, Department of History
Genevieve Arkle, Lecturer, Department of Music
Mary Bateman, Lecturer, Department of English
Winner: Andy Flack
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award - Faculty of Engineering
Bernard Stark, Professor, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
David Drury, Senior Lecturer, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
Mark Schenk, Associate Professor, School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Winner: Mark Schenk
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award – Faculty of Health Sciences
Grace Pearson, Clinical Lecturer, Bristol Medical School
Louise Arnold, Lecturer, School of Anatomy
Sarah O’Shaughnessy, Lecturer, Bristol Veterinary School
Winner: Louise Arnold
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award – Faculty of Life Sciences
Christopher Cammies, Teaching Associate, School of Biological Sciences
Dave Lawson, Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences
Isabel Murillo Cabeza, Senior Lecturer, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Winner: Christopher Cammies
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award – Faculty of Science
Becky Collins, Lecturer, School of Geographical Sciences
Carine Nsangu, Lecturer, School of Physics
Matthew Watson, Professor, School of Earth Sciences
Winner: Becky Collins
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award - Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Francisco Palma Carvajal, Lecturer, School of Policy Studies
Julian Molina, Lecturer, School of Policy Studies
Sarah Eagle, Lecturer, School of Education
Winner: Julian Molina
Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award – PGRs who teach
David Reid, Graduate Teacher Level 1, School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering.
Jess Foster, Teaching Associate, School of Computer Science
Melanie Pottle Iddon, Graduate Teacher Level 2, University of Bristol Law School
Winner: Melanie Pottle Iddon
Inspiring and Innovative Team - Teaching Award
Family Law 2: Child Law, University of Bristol Law School
Friday Oral Surgery Team, Bristol Dental School
Science of Happiness Team, School of Psychological Science
Winner: Science of Happiness Team
Outstanding Personal Tutoring/Academic Support Award
Chanelle Lee, Lecturer, School of Engineering Maths and Technology
Paul Harper, Lecturer, School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Shuping Dang, Lecturer, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
Winner: Paul Harper
Outstanding Research Supervision Award - Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences
Ben Hobbs, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Innovation
Ioanna Palaiologou, Associate Professor, School of Education
Justin Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Music
Winner: Justin Williams
Outstanding Research Supervision Award - Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Angela Nobbs, Senior Lecturer, Bristol Dental School
Aya Elghajiji, Senior Research Associate, Bristol Medical School
Stephanie King, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Winner: Angela Nobbs
Outstanding Research Supervision Award - Faculty of Science and Engineering
Beckett Zhou, Lecturer, School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Fengyuan Liu, Lecturer, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
James Matthews, Research Fellow, School of Chemistry
Winner: Fengyuan Liu
Outstanding Support Award
James Webley, Faculty Librarian, Library Services – Faculty of Engineering
Paul Edwards, Funding Operations Officer, Education and Student Success
Rhiannon Sidhu, Deputy Student Administration Manger, School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology
Winner: Paul Edwards
Outstanding Support Team Award
Bristol Cyber Security Group – Professional Services Support Team, School of Computer Science
Industrial Liaison Office – Student Team, Faculty of Engineering
School of Anatomy Technical Team, School of Anatomy
Winner: Bristol Cyber Security Group
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Education
Winner: Andy Flack
The University’s CREATE (Cultivating Research-rich Education and Teaching Excellence) scheme helps staff grow their teaching skills.
CREATE includes the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), for staff new to teaching at Bristol, and the CREATE HEA Fellowship scheme, for Associate Fellowship, Fellowship and Senior Fellowship recognition for staff who teach and/or support learning.
The winners and nominees in these schemes were:
Outstanding HEA Associate Fellow Portfolio
Shruthi Venkatachalam Graduate Teacher Level 2, School for Policy Studies
Sam Fearn Graduate Teacher Level 1, School of Physics
Robert Walker Senior Research Associate, Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Winner: Shruthi Venkatachalam
Outstanding HEA Fellow Portfolio
Rob Thatcher Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Jaskiran Kaur Chohan Lecturer, School of Geographical Sciences
Natlie Ferris Lecturer, Department of English
Winnter: Rob Thatcher
Outstanding HEA Senior Fellow Portfolio
Becky Selwyn Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, SCEEM
Angus McNair Associate Professor in Colorectal Surgery, Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Winner: Becky Selwyn
Outstanding PGCAP Unit 1 Portfolio
Michael Henehan Lecturer, School of Earth Sciences
Chris Pesterfield Lecturer in Management, School of Management
Winner: Michael Henehan
Outstanding PGCAP Unit 2 Portfolio
Freya George Lecturer, School of Earth Sciences
Sara Shopland Honorary Lecturer, Bristol Veterinary School
Winner: Freya George