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