Awards and Celebration

Creating a Positive Research Environment

Many research staff at Imperial are actively involved in creating and maintaining a supportive, fair, and inclusive research environment. Celebrate your research staff colleagues who have helped to create a positive research environment by nominating them for this award! 

Any member of research staff can be nominated for this category. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of their role. Candidates may not nominate themselves.  

The winner will receive a £250 voucher and a certificate. 

Criteria for this award 

To be considered for this award, nominees should have:  

• Carried out exceptional work within, above or beyond the examples outlined in this document: Individual Award - Creating a Positive Research Environment 

Supporting Research Staff and Students

Being a supportive colleague, particularly to new researchers and students, can help to retain outstanding talent within the research sector. Celebrate your research staff colleagues who have gone above and beyond to support research staff and students by nominating them for this award! 

Any member of research staff can be nominated for this category. Nominations can be received from anyone who works closely with the nominee, regardless of their role. Candidates may not nominate themselves.  

The winner will receive a £250 voucher and a certificate. 

Criteria for this award 

To be considered for this award, nominees should have:  

• Carried out exceptional work within, above or beyond the examples outlined in this document: Individual Award - Supporting Research Staff and Students

And / Or 

• Provided support or advice to an individual which has had significant impact. 

Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award

Postdoc and Fellows Reps Teams are invited to submit self-nominations for the Team Award. 

Criteria for this award 

Nominees should have: 

• Made an outstanding contribution to postdoc and fellow life because of teamwork 

• Established an engaged community within their department because of teamwork 

• Carried out exceptional work within, above or beyond the Reps core areas of responsibility  

In addition to addressing the criteria and including evidence of the impact of their activities, the nomination should also include a brief supporting statement from their departmental Postdoc and Fellows Champion, seconded by the Head of Department. 

The winning team will receive a £250 voucher and a certificate. 

Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award

Postdoc and Fellows Champions play a key role in the research environment for postdocs and fellows in their department. They ensure that the Postdoc and Fellows voice is heard, work with Postdoc and Fellows Reps to support events, networking and other opportunities, provide advice, and engage with other Champions to share good practices. 

Criteria for this award 

Nominees should have: 

• Exceptional work within, above or beyond the Champions core areas of responsibility 

• Provided support or advice to a postdoc or fellow which has had significant impact 

Nominations for the award can be received from Postdoc and Fellows Reps, Heads of Department or individual Postdocs and Fellows. Candidates may not nominate themselves. 

The winner will receive a certificate however there is no monetary prize for this award. 

The joint 2025 winners of the creating a positive research environment award category were:

• Zhenzhu Li - Materials
• Lyes Kahouadji - Chemical Engineering

The 2025 finalists of the creating a positive research environment award category were:

• Bethan Davies - Materials
• Christian Clear - Physics
• Goedele Maertens - Infectious Disease

The 2024 winner of the Creating a positive research environment award category was:

• Mario Martínez-Jiménez, Business School

The 2024 finalists of the Creating a positive research environment award category were: 

• Talia Shmool, Chemical Engineering 
• Laure Sioné, Civil and Environmental Engineering - Runner up 
• Julia Sanchez-Garrido, Life Sciences 
• Arnaud Beth, Civil and Environmental Engineering 

The 2023 winner of the Creating a positive research environment award category was: 

• Othman Almusaimi, Chemical Engineering

The 2023 finalists of the Creating a positive research environment award category were: 

• Lucia Lombardi, Chemical Engineering
• Alexis Barr, Institute of Clinical Sciences

The 2025 winner of the supporting research staff and students award category was:

• Fabio De Sousa Ribeiro - Computing

The 2025 finalists of the supporting research staff and students award category were:

• Ben Howard - Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Emma Antonio - Chemical Engineering (Runner up)
• Jack Supple - Bioengineering
• Marcus Fletcher - Chemical Engineering
• Oscar Pang - Computing (Runner up)

The 2024 winner of the Supporting research staff and students award category was: 

• Stav Zalel, Physics

The 2024 finalists of the Supporting research staff and students award category were: 

• Brian Appelbe, Physics 
• Guglielmo Vivarelli, Aeronautics 
• Rodrigo Chacon Quesada, Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
• Tsz Kan Ma, Chemistry 

• Stefano Vezzoli, Physics - Runner up 

The winners of the 2023 Supporting research staff and students award category were: 

• Nina Moderau, Surgery & Cancer
• Francesco Leofante, Computing

The finalist of the 2023 Supporting research staff and students award category was: 

• Yubing Hu, Chemical Engineering

The 2025 winner of the Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award category was:

• Stella Pedrazzini - Materials

The 2024 winner of the Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award category was: 

• Catrin Davies, Mechanical Engineering

The 2024 finalist of the  Postdoc and Fellows Champion Award category was:

• Stella Pedrazzini, Materials – Runner up 

The winners of the 2025 Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award are:

• Department of Life Sciences - Julia Sanchez Garrido, Alex Cocker, Satya Prakash, Anna Bajur, Hannah Jagoe, Smitha Maretvadakethope, Rahwa Osman, Valentina Carannante, Jessica Williams and Katie Willis.

The runners up of the 2025 Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award are:

• Department of Materials - Bethan Davies, Aigerim Omirkhan, Ryan Bower, Cynthia Rodenkirchen, Max Attwood and Anthony Onwuli.