Award for Excellence in Lab and Workshop Support

Eligibility

The awards are open to all lab technicians and workshop staff in the MPLS Division. Staff must be employed within an MPLS department to be eligible.

Nominations

Nominations are invited from heads of department, academics and professional services staff. Nominators should have direct knowledge of the nominee’s contribution relevant to the award criteria.

Self-nominations are also welcome. Individuals may apply directly or be nominated by one or more colleagues.

How to apply

The application process is intended to be light touch.

Applications must be submitted via the online form by Wednesday 17 June 2026.

Applications should include a clear, evidence-based account of:

• the activity or work undertaken
• the contribution of the individual or team
• how the work meets at least two of the criteria

For queries, please contact: Jeannie.Scott@mpls.ox.ac.uk

Criteria

Successful awards are expected to include evidence of two or more of the following criteria

1. Technical expertise and professionalism

• High level of technical knowledge and skill in specialist areas
• Application of expertise to solve problems or enable complex work
• Maintenance of high professional standards and continuous development

2. Support for teaching and research

• Effective support for practical teaching, laboratories, workshops or research activity
• Contribution to the successful delivery of experiments, projects or specialist processes
• Adaptability to meet evolving academic or research needs

3. Quality, safety and compliance

• Commitment to safe working practices and regulatory compliance
• Contribution to maintaining safe, well-managed technical environments
• Proactive identification and mitigation of risks

4. Innovation and improvement

• Development or refinement of techniques, equipment or processes
• Practical improvements that enhance efficiency, capability or user experience
• Willingness to adopt and embed new technologies or methods

5. Collaboration and knowledge sharing

• Effective working with academic staff, students and professional services colleagues
• Sharing of expertise, training or guidance to others
• Contribution to building technical capability within teams or departments

6. Impact and sustainability

• Clear, demonstrable impact on teaching quality, research outcomes or operational effectiveness
• Sustainable improvements to technical provision or workshop capability
• Potential for wider application or adoption of approaches

Assessment process

Applications will be reviewed by a judging panel against the published criteria. The strongest application will receive an award.

Contact

For enquiries, please contact: Jeannie.Scott@mpls.ox.ac.uk

Privacy notice

Your personal data will be processed in line with the MPLS privacy notice. Data is collected and used solely for the purpose of administering the awards, based on your consent when submitting an application.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting Jeannie.Scott@mpls.ox.ac.uk. This will not affect processing already carried out prior to withdrawal.