Prof Jim Naismith's Annual Reception - Celebrating A Year of Achievements

This event marked a significant opportunity for attendees to hear directly from Prof Naismith as he reflected on his first year as Head of Division.

During his speech, Jim highlighted the achievements and challenges faced by the division over the past year and his commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation across all departments. "Our success lies in our collective effort and the strong sense of community we build together. It's been an inspiring year, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the future," Jim said.

The reception also celebrated excellence within the division with a series of awards presentations.

• MPLS Teaching Awards: Seven winners were recognised, with the awards presented by Associate Head, Prof Martin Castell.
• MPLS Awards for Outstanding Research Supervision: Eleven winners were celebrated, with the awards presented by Associate Head, Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou.
• MPLS Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Awards: Presented by Associate Head, Prof Matt Jarvis, highlighting those who have made significant strides in promoting ED&I across the division.
• MPLS Impact Awards: Five recipients were honoured, with the awards presented by Prof Dermot O’Hare, for their contributions to research with real-world impact.

Following the awards, guests had the chance to network and engage with a range of MPLS stations to learn more about key services across the division, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I), Research and Education, as well as the Researcher Hub and opportunities from the RisingWISE programme, which aims to ensure that women researchers in STEM are fully equipped to imagine and explore new career pathways, enabling them to step forward confidently into their futures and take on leadership roles in whichever sectors they choose.