MPLS Teaching Awards

The MPLS Divisional Teaching Award Scheme celebrates success, and recognises innovation and/or leadership in teaching. Awards are available to all those who teach, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and learning support staff. The Teaching Award Scheme is administered by the MPLS Divisional Office and awards are made, on merit, across the departments by a cross-departmental panel chaired by the Associate Head of Division (Education). The awards will be celebrated in June/July and carry a financial award of £1,000 per awardee.

MPLS Teaching Awards 2022

The teaching awards did not run in 2020 or 2021. The 2022 awards will open for nominations on the 31st January and close on the 9th March 2022. You can nominate yourself or another person and nominations may be made by academics, staff and students. Once all nominations have been gathered, each department will shortlist nominations from their departments and then finally our panel will decide the winners.

Please use this link to nominate, once nominations are open on the 31st January. Please use as much detail as possible. Any supporting evidence can be sent to teachingawards@mpls.ox.ac.uk.

Strategic Areas

You might like to think about the following strategic areas in which applications would be welcomed. The list is not intended to be exhaustive and applications are welcome on any aspect.

• Promoting the benefits of teaching and public engagement in a research-intensive environment;
• Improving the prominence and effectiveness of measures that enhance students' study skills and their long-term educational development (for instance their understanding and engagement with academic standards in their discipline);
• Introductory teaching and other means of educational support for students less well prepared for Oxford;
• Embedding graduate studies;
• Improved support for research supervisors;
• Innovative methods of assessment;
• Educational initiatives to promote access (e.g. summer-schools);
• Opportunities for raising students' awareness of and engagement with international research and scholarship;
• Opportunities for raising students' awareness of and engagement with industry and commerce;
• Opportunities for raising students' awareness of and engagement with the public;
• Improved mentoring arrangements for new members of teaching staff;
• Improved support for graduate students undertaking teaching and/or public engagement activities;
• New or revised undergraduate or postgraduate courses;
• New materials to support courses;
• Teaching and support for students in Colleges that best complement the new and evolving courses provided by departments;
• The use of information technology in teaching;
• Interdisciplinary teaching and learning;
• Improved collection and analysis of feedback from students;
• Bringing active examples of research into teaching where possible;
• Improved recognition of public engagement;
• Innovative initiatives in public engagement.

Previous winners

The awards have been running in their current format since 2012. The winners of the awards since 2012 are listed below. Winners of teaching awards from years before 2012 (when the awards were in a different format) can be requested by emailing teachingawards@mpls.ox.ac.uk.

2019 WINNERS

Individual Award 1 - Anna Bidgood, Department of Earth Sciences

Individual Award 2 - Professor Sam Cohen, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 3 - Professor Fabian Essler, Department of Physics

Individual Award 4 – Dr Ian Griffiths and Professor Frances Kirwan, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 5 - Mareli Grady – Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 6 - Professor Patrick Rebeschini – Department of Statistics

Individual Award 7 – Dr Lindsay Ann Turnbull, Department of Plant Sciences

Individual Award 1 - Professor Ruth Baker, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 2 - Professor Simon Benjamin, Department of Materials

Individual Award 3 - Professor Helen Byrne, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 4 - Professor Xenia de la Ossa, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 5 - Professor Andre Lukas, Department of Physics

Individual Award 6 - Professor Sarah Waters, Mathematical Institute

2017 Winners  

Individual Award 1 - Professor Byron Byrne,  Engineering Science

Individual Award 2 - Professor  Dan Ciubotaru, Mathematics

Individual Award 3 - Professor Steven Balbus, Physics

Individual Award 4 - Professor Peter Darrah, Plant Sciences

Individual Award 5 - Professor Claire Vallance, Chemistry 

2016 Winners  

Project Award: Dr David Johnson, Senior Research Associate, OERC

Individual Award 1 - Dr Vicky Neale, Whitehead Lecturer, Mathematical Institute

Individual Award 2 - Mr Eric Peasley, Teaching and Design Engineer, Engineering Science

Individual Award 3 – Professor Caroline Terquem, Professor of Physics, Physics

Individual Award 4 – Dr Helen Johnson, Associate Professor, Earth Sciences

Individual Award 5 – Dr Jonathan Burton, Associate Professor, Chemistry 

2015 Winners  

Project Award: Dr Christopher Palmer, Departmental lecturer, Physics   

Special Category Award for innovative use of IT in teaching: Ms Belinda Hughes, Teaching Design Engineer, Engineering Science

Individual Award 1 - Dr Steve Sheard, Associate head of Department (teaching), Engineering Science 

Individual Award 2 - Dr Andrew Ker, University lecturer, Computer Science

Individual Award 3 – Dr Cath Wilkins, Departmental Lecturer, Mathematical Institute  

Individual Award 4 – Prof Fabian Essler, Professor, Physics

Individual Award 5 – Prof Owen Lewis, Professor, Zoology 

2014 Winners

Project Award - Dr Janet Dyson and Dr Richard Earl, Mathematics

Special Category Award (Oxford Sparks Public Engagement Award) - Dr Joanna Barstow, Physics

Individual Teaching Awards - Dr Nicholas Green, Professor Elspeth Garman, Professor Steve Simon, Professor Brian Follett   

2013 Winners

Project Award - Mr Rok Sekirnik

Special Category Award - Dr Greg Gyurko

Individual Teaching Awards - Professor Luis Fernando Alday; Professor Philip Maini; Dr Christina Goldschmidt; Dr Richard Palin.   

2012 winners

Project Award - Dr Martin Griffiths

Special Category Award - Alan Howe  

Individual Teaching Awards - Dr Kathryn Gillow, Prof Jon Chapman, Tom Close, Jamie Frost   

Contact

If you have any questions on the Teaching Award Scheme, please email us.