Highlights from the 2026 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards
Friday 2 October 2026 saw our Vice-Chancellor’s Awards finalists and guests gather at the Hilton Southampton Utilita Bowl for an evening to remember. At a busy and challenging time for everyone, taking the time to truly celebrate some of the fantastic achievements in our community was the main agenda item for this gathering; and with a full awards ceremony yet to come, the objective was sure to be achieved.
Once everyone arrived and settled in, the atmosphere in the room was charged with pride, joy, and gratitude to have been nominated and selected to be there, as well as a great readiness to support and cheer for one another at any given opportunity. This is yet another reflection of the community spirit and mutual respect that drove the record 806 nominations we received this year – thank you to every single person who took time to submit a nomination and help a colleague feel valued and recognised for their hard work.
Out of the 806 nominations, the VC Awards panel selected 37 individual and team finalists for the 12 award categories. The awards ceremony celebrated every finalist before going on to announce the winners. And the winners are…
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Doctoral College and Research Enterprise Marketing team: Dan Cross, Ergeta Mali, Katelin Prince, Laura Tatman, Maddie Fine, Dr Maisha Islam, Nicola Tose, Stephanie Millard
- Inspiring Leadership – Helen Rowland
- Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise – Deal Readiness Toolkit team: Brian Ho, Dr Chris Buckingham, David Woolley, Diana Galpin, Graham Cradock, Dr Laura Powell, Leslie Pettet, Vicki Lewin, Victoria Blakesley
- Making It Happen – FEPS Teaching Laboratories team: Andrew Giles, Cleome Orrell, David Oakley, Katie Chamberlain, Paula Smith, Phil Reed, Sue Jenkins, Tommy Poll, Vanessa Whittlesey
- Public Good and Sustainability – Pre-Entry Attainment Raising team: Alice Emery, Becky Naylor-Teece, Chantelle Veneroso, Claire Bolton, Dr Clare Merivale-Harris, Ella Gordon Banks, Dr Emma Thompson, Emma Woozeer, Florence Harvey, Joseph Cunningham, Katrina Lueddeke, Liam Gifford, Lily Bissell, Sinead Holmes, Sophie Grady
- Research Impact – Professor Kai Yang
- Rising Star – Dr Bieito Fernandez Castro
- Student Experience – Jo Holmes
- Teaching – Rocchina Covucci
- Technical Excellence – Guido de Jager
- Triple Helix – Rail Research Group: Rod Anderson, Professor David Richards, Professor William Powrie
- Advocacy, Community and Engagement – Supporting in Times of Crisis team: Helen Rowland, Lucy Green, Melissa Farrugia, Nick Povey, Peter Franklin, Sarah Foster
Teamwork shone brightly once again this year: not only were half of the categories won by teams, but every winner and finalist who spoke to Staff Matters mentioned that they are grateful and honoured to be recognised, that they have been supported by many throughout their project, and that they are representatives of the hard work of many other teams and colleagues. Everyone we spoke to also exuded enthusiasm about the projects and work that brought them to the ceremony.
Dr Bieito Fernandez Castro, who won the Rising Star Award for his outstanding research, teaching, and publication activity, said:
“This prize is an expression of how lucky I am to have this working environment, where it’s very collegial, we all work together, we support each other. I think it’s something very unique and I am very lucky to be here and be supported by my colleagues.”
The Pre-Entry Attainment Raising Team, who won the Public Good and Sustainability Award for their work on programmes designed to develop confidence, academic skills, and university readiness in young people, said:
“We are all so passionate about the way in which we can engage with young people in the city, regionally, and across the country. Being nominated by our colleagues means a lot, and it really shows that the organisation and those who work within it care about those who live in our community. University should be for those who want to do it, it should be open to all, and we are really pleased to be able to support that mission, and to have been recognised for it today.”
Jo Holmes, who won the Student Experience award for her work developing the Student Co-Design Panel which has so far shaped major University developments including the My Southampton app, Student Hubs, and study spaces, also said:
“I was really surprised to be nominated, let alone be shortlisted, let alone have this [points at the trophy]… We’ve had some absolutely incredible students work on the Student Co-Design Panel over the last five years, who came up with some fantastic ideas and worked with the project teams to help create the way they wanted the University to look. For that to have been recognised is really special – it’s really all about the students and the impact they’ve had, and I feel very privileged to be here representing that.”
Rocchina Covucci, who won the Teaching award for her contributions across student engagement, academic support, postgraduate recruitment, and programme delivery, said:
“It is an honour, it means that my colleagues value my work, and I am really excited because of the category. I moved from practice into academia because I wanted to teach. I truly believe that teaching is delivering students’ passport to their future. Being a little part of their success is really very important to me”
It was a real pleasure to once again see the genuine dedication and passion our community has for our shared mission as a University – all sustained by the mutual respect and support that underpin the VC Awards, from nominations to event and beyond.
You can watch highlights of this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards, hear Professor’s Charlie Jeffery’s thoughts on hosting the awards on his second day in post, and see more from our winners and finalists in the video below.
We also have a gallery of photos for you to browse:
You can read about all our finalists’ achievements in the VC Awards brochure:
