Stars of the Year: Research and Knowledge Exchange Winners 2021

Marine transport expert Zaili Yang is the winner of this year's VC's Excellence in Research award.

Professor Yang, of the School of Engineering, is the holder of a prestigious £1.5m EU Horizon grant and considered a 'world eminence' in maritime risk and safety.

Other awards winners were:

Excellence in Knowledge Transfer – Zara Quigg, Professor in Behavioural Epidemiology (FoH) for her work at local, national and international level to promote a public health approach to violence reduction.
Excellence in Knowledge Exchange Support – The research engagement team, Library Services, who crunched statistics for the REF Submission from 11,000 papers. (Maria Follett, Cath Dishman, Katherine Stephan, Mel Stubbs)
Excellence in the Promotion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Dr Patricia Jolliffe and Dr Helen Collins (LBS) instigators of Project Dream, a community partnership to create pathways to education and employment for the Roma community.
Excellence in the Promotion of Sustainability – Dr Ana Armada Bras (FET) for her innovative research into bacteria-based self-healing construction materials.
Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision – Professor Joel Irish (Faculty of Science).
Rising Star – Dr Amanda Atkinson (FoH), PI on an ESRC project on gendered alcohol brand and nightlife marketing and a leader and volunteer for city charities.
Excellence in Response to COVID-19 – Dr Michelle McManus and Dr Sarah Schiffling – Michelle, Head of Criminal Justice, ran Operation Provide with Lancashire police to support domestic violence victims and Sarah (LBS) has raised the issues of supply chains in both the media and government.

The awards were made by Professor Keith George, Director of RKE and Vice-Chancellor Mark Power, at the annual RKE Conference held at LJMU on Wednesday, December 8.

Mark Power said: “This year’s conference theme of Sustainable Futures mirrors a lot of our thinking at the university at present about how we face up to the climate emergency.

“We want LJMU to be seen as a beacon and a resource for the city and we move towards a more sustainable future.”