Research & Knowledge Exchange Awards 2022 - The Winners

Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Power closed this year's Research & Knowledge Conference with words of pride for the university's growing RKE community.

"Research is what makes a university, a university," he said. "I am proud and delighted that LJMU has excellence in research right across the institution."

After a successful day, which featured keynotes in from The Pandemic Institute, Liverpool and Liverpool Public Health, Professor Power made eight awards, supported by Julie Sheldon, Head of the Doctoral Academy.

This year's winners are:

VC's Award for Excellence in Research: Dr Ruth Ogden, Reader in Experimental Psychology. Ruth is currently PI on TIMED, a 1.7million Euro EU CHANSE funded project, to explore experiences of time and temporality in Europe's digital age, and Co-I on After the end, a £6.5m Wellcome Trust Discovery Award investigating lived experiences of time and endings in global health crises.

VC's Award for Excellence in Knowledge Exchange: Anthony Walker, Strategic Manager, School of Engineering, who heads up LCR4.0 which has had a gross impact of more than £80m in the economy.

VC's Award for Excellence in RKE Support: Diana Leighton, Manager, Research and Innovation Services, who oversaw the 2021 REF exercise where LJMU submitted 600 researchers, up from 242 in 2014.

VC's Award for Excellence in EDI in RKE: Dr Emma Roberts (Art & Design), who organised the Jamaica Making exhibition in Liverpool, the UK's first all-Jamaican art exhibition, which attracted a visit from the former PM of the nation.

VC's Award for Excellence in sustainability in RKE: Dr Colm Bowe, Reader in Sustainability in Biological and Environmental Sciences, who chairs the LCR Natural Capital Working Group and devised a tool for mapping natural capital.

VC's Award for Excellence - Impact: Face Lab, led by Professor Caroline Wilkinson and Dr Jessica Liu, who have given LJMU a global profile with their work in cranofacial reconstruction for historical, crime investigation and many other purposes.

VC's Award for Excellence - PG Research Supervision: Dr Ben Matellini, senior industrial lecturer, School of Engineering for outstanding supervision of research students.

VC's Award for Excellence - Rising Star: Dr Sean Loughney, lecturer in maritime management, School of Engineering for his work in maritime decarbonisation and publication of a plethora of papers, book chapters and conference presentations. 

Postgraduate student awards went to Bethany Donaghy (Psychology), Charlotte Haynes (PHI) and Ian Eustace (Nursing & Allied Health).

Special gifts were made to Professor Marie-Claire Van Hout and Sharon Schofield - conference organisers - and Dawn Fantin, Head of Events, who retires from the university at Christmas after almost 33 years.