Recognising our outstanding postgraduate support staff

The dedication of our research supervisors and professional support staff took centre stage at our PGR Celebration awards night earlier in the term.

The award winners were:

• Overall Supervisor of the Year: Dr Michelle Taylor
• Faculty of Arts and Humanities Supervisor of the Year: Professor Geoff Gilbert and Dr Marija Jovanovic
• Faculty of Science and Health Supervisor of the Year: Dr Anna Pettican
• Faculty of Social Sciences Supervisor of the Year: Dr Alexandra Hennessy and Dr Ryan Bakker
• Staff-nominated Outstanding Research Supervisor: Dr Christina Kapadocha
• Professional Services Award for PGR Support: Lorna Woollcott and Alan Lo

Professor Shane Martin, Dean of Postgraduate Research and Education, said: "Each year we recognise the postgraduate research supervisors who create the most inspirational, supportive, and stimulating research environment that is possible. For postgraduate research students, their supervisors and other supporting staff play a key role in the student journey. The hard work and dedication of our staff who support our postgraduate research students really do have the ability to transform lives and careers."

Discover some of our award winners

Dr Michelle Taylor: Overall Supervisor of the Year

Dr Marija Jovanovic: joint Faculty of Arts and Humanities Supervisor of the Year with Professor Geoff Gilbert

This is a completely unexpected though hugely appreciated recognition, not least because students are known to be a tough crowd to please.

Postgraduate research is one of the most challenging and also formative periods of one’s career. It is often fraught with self-doubt, worry about the future, and it can be quite isolating.

And that is why the role of a mentor, whether formal or informal, is so important to provide not just academic guidance, but also a compassionate ear and reassurance that things will work out in the end.

It is therefore both a huge responsibility and great privilege to provide such support to a junior colleague, and I am deeply grateful for and inspired by this recognition to do more and do better to support our graduate students.

Dr Anna Pettican: Faculty of Science and Health Supervisor of the Year

I am so delighted and proud to have won this award, and a huge thank you to Bev and Ellie, the PhD students who nominated me.

I am currently a lecturer in the School of Health and Human Sciences, and also an occupational therapist, enabling people's participation in everyday activities when they are limited by illness, injury, or disability.

Both occupational therapy and research supervision should be focused on building relationships that involve honesty, trust, equality, encouragement, and support, and which are ultimately concerned with enabling participation and achieving change.

Such relationships are central to developing the resilient health researchers that we need in an uncertain future, who can work with a range of people to develop new knowledge, approaches, and health interventions that meaningfully address the injustices and inequalities that too many people currently encounter. These relationships are also central to the participatory research that my PhD students and I do: doing research with rather than on people.

We supervisors must carefully strike a balance between giving support and giving space for students to develop their own strategies and solutions as independent researchers, developing honesty and trust with our students and enabling them to do so with others – so that they can span divisions, respect difference, and develop a fairer society.

Thank you to my PhD students, who I learn so much from, and to three people at Essex who have been particularly supportive of my research career: Professor Wendy Bryant, Professor Ewen Speed, and Dr Paul Freeman.

Dr Alexandra Hennessy and Dr Ryan Bakker: joint Faculty of Social Sciences Supervisors of the Year 

Dr Christina Kapadocha: Staff-nominated Outstanding Research Supervisor

At East 15, we currently celebrate our first PhD awards, and this feels like such a collaborative effort between an intimate cohort and a small supervisory team. The newness of our programme, having accepted our first PhD students in 2019, has allowed for the cultivation of a very strong sense of collegiality and an environment in which we all grow together.

The supervision becomes more of a collaboration in which our utmost priority is to facilitate the development of a safe and creative space for the students to feel comfortable sharing and evolving their work. We are passionate advocates of artistic research and its contribution to the world, especially within the current sociopolitical climate.

I am extremely proud of the skill and ingenuity our students pour into their projects and am very much looking forward to witnessing the change they will bring to the world of performing arts and beyond.

Lorna Woollcott: Professional Services Award for PGR Support

I am very happy to be the recipient of this Professional Services award. It is very pleasing and an honour to know that I have in some way been able to help and support my nominee and I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

I have been in this PGR Administrator role in Department of Economics for the past 16 years and the role is still very rewarding as it was when I first started. Being able to advise applicants from initial stage of their application, support them in the highs and lows of their academic journey right through to their viva and their graduation is an honour and pleasure. Our students come from very diverse backgrounds and culture, and I am privileged to have learned so much from them too.

It is very humbling to have been nominated and acknowledged for my efforts and support in the PGR experience.

Alan Lo: Professional Services Award for PGR Support

I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive the Professional Services Award for PGR Support 2024. Firstly, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the University of Essex for this recognition and for providing an environment where the contributions of support staff are valued and celebrated.

I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to the Psychology Technical Team, led by Steve Brewer alongside Steven Fowles, Joseph Munro, Tai Sherman, Woakil Ahmed, and Monika Steinke, for their guidance, collaboration, and encouragement throughout my journey in supporting postgraduate researchers. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated colleagues who share a commitment to excellence and to the success of our PGR community.

To the postgraduate researchers whom I've had the privilege to support, thank you for inspiring me with your passion, curiosity, and determination. It has been a joy to be part of your academic and personal growth, and I am continually impressed by your innovative research and accomplishments.

Receiving this award reinforces my belief in the importance of providing comprehensive support services to our PGRs. As we navigate the complexities of academia together, let us continue to foster a culture of inclusivity, collaboration, and empowerment, ensuring that every postgraduate researcher feels supported and valued on their journey.

I want to dedicate this award to all the postgraduate researchers who strive tirelessly to advance knowledge and make a positive impact on society. Your dedication and resilience inspire me every day, and I am honoured to be a part of your academic community.

Thank you once again for this incredible honour. I look forward to continuing our shared commitment to excellence and to the success of our postgraduate researchers.