Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research

Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research

Main Prize 

Winner - Professor Mirela Delibegovic

Early Career Researcher 

Joint winners - Miss Kadie-Ann Sterling (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition) and Miss Ilinca-Ruxandra Tone (School of Psychology)

Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Sciences

Winner - Dr Derek Ball (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition)

Watch the 2022 Winners Announcement here!

Celebrating outstanding engagement

“The University of Aberdeen is committed to achieving distinctive excellence across all aspects of its activities including the vital objective of engaging with society.  We have a considerable track record, with public engagement becoming ever more embedded in our core business.

Fundamentally, it is the quality and creativity of our own staff and students that make us stand out in this exciting arena. The Public Engagement with Research Prize is one way of recognising and celebrating outstanding achievement in the field of research-led public engagement. I wish applicants every success, and encourage everyone to continue with their exemplary efforts in raising the profile of our institution."

University Principal and Vice Chancellor - Professor George Boyne


About the Prize scheme

The Principal's Prizes for Public Engagement with Research are intended to recognise individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the field of research-led public engagement.  By research-led public engagement, we mean interaction with communities outside academia that has in the main been inspired or driven by research activity. The Prize is a measure of institutional support for public engagement with research at the University of Aberdeen.

Staff and students can nominate themselves or others for an Early Career or Main Prize (for individuals at further stages of career development).

Please review the Terms of Eligibility and Summary of Terms before submitting a nomination.

As part of the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund, applications linked to biomedical research will be automatically considered for an Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Sciences prize.

  • Winner, Main Category - £500 personal prize
  • Winner, Early Career Category - £500 personal prize
  • Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Public Engagement in the Biomedical Sciences - £500 personal prize 

Submit your nomination now!

Previous Winners

2021

Main Prize

Winner - Dr Amy Irwin (School of Psychology)

Early Career Researcher

Winner  - Dr Ana payo-Payo (School of Biological Sciences)

Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Sciences

Joint Winners: Dr Katie Banister & Dr Samantha Wileman (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition)

2020

Main Prize

Winner - Dr Madalina Neacsu (Rowett Institute)
Runner Up - Dr Alexandros Zangelidis (Business School)

Early Career Researcher

Winner  - Ms Orsolya Czére (School of Geosciences)
Runner Up - Mr Oliver Hamlet (School of Psychology)

Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Sciences

Winner - Clare Robertson (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition)

2019

Main Prize

Winner - Professor Marjory Harper (School of Divinity, History & Philosophy)
Runner Up - Dr Amy Irwin (School of Psychology)

Early Career Researcher

Winner  - Dr Heidi Gardner (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition)
Runner Up - Miss Josefine Bjorkqvist (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition)

Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Sciences

Winner - Dr Gordon Fernie (School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition)

Outstanding Contribution to Public Engagement

Winner - Professor Jane Geddes, Chair in History of Art (School of Divinity, History and Philosophy)

2018

Winner, Main Category - Dr Heather Morgan, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition 
Runner up  - Professor Tom Weber and Professor Tom Greggs, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy and Professor Pete Stollery, School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture

Winner, Early Career Category - Mrs Beatriz Goulao, Health Services Research Unit
Runner up  - Dr Heidi Gardner, Health Services Research Unit

Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Public Engagement in the Biomedical Sciences: Dr Mirela Delibegovic, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Winners, Public Prize: Dr Mirela Delibegovic and Dr Donna MacCallum, both from the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

2017

Winner, Senior Category - Dr Neil Vargesson, Medical Sciences
Runner up (Recognition of Outstanding Achievement) - Professor Pete Smith, School of Biological Sciences

Winner, Early Career Category - Dr Jessica Butler, Institute of Applied Health Science
Runner up (Recognition of Outstanding Achievement) - Dr Heather Morgan, Health Services Research Unit

Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Public Engagement in the Biomedical Sciences: Joint Winners - Dr Karen McArdle, Manager MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and Dr Jonathan Pettitt, Medical Sciences

2016

Principal Prize for Public Engagement 2016Dr Gordon Noble was awarded the Senior Researcher first prize for his work in engagement with archaeology with Dr Amy Bryzgel from the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture and Dr Alex Johnstone from the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health receiving joint runner-up awards.

Dr Heather Morgan, from the Health Sciences Research Unit was awarded the Early Career award with Annie Robinson, a research fellow in Biological Sciences winning the runner-up award.

Norul Latif, a postgraduate researcher won the Outstanding Achievement in Public Engagement in the Biomedical Sciences, supported by the University's Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.

2015

Professor Michael Keating of the School of Social Science was awarded the Senior Researcher award first prize, Dr Fern Insh of the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy was awarded the Early Career Researcher first prize and Dr Jennifer Macdiarmid of the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health was awarded the prize for public engagement in the Biomedical Sciences. 

Recognition of Outstanding Achievement was awarded to Professor Xavier Lambin in the Senior Researcher category and Dr Heather Morgan in the Early Career Researcher category.

2014

Principal Prize winner 2014Dr Rick Knecht and his co-investigators Dr Charlotta Hillerdal and Dr Kate Britton of the School of Geosciences were jointly awarded the Senior Researcher award first prize.

Hannah Grist and Jenny Sturgeon of the School of Biological Sciences were jointly awarded the Early Career Researcher first prize. 

Recognition of Outstanding Achievement was awarded to Professor Thomas Weber in the Senior Researcher category and Dr Ourania Varsou in the Early Career Researcher category.

2013

Dr Jane Reid and Dr Ewan Campbell both of the School of Biological Sciences were awarded the Senior and Early Career first prizes. Dr Jeff Oliver, lecturer in Archaeology and Sonia Watson, postgraduate researcher in neuroscience (photographed left), collected the awards for Outstanding Achievement in the senior and Early Career categories.

A special award recognizing the public engagement work of the University's Medi-CAL unit was presented to John McDonald of the University’s Medi-CAL unit. The award has been made in memory of Dr Neil Hamilton who passed away in November of last year. Dr Hamilton led Medi-CAL across a range of innovative IT and technology projects aimed at enriching the teaching and learning environment for staff and students. Dr Hamilton was also passionate about extending the work of Medi-CAL beyond the lab and classroom including most recently the showcasing of 3-D visualization systems with public and local schools.

To see more about other public engagement projects that are taking place at the University of Aberdeen take a look at our case studies section.