The University of Aberdeen has once again celebrated excellence across its academic community, recognising staff and students whose work has made significant contributions to research, teaching, supervision, learning, and innovation.
This year, members of the Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law (AUCEL) received recognition across several categories, showcasing the centre’s sustained contribution to high-quality legal research, teaching, and academic development.
Among those recognised, Professors Abbe Brown and Marcel Jaspars, won the Interdisciplinary Research Award in recognition of their work on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, commonly known as the BBNJ Agreement. The award follows another significant milestone for Professor Brown, who was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2025.
In the area of postgraduate supervision, Dr Eddy Wifa, Co-Director of AUCEL and Senior Lecturer in Energy Law, was awarded the Principal’s Prize for Outstanding PGR Supervisor, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to postgraduate research supervision within the School of Law. Dr Wifa had previously been shortlisted for the same prize in 2024, the same year he won Outstanding PGT Lecturer of the Year. This year, he was again shortlisted for Best PGT Lecturer, alongside Patrick Achor, Teaching Fellow at the School of Law.
Similarly, Dr Scott Styles, Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, was nominated for the Excellence in Inclusive Education Award, for his contribution to inclusive teaching practices and learning environments.
Beyond the Excellence Awards, external recognition came for Dr Daria Shapovalova, immediate past Director of AUCEL, coordinator at the Just Transition Lab, and Deputy Head of the School of Law, who was shortlisted as a finalist in the Research Project of the Year category at the Herald Higher Education Awards 2026. The winners will be announced on 20 May, and AUCEL extends its best wishes to Dr Shapovalova and the Just Transition Lab.
AUCEL also celebrates the success of recent PhD graduate Dr Liliyana Kalinova, whose team won the 2026 Lightbulb Ideas Competition. The annual initiative champions student innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, and Dr Kalinova’s achievement exemplifies the spectrum of competencies within the AUCEL community, which includes the translation of academic ideas into viable business pitches.
AUCEL is proud of these achievements, which all demonstrate the commitment of its members to research excellence, impactful teaching, postgraduate support, and innovation. The Centre congratulates all winners and nominees and looks forward to building on this momentum in the coming year.
