Pilkington Prize 2023
Prize Winners 2023
Congratulations to this year's Prize Winners! We were delighted to welcome our thirteen winners to a celebration at Fitzwilliam College on Thursday 22 June.
Dr Mary Augusta Brazelton
Department of History & Philosophy of Science・Jesus College
Dr Mary Brazelton has developed transformative perspectives on science, medicine and technology not only within her own Department (History & Philosophy of Science), but across two further allied Faculties (History and the Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies). Hers is teaching that simultaneously diversifies curriculum content to new areas of the globe (she is a China specialist), while also engaging with the most pressing practical problems of our time (she is an expert on the history of public health and vaccination policy). Mary can display the vital politics in seemingly dull documents, such as the medical reports of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service. She can wow students with a remarkable object, such as a 3D model of a Tokyo earthquake. She has led invigorating reform to decolonise, including a complete revamp of our introductory modern history of science course.
Small wonder our students find her lectures so compelling: typical comments include, "I really loved the course... wish it could have been longer!", and "Really great – the department should expand this lecture series...as it seems like there is much more to be said about East Asian science." Recognised by a Cambridge Students' Union Student-Led Teaching Award for Partnership, Mary has achieved extraordinary improvements in course content and student experience.
Prof. Nathan Crilly
Department of Engineering
Prof. Nathan Crilly is an outstanding teacher of engineering design, creativity and problem-solving. He uses his research expertise to develop courses both for undergraduate students and for those undertaking professional training. These courses teach the key skills required for identifying and solving problems, and also communicating those solutions to others. Nathan has a track record of delivering courses of the highest quality, with consistently positive student feedback. He should also be commended for his general contribution to teaching within the Engineering Department, the broader University and beyond.
Nathan has completely transformed the first-year Drawing course, developing a series of innovative teaching tools, digital resources and physical workbooks. The course manages to capture the interest of students irrespective of their technical specialisation. Illustrating Nathan’s versatility as an educator, he has also been the academic lead in the development and delivery of an online creativity course aimed at a professional audience. This course has been a great success and its approach supporting learning with high-quality online resources will surely filter down to our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. In summary, Nathan has worked tirelessly to educate students and learners in the core principles of design and is the consummate professional in all he does.
Prof. Richard Dance
Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic・
St Catharine's College
Prof. Richard Dance is Professor of Early English in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic. He is an outstanding teacher: creative, enthusiastic, and much admired by his students and colleagues, not least for his linguist’s love of puns. His dedication to teaching meant that he continued with his full teaching load throughout his term as Head of Department from 2017-18 through 2019-20 (the latter year encompassing the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which added substantially to the responsibilities of leading the department).
Richard is a brilliant teacher of Old English and Old English literature; studying Beowulf with him richly rewards our students for all the trials of Grimm’s Law, Verner’s Law, and seven classes of strong verbs. His contribution to the Germanic Philology paper, coordinated jointly with Dr Sheila Watts of the Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics, is a stellar example of teaching collaboration within the School of Arts & Humanities. Richard is always oversubscribed as a supervisor of undergraduate and MPhil dissertations, and he is regularly sought out by students wishing to visit. In short, Richard is a magnificent colleague.
Dr Jonathan Evans
Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics・Gonville & Caius College
Dr Jonathan Evans is "just a brilliant lecturer", who is "very engaging" and "makes difficult concepts seem easy". He is a popular and well-respected supervisor and Director of Studies at Gonville & Caius. He has also been an outstanding Director of Undergraduate Education for the Faculty, with a comprehensive understanding of the complex structure and operation of the undergraduate Mathematical Tripos, and a profound commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality of Mathematics education in Cambridge. In a caring and compassionate way, Jonathan puts the interests of students first, and is focused on maximising the learning of the entire student body to allow all to achieve their potential.
During the initial COVID-19 pandemic, he went to enormous lengths to protect the quality of the education experience, overcoming huge challenges associated not only with online provision of lectures and supervisions, but also with ensuring that examinations were fair, credible and rigorous for both in-person and remote candidates. He liaised tirelessly with all stakeholders across the collegiate University to ensure consistency and consensus. Coming out of the pandemic, Jonathan has continued to strive to improve the student experience, and to scrutinise how the Tripos can be further improved, for example in considering Part II reform.
Dr Anita Gibbons
School of Clinical Medicine・Fitzwilliam College
Dr Anita Gibbons leads Cambridge medical student teaching at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, and is also Year 6 Coordinator for the Clinical Course. She is seen by students and colleagues alike as someone who contributes consistently to high quality teaching and learning; she demonstrates a passion for supporting learners, working closely with the student body, and responding to their learning needs. Within Hinchingbrooke, her educational leadership, and her development of an excellent formative review process, are reflected in consistently excellent annual quality assurance evaluations. As Year 6 lead, she restructured the core curriculum and, during the initial COVID-19 pandemic, redesigned the 'Preparing for clinical practice' programme at short notice to equip a whole cohort of final-year students to be interim Foundation Year doctors within the NHS.
Anita also lectures and tutors on both the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Medical Education, delivered through the Institute of Continuing Education. She is valued for her excellent understanding of the pedagogy of medical education and her application of this knowledge in practice; during the initial COVID-19 pandemic she worked to produce excellent e-learning resources to support teachers working remotely, including content for a 'Virtual Medical Education' series, based on application of pedagogical principles to on-line teaching.
Prof. Nicholas Guyatt
Faculty of History・Jesus College
Prof. Nick Guyatt is an outstanding teacher at all levels – undergraduate, master’s and doctoral – and of all types– lecturing, class teaching, and supervision. Since his appointment, he has consistently secured extremely enthusiastic feedback in student evaluations. Energetic and charismatic, his commitment to his students is exceptional. Nick has also been at the forefront of initiatives to ensure the renewal, expansion and decolonisation of the History curriculum. He has provided a model of good pedagogic practice in the spheres of inclusion and diversity and during the initial COVID-19 pandemic went over and above to support the students he taught.
Nick played a critical role in the conception and development of the reformed Parts IA and IB of the History Tripos, and the successful launch of Part IA in Michaelmas 2022. As Chair of the Part I examination board (2020-22), Nick made significant contributions to enhancing and refining our processes for upholding academic integrity, and to ensuring that we monitor, understand and address variations in the performance of students in a range of categories. His initiatives in this domain have now been fully integrated into our Faculty assessment strategy.
Dr Lydia Hamlett
Institute of Continuing Education・
Murray Edwards College
Since joining the Institute of Continuing Education in September 2018, Dr Lydia Hamlett has had a significant impact on the History of Art & Visual Culture course portfolio, demonstrating a learner-centred inclusive approach and leading the delivery of excellent educational outcomes for adult students studying on a part-time basis. Through a continuous process of course review and enhancement, she has established and grown a contemporary, engaging and student-focused course offering which attracts significant enrolments each year. It is noteworthy how many of her student progress through the art history course pathways.
Lydia has engaged collaboratively with other tutors and experts within her field to ensure excellent curricula that provide robust academic progression pathways for adult students within her field, from Summer Programmes and short courses to undergraduate certificates and diplomas. In addition, 2022 saw the launch of a distinctive new Master of Studies programme that Lydia designed and developed. This capstone programme now means that adult students, should they choose, can progress from level 4 to level 7 in the field. Lydia is an excellent teaching role model for the tutors she works with, ensuring that the teaching teams work as integrated collectives of peers and are focused on understanding and supporting adult students engaged in part-time study. Feedback from students on Lydia’s courses consistently attest to the high regard with which she is held and the impact her courses have on those who take them.
Dr Fraz Mir
Department of Medicine・King's College
Dr Fraz Mir has been a major contributor to medical education in Cambridge for almost two decades. Leading by example in several domains (including Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics; the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA); the Mechanisms of Drug Action curriculum committee), he has personally delivered teaching of the highest quality (lectures, small group, individual tutorials) and overseen innovations in teaching that have allowed Cambridge students to achieve at the highest level on the national stage. It is particularly notable that despite the challenges of the pandemic, and Fraz being a busy front-line clinician, Cambridge students have flourished in their assessments, including heading national tables for the PSA.
Fraz's substantial contribution to assessment also includes chairing the Final MB Part III SBA exam group and serving as a senior clinical OSCE examiner. In recognition of his expertise and leadership skills, he has been appointed to several senior positions in medical education both in the eastern region and at a UK level (including Head of School for Medicine, East of England; PSA National Steering Committee; MRCP(UK) Exam Board). Feedback on his teaching confirms the high esteem he is held in by students and trainees.
Dr Thomas Roulet
Judge Business School・King's College
Dr Thomas Roulet provides outstanding management teaching in department programmes as well as collegiate activities. He is passionate in helping students understand core management theory and research and mobilise their own experience in the classroom to immerse in learning through role-plays and improvisation exercises. He makes it paramount to build rapport with students and adopt a dynamic, participatory teaching style to create engagement in the classroom.
During the initial COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas' co-taught MBA module was one of the first at the Judge Business School to pivot to blended learning and was labelled the "gold standard" and "an example of what all other classes could be" by one of the students. As part of his role as Deputy Director of the MBA (since 2019), Thomas oversees students' consulting projects, giving them an opportunity to put their skills to practice.
His dedication to pedagogy extends to his collegiate activities. At King's College, in addition to supervising students in sociology, and as part of King's Entrepreneurship Lab, Thomas co-designed and co-delivered a one-week intensive residential programme open to University of Cambridge students to learn core entrepreneurial skills, supporting them in establishing social and sustainable ventures and connecting them with relevant alumni afterwards.
Mr Felipe Schuery
Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics・Magdalene College
Since joining Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics (MMLL) in 2014, Felipe Schuery has been teaching the Portuguese language across the entire Tripos. He has rebuilt the whole language programme with creativity and dynamism. His classes, both remote and face-to-face, are described by colleagues as an ideal mix of sound pedagogy and imaginative thinking, and by students as engaging and enjoyable. They respond to his charismatic style with enthusiasm, praising not only his ability to create a comfortable and productive learning environment, but also his sensitivity to individual students' needs. He was nominated for the Cambridge Students' Union Student-Led Teaching Awards in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Felipe's outstanding contribution goes beyond the classroom. As Director of Computer-Assisted Language Learning, he supports colleagues in the use of digital platforms and encourage students to develop their linguistic competence whilst also becoming autonomous creators of digital content. He is a collegial force in outreach and widening participation, offering taster sessions in Summer Schools, presenting talks in Open Days and co-organising the MMLL events in the Cambridge Festival. His vision and generosity rose to the challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, when he co-created the Cambridge-UERJ Virtual Exchange, which paired students of Portuguese with university students in Brazil to further their oral skills and engage in intercultural experiences.
Dr Stephanie Smith
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry・
Pembroke College
Dr Stephanie Smith is an outstanding chemical educator with an exceptional range. She is able to communicate her enthusiasm and deep understanding of the subject to undergraduates at all levels, be it through superbly presented lectures or wonderfully tailored supervisions. Stephanie has great empathy with those she teaches and instinctively knows how to adapt her teaching style to each individual.
During the initial COVID-19 pandemic she was the key player in a small team who developed high-quality video and other materials which were used as a substitute for in-person practicals for the first year. Stephanie has already received two Cambridge Students' Union Student-Led Teaching Awards in recognition of her teaching and represents the very best of Cambridge teaching in both Department and College.
Prof. Elizabeth Soilleux
Department of Pathology・Churchill College
Prof. Liz Soilleux has contributed tirelessly to pre-clinical pathology teaching over many years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic she was instrumental in updating the Biology of Disease histopathology practical classes to be more reflective of current diagnostic practice, having undertaken professional development in medical education and been awarded a PGDip with Distinction. Her innovative approach continued during the pandemic with her crucial role in transforming the undergraduate pathology practical classes into a virtual format. This included her creative strategy of filming pathology pot specimens using a GoPro to ensure learners could view these precious teaching aids, as well as filming walkthroughs of digital slides and recruiting and supporting colleagues as virtual demonstrators.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Liz was also PI of a research laboratory, Fellow and Director of Studies in pre-clinical medicine at Churchill College, and one of a handful of medical consultants running a tertiary centre diagnostic laboratory service. She carried out all of these roles to the highest standards. Liz is enormously generous in sharing her educational expertise with colleagues, never hesitating to invite their contribution and act as their sponsor in pursuing roles, and this is all done with the benefit of learners in mind.
Dr Angie Tavernor
Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience・Fitzwilliam College (Retired Fellow)
Dr Angie Tavernor is an outstanding and highly qualified Veterinary Teaching Associate, who has been teaching, assessing and driving forward the teaching of Veterinary Anatomy at Cambridge for more than twenty years. Clinically focused, immensely clear, and universally approachable, she has been the lynchpin of much of our teaching, especially taking the lead in our respiratory, alimentary and clinical-examination teaching. Angie has enriched hundreds of veterinary students' learning with her imaginative approach to animal form.
As a clinically qualified and experienced vet, she has helped to keep the course up-to-date and focused on the needs of future clinicians, and she has a realistic, pragmatic view of what can and can't be done in real-world practice. Indeed, with relatively few qualified veterinarians teaching the preclinical students directly, Angie provides a critically important point of contact for them as individuals. Finally, she has been pivotal in driving aspects of our veterinary outreach initiatives - masterminding the creation of new events where teenagers get their first introduction to the diversity of vertebrate forms.