BEST SUPERVISION

Dr John Pinney, Life Sciences

He is highly approachable and will always make time for students if they wish to meet with him above and beyond those weekly meetings. I have never been turned away, ignored or rebuffed in the time that he has been my supervisor

He gives me the freedom to try out new projects whilst keeping me on track to finish with a well-structured PhD. He also gives great support when I come to him with fragmented ideas, in need of a sounding board to help me weave them together into a coherent project. 

Further to his academic support, he is trustworthy and listens when you have concerns about your studies, whether they are direct issues about your academic progress, or more personal issues that may affect your studies. His openness and approachability is invaluable. Moreover, John has also encouraged me and helped me to grow in confidence.

John should be awarded for his committed dedication to his students, their academic success and their welfare.

BEST TUTORING

Martin Holloway, Bioengineering

There are far too many reasons as to why Mr Holloway is loved by all the department - some could say it's the quirky sense of humour that he brings to lectures, or his significant talent in the department as a drummer and goalkeeper, or simply the fact that he is one of hte most pleasant and polite members of College altogether.

Personally, I almost lost all faith in myself. Not just because of academic demands, but honestly a world crumbling around me. To have someone calm, determined and actually believe in me does wonders. Mr Holloway has sacrificed time, effort and his own personal endeavours to help us measly undergrads! It isn't every day you find someone like that - he is a really gem! So I speak on behalf of a few dozen people here: THANK YOU MR H!

BEST GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT

Claudia Schulz, Computing

The lectures were well-prepared, the presentation was enthusiastic and clear, the material was of good quality. Claudia incorporated the use of an online questionnaire to make the lectures even more interactive with great short mid-lecture tutorial sessions. She has also piloted a software for helping students understand a part of the abstract argumentation topic. She has been great at providing feedback... with tutorials having appropriate level of difficulty and amount of workload..

BEST TEACHING FOR UNDERGRADUATES

Dr Steve Cook, Life Sciences

Dr Cook's teaching caters for all - he finds a way to stretch and challenge students of all abilities, with no limit as to how much detail he is willing to go into. An honest and friendly man, he makes learning seem like more of a journey than a job. His lectures feel personal because his enthusiasm and passion show throughout each one, really helping to foster curiosity and encourage further study. Beyond lectures, Dr Cook provides support promptly, no matter how you contact him. In the lab, he is approachable and willing to help out with absolutely anything. As a lecturer, mentor and friend, I truly believe there is nobody who would do this job better

BEST SUPPORT STAFF

Anup Jethwa, Medicine - Northwick Park

Anup is a champion for her students. Over her many years as the teaching coordinator at Northwick Park Hospital she has been a constant support for the many students on placement there... Anup's commitment to the students really makes her stand out, she is a shining star amongst the support staff in the medical school and an unsung hero.

BEST INNOVATION

Dr Elizabeth Hauke, Horizons & Science Communication

Dr Hauke is teaching the Horizons course 'Lessons from History', a new course, for the first time. This cause has been very well developed and has made use of several innovative and unusual methods in teaching that have really impressed us as students and provided an experience far more though-provoking than previous Horizons courses that I have done (and indeed previous Physics courses). 

The main thrust of her work has been to promote team-based learning exercises, something that I have never tried before. This allows us to choose our own questions to research, focus our research on a specific part of a team question and then undertake a series of assessments; first individually and then as a team. 

These have been great as it has given us the freedom to develop our research in ways that are only possible because we have the chance to re-try a topic as a team, and the benefit of doing it individually first is that we have been exposed to the advantages and challenges of working as a team. 

Assessment has also been novel, involving the use of scratchcards and votes for the correct 'answer' taken as a team; which has maintained focus throughout rather than boring us with the same, repetitive styles.

BEST FEEDBACK

Dr Paul Mitcheson, Electrical & Electronic Engineering

The second term of the third year in EEE is purely coursework based, and as such feedback becomes a huge part of the learning experience. Without understanding where and what has gone wrong, a full grip of the material is close to impossible. Dr Mitcheson has fully understood this, and provides excellent feedback through out the entire course. 

His dedication to feedback goes beyond his fast turnaround for report grading. Having set up 3 hours of labs a week, which is not set out by the department, he allows you to ask questions and ask for personal feedback on either past or current exercises. 

I've been wholly impressed by Dr Mitcheson's contributions to the course and to the department as a whole. In his position as third year organiser, he has extended his mentality on strict feedback cycles and concepts of continual feedback to other courses. As such, I feel there is no better person that Dr Mitcheson to take this award for the 2014/15 year.

BEST TEACHING FOR POSTGRADUATES

Dr Michael Jones, Medicine - Hammersmith

For his sheer enthusiasm and willingness to always go the extra mile when it comes to helping his students, Dr Jones thoroughly deserves to win this award… He is an outstanding teacher, lecturer, supervisor and tutor. The education we receive from him gives credit to the name Imperial College London. As well as this he has an attitude and passion for education that most staff could learn a lot from. An inspiring man who deserves the award.