Campus News

Join our research town halls

January 4th, 2022

You are invited to join a series of online town halls in January 2022 to find out more about the university’s renewed strategy for research.

Colleagues from all job families as well as researchers are invited to join one of the town halls to find out more about the 2022-27 strategic delivery plan for research and discuss contributing to its implementation.

Find out more and register

Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “We encourage everyone who contributes to the delivery of research to join us and shape our vision.

“In the coming months, we will continue to engage with our research community and involve you in delivery of our renewed strategy for research.

“We are strengthening our commitment to delivering research of the highest quality and better preparing for challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing policy and funding landscape.

“At the heart of this strategy is our commitment to building an inclusive, supportive, and truly transdisciplinary research culture.”

The five town halls will be conducted via Microsoft teams. If you are unable to attend your faculty’s event, please feel free to attend one of the other sessions – colleagues from Professional Services are invited to attend the town hall that suits you best.

  • Monday 10 Jan, 3pm-4pm – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
  • Thursday 13 Jan, 1pm-2pm – Faculty of Engineering
  • Thursday 20 Jan, 3:30pm-4:30pm – Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Monday 24 Jan, 1pm-2pm – Faculty of Science
  • Thursday 27 Jan, 1pm-2pm – Faculty of Arts

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LMA Spotlight On…events – bookings now open for 2022

January 4th, 2022

The Leadership and Management Academy’s Spotlight On… events are open to all university staff and are designed to be a relaxed and informal opportunity to learn about key leadership and management topics.

These two-hour events held online between 12pm and 2pm on selected dates each month are led by colleagues from around the university.

If you want a flexible option to learn how to have effective performance conversations, overcome “imposter phenomenon” or how to use a coaching style, then the Spotlight On… sessions can help.

To book your place and see the full range of events, visit the Leadership and Management Academy Hub.

Coming up

Building confidence as a leader – Imposter phenomenon
Tuesday 18 January 2022, 12pm – 2pm

A much requested opportunity to understand why we need to be aware of ‘Imposter phenomenon’ both in supporting our own practice and that of others, and how to build strategies to overcome this challenge.

Dealing with difficult situations
Wednesday 2 February 2022, 12pm – 2pm

This Spotlight on… session is delivered by HR to support you in a range of key areas including Discipline and Grievance, Dignity, Performance and Sickness. You’ll learn about the key HR policies underpinning these areas, and also explore how to approach the conversations.

Coaching for Leaders
Wednesday 23 February 2022, 12pm – 2pm

This workshop will help you to explore how a coaching style of leadership might be useful to you on a daily basis in the conversations you have with members of your team. We’ll consider how essential coaching skills like listening and questioning can be used to great effect, and there will be a chance to sample and practise some of these with a view to finding out what works well for you, and where your particular strengths lie.

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New Year Honours triple celebration for university academics

January 1st, 2022

The University of Nottingham is celebrating the recognition of three of its academics in the New Year’s Honours 2022, including a knighthood for one of the most recognisable faces from the scientific response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jonathan Van Tam, Professor of Health Protection in the School of Medicine, specialising in influenza, epidemiology, transmission, vaccinology and pandemic preparedness, is also an alumnus of the University and graduated from the School of Medicine in 1987.

But he has become a familiar face during the pandemic since he was seconded to the Department of Health as one of three Deputy Chief Medical Officers (DCMO), where he has been a key provider of independent advice to the Government on Covid-19. He leads on health protection and regularly presents at the 10 Downing Street Covid-19 press conferences. It is during these conferences that Professor Van Tam has become famous for his range of creative analogies to explain complex public health issues.

Professor Van Tam has been most recently seen on our TV screens hosting this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures – Going viral: How Covid Changed Science Forever – where he has been joined by a prestigious group of six guest lecturers to take a deep dive into the science of viruses.

A previous recipient of an MBE, he will now receive a knighthood for his services to public health.

Professor Robert Mokaya has been recognised with an OBE for services to the chemical sciences. Joining as an EPSRC Advanced Fellow, he has built an extensive 16-year career at Nottingham and is now Professor of Materials Chemistry and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, the University’s strategic lead on meeting international challenges including Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Robert heads up a world-leading research group on sustainable energy materials and valorisation of carbon feedstocks and publishing 175 articles with more than 13,000 citations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry as well as a being a current Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award holder.

As a founding member of the RSC Pan Africa Chemistry Network, he has helped to vastly improve African chemists’ access to, and the impact of, chemical knowledge in countries across the continent.

As the only Black Professor of Chemistry in the country, he is a role model and mentor to Black academics and students in the UK.

Robert’s work has been instrumental in developing affordable energy solutions, strengthening and building capacity through the £1.2 million RS/DFID Capacity Building in Energy Storage Materials programme. Robert has continued his research along this path through EPSRC-funded schemes to provide bio-rural energy in Ghana and GCRF-funded safe and affordable low energy cooking solutions for South Africa and Namibia.

Tony Avery, a GP and Professor of Primary Healthcare, and a Senior Investigator for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will receive an OBE for services to General Practice.

His research focuses on patient safety in primary care, which is a priority area for the NHS, and he has led ground-breaking studies to identify the frequency, nature and cause of prescribing errors and avoidable harm in primary care.

Professor Avery has also developed and evaluated a range of interventions that have led to improvements in patient safety. One example being a pharmacist-led information-technology-based intervention (called PINCER), which was effective (and cost effective) at reducing prescribing errors in general practice in a large cluster-randomised trial. It has now been rolled out to more than 2,500 general practices across England and as a result, over 20,000 patients have benefitted from safer prescriptions.

Professor Avery said: “I’m absolutely delighted to receive this honour, and I would like to thank all my colleagues for the contribution they have made to my career. I would particularly like to thank my wife, Chris, and my family and friends for their love and support.”

Professor Avery has worked in the medical field for more than thirty-five years. After completing his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Sheffield in 1986, he then went on to complete his GP training in Nottingham, and has been a clinical academic at the University of Nottingham since 1992. He was appointed as the Director of Research for the School of Medicine at Nottingham in 2013 and was Dean and Head of Nottingham School of Medicine from 2015-2019. Professor Avery also works as a GP at the Valley Surgery, Chilwell, Nottingham.

Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham said:

“This is an extremely proud day for The University of Nottingham, and I am delighted that these colleagues who have given so much to society – both in the UK and internationally – are being recognised for their service and dedication.

“All of us at the University are incredibly proud of Professor Jonathan Van-Tam’s work as Deputy Chief Medical Officer. While on secondment as DCMO, in which he has played a major role in steering the nation through the pandemic, it has been particularly wonderful to see the British public’s response to Jonathan’s expertise and flair for science communication during the Downing Street briefings.

“Robert is an inspiration to all who work, research or study with him. He also reaches out to identify and encourage young Black students from the UK and African nations to consider courses, research and careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. A pioneer in his field and a pioneer in supporting greater equality, diversity and inclusion in higher education, I can think of few colleagues more richly deserving of Honours recognition than Professor Robert Mokaya.

“Tony has given his life to medicine and has served patients and the medical community in many ways – through patient service, research and education. His research on safe prescribing in particular has made a real difference to a large number of patients in the UK and worldwide.”

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Implementation partner for Digital Core project

December 20th, 2021

Subject to Council approval of the final business case, Evosys has been selected as the implementation partner for the university’s new HR, Finance and Procurement software solution (as part of the Digital Core project).   

 

The HR, Finance and Procurement teams will introduce improved and standardised services, such as the way in which we all book annual leave, book training courses, claim expenses, make purchases, and undertake recruitment, payroll and reporting. These services will be underpinned by a new Oracle Cloud software solution that the implementation partner will deliver.  

 

The new solution is expected to replace approximately 41 of our existing systems that are outdated and do not integrate well. It will enable us to work with a modern, integrated, reliable and secure software solution that can be accessed from any mobile device.  

 

Lisa Dearing, School of Humanities Assistant Operations Manager, has been involved in the detailed procurement process: “It should be an easy-to-use solution that supports colleagues in their roles. I’m glad that we’re involved in the Digital Core project from the outset. This means we can identify and mitigate any potential issues before the software solution is rolled out. 

 
“Many teams at the university have their own way of requesting and recording annual leave. Multiple systems are used to do this. The new software solution is expected to bring us all an easier and consistent way to request, book and track our leave. This is just one example of the benefits the new solution will bring.”   

 

The Oracle Cloud software solution is used in other organisations and universities as a best practice HR, finance and procurement solution. We are not intending to customise this software solution and we will use it as it is provided (with some configuration) so that we benefit from the built-in best practice processes and ensure the technology and capabilities remain up to date. 

 

We are expecting Evosys to start as our implementation partner from April 2022. This slightly revised timeline has been agreed to further develop a robust business case that includes a detailed plan for integrating the new software solution and archiving and decommissioning our old systems. We will seek final approval to proceed from Council in March 2022.  

 

Over the coming months the project team will continue engagement activities to prepare colleagues for the changes that Digital Core will bring. We anticipate starting to use the new software solution later in 2023 and we will provide more details about the rollout timeline when the implementation partner joins us. 

 

We are very grateful to the many colleagues that contributed to the detailed procurement process to select a partner. We remain committed to listening to you as we prepare to bring the partner on board. Opportunities for input will be highlighted in staff newsletters and various engagement initiatives in early 2022.   

 

If you have any questions or require further information, please email digitalcore@nottingham.ac.uk.

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Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff has tram named in his honour

December 17th, 2021

University of Nottingham professor and You Tube science hero, Sir Martyn Poliakoff, has had a Nottingham tram named in his honour which was unveiled on his birthday.

The Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff tram was unveiled today on his 74th birthday in a special ceremony at the Tramlink Wilkinson Street depot where Martyn, his wife and guests gathered to see the tram for the first time.

The naming is in recognition of Professor Poliakoff’s achievements in research and teaching at the University of Nottingham where he has spent the last 42 years, and for the global hit Periodic Table of Video’s series he presents, which demonstrates science in a fun and lively way!

Each one of Nottingham’s trams is named after a local hero past or present and Sir Martyn will be joining an illustrious list of names including: Vicky McClure, Torvill and Dean and DH Lawrence.

Sir Martyn commented: “I am hugely honoured to have a tram named after me and it’s very exciting to know my students could be travelling sustainably to University on the Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff tram! Even though my career and passion for communicating science has taken me all over the world, Nottingham will always be home so this honour is really very special.”

Tramlink CEO Tim Hesketh said: “Professor Poliakoff is not only a Nottingham icon but also a familiar face to millions worldwide through his work to make science fun and accessible to a global online audience. We are delighted to name a tram in the Professor’s honour and hope that the thousands of Nottingham students using the tram each day will see his name and be inspired by his ground-breaking achievements.”

Sir Martyn is known worldwide as the lead presenter and cult hero of the You Tube hit science series – Periodic Table of Videos which started 13 years ago when scientists in the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry started collaborating with the renowned filmmaker Brady Haran. Their mission was to document every single one of the 118 chemical elements in a fun, lively and often unconventional way – they achieved this but continue to make videos!

The videos have grown to attract an international audience with more than 1.5 million subscribers with their videos attracting a total of more than 264 million views.

Sir Martyn pioneered the use of supercritical fluids to replace traditional solvents in chemical processes, recognising decades ago, and ahead of many of his peers, that the world needs cleaner, less wasteful and more sustainable ways of manufacturing.

His work has been taken up by industry, notably in the construction of the world’s first multi-reaction supercritical fluid plant. He is a global leader in the field of green and sustainable chemistry and his work in engaging the public with chemistry has been widely recognised and in 2015 he was knighted in recognition of leadership in the field of green and sustainable chemistry.

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Athena Swan and EDI Survey 2021 results

December 17th, 2021

Earlier this year the university ran our regular Athena Swan and EDI survey, aiming to capture the experiences and perspectives of colleagues on a range of key areas like workload, ADCs, career development, promotion, flexible and part-time working, workplace culture, EDI and parental policies.

The survey had a response rate of 34.7%, which is the same as last time. Given that many of us are dealing with radically different working environments and often juggling various responsibilities, health concerns and other challenges, this is a welcome response.

Some key facts and figures are as follows:

Role and contract

  • There was an increase in participation from colleagues in APM and O&F roles, with fewer Academic/PGR and Technical Services respondents.
  • As last time, the largest proportion of respondents were in level 4 and 5 roles.
  • There was an increase both in the proportion of respondents who work part time, and in those who have permanent contracts.

Personal information

  • Overall, the gender split was around 62% female, 34% male, and 1% non-binary or other gender identity, with 4% preferring not to say.
  • More minority ethnic women, minority ethnic men and white women participated this time. Fewer white men took part – they represented 30% of respondents overall, whereas last time they represented almost 35%.
  • 10% of respondents were from a minority ethnic background, up from 7%.
  • 3% of minority ethnic respondents were from an Asian background, particularly South Asian such as Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian. 2% were from a Black background, and 1.1% from a Chinese background. Other backgrounds are in numbers are too small to report and include a wide range of different ethnicities.
  • 10% of respondents were gay, lesbian, bisexual or of another minority sexual orientation. We did not measure responses by sexual orientation last time.
  • The number of respondents disclosing a non-binary gender identity doubled.
  • The number disclosing a trans history or identity almost quadrupled.
  • There was a 3% increase (to 8%) in the number of disabled respondents.
  • The age range was in line with that of our last survey.
  • Almost 35% had parental responsibility for a child under 18.
  • Just over 19% had a caring responsibility such as for family members or neighbours.

We’d like to sincerely thank everyone who found the time to take part. Holding this survey regularly helps us to measure the impact of the work we undertake together in our Athena Swan programmes and EDI Strategic Delivery Plan.  It also helps to guide our future actions.

Feedback from the previous survey helped drive developments across the university, such as:

  • Replacing the PDPR process with Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADCs).
  • Introducing breastfeeding/pumping rooms, and a range of resources for parents as well as improving annual leave accrual for colleagues taking parental leave.
  • Updating our academic promotions process, Dignity Advisors Network and Conference and Training Fund for Carers.
  • Launching the LMA Staff Career Development Hub to provide online resources, training and information.
  • Introducing the ‘Let’s be clear about EDI’ campaign and webinar series.

The university has a brand-new Athena Swan institutional self-assessment team (ISAT) who will receive the (anonymised) survey data and use it to review our current action plan, consider priorities for the next year or two, and start the process of applying for our next institutional award.

The survey results and the stories, ideas and honest reflections that people generously shared will be at the heart of this work, and ISAT will share the key headlines and trends that they discover in the data in forthcoming communications.

In the meantime, our Faculties and Professional Services will start to receive their own local survey results early in the new year so that they can use these to measure and guide local EDI activities. Our new PVC for EDI and People, Professor Katherine Linehan, will also be able to use the results as part of broader EDI strategic developments across the university. Anything shared in the survey will stay completely anonymous at all times.

There are a number of ways that you can get involved with EDI activity around the university, including:

For any questions or queries, please contact Charlotte Kingsbury, HR Project Officer.

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Call for entries for LGBTQ+ History Month 2022 exhibition

December 16th, 2021

Does your work relate to LGBTQ+ lives, spaces, or experiences? The university’s LGBTQ+ History Month Programme Board is inviting members of the university community to contribute to an exhibition showcasing projects at the university that support the LGBTQ+ community.

We want to display work from both students and staff. You might want to highlight your research project relating to the LGBTQ+ community, or a project you’ve run in the university that supports LGBTQ+ allies. We can showcase photos, artwork, images, figures, or objects.

The exhibition will be open for viewing during LGBTQ+ History Month, which takes place every February and provides an opportunity to celebrate and increase visibility of LGBTQ+ people, lives and their experiences and raise awareness amongst the university community.

Exhibition entries must be submitted via Microsoft Forms by Wednesday 12 January in the form of a high-quality PDF (minimum 300 DPI).

Entries will be reviewed by the LGBTQ+ History Month Programme Board and applicants will be informed if their work will be included in the exhibition shortly after submission.

For queries, please contact BR-EDICoordinators@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.

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Update from Professor Dame Jessica Corner: My thanks and a look ahead

December 15th, 2021

Research update from Professor Dame Jessica Corner

Welcome to my final update of 2021.

It feels particularly tough to be writing this as we face new challenges in getting through the pandemic and as we return to scenario planning for different eventualities. But there is also room for optimism. We continue to help drive recovery and deliver innovations that will secure a fairer and more resilient society. Our research facilities remain open and we look forward to further growing our research capacity in 2022. Please refer to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Long’s update on the new UK restrictions.

Some of Dame Jessica’s highlights from 2021.

I would like to draw on some experiences of 2021 that I hope will resonate with many of you, while sharing thoughts on what we can look forward to in 2022 as together we face the challenges ahead.

Dame Jessica’s review of 2021 and look ahead to 2022

Delivering our new research strategy

I look forward to further progress in 2022, when we will be involving colleagues in the delivery of the university’s new research strategy.

Sign up for one of the virtual town halls in January 2022, when I will update our vision for research in the next five years, and invite colleagues from all job families to get involved.

I wish you, your family and loved ones a restful winter break.

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Diversity Festival 2022 – dates confirmed

December 14th, 2021

The university is pleased to confirm that we are running our next diversity festival between Monday 13 June and Friday 24 June 2022 for UK based staff, students and alumni.  

This follows on from our successful 2021 festival which attracted more than 1,500 attendees to our live events and over 5,000 visitors to our diversity festival web hub. 

The 2022 festival will continue to ‘embrace and celebrate difference’ and will comprise celebratory activities, keynote and local events and pre-recorded content. 

Would you like to showcase your area of expertise or interest in EDI? 

We are now inviting staff and students to propose topics for locally hosted events for our 2022 diversity festival. 

In 2021, staff and students delivered local events on topics ranging from ‘women of faith’ to ‘diverse careers in STEM’ and ‘Imposter syndrome vs your potential’. 

How do I submit a proposal? 

Please ask to join our diversity festival local events team to access our proposal form and complete one form for each proposal. It takes approximately 5 minutes to complete the form.  

Local event proposals submitted by Friday 18 February 2022 will be promoted centrally from April 2022 onwards. Proposals submitted after this date will still be accepted and promoted via the diversity festival web hub once we have all relevant details.

Local events will be delivered between Tuesday 14 June and Friday 24 June 2022.

If you have any questions, please post them in the 2022 festival channel chat in our diversity festival local events team. 

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Trent Building to go green for NSPCC Children’s Walk

December 14th, 2021

On Tuesday 21 December 2021, hundreds of people will walk 5k to support the NSPCC, and landmarks across the UK including our own iconic Trent Building will show their support by lighting up in the charity’s trademark green colour.

It’s the longest night of the year. But for children experiencing abuse or neglect, every night can feel that long. To raise funds for those who need it, the NSPCC will be asking participants to walk 5k in their local area, with sponsorship from friends and family.

The university’s Trent Building will be joining a host of other iconic Nottingham buildings going green, including the Theatre Royal, Nottingham City House and the Cornerhouse.

If you’re taking part in Walk for Children and happen to pass one of these landmarks, share it on social media using #WalkforChildren.

How you can take part

1. Sign up for £10

Sign up and the charity will send you an NSPCC t-shirt in the post to wear on your walk! Choose your own 5k route and who want to take part with.

2. Raise money

Set your target! £100 could pay to answer 25 calls for help from children to Childline. If you raise £100, the NSPCC will send you an exclusive hot drinks cup to take on your walk.

3. Walk 5k

On 21 December, or another day that suits you, walk your own 5k route! You could plan your route around local Christmas lights, or end up in a pub for a well-deserved drink.

Since Walk for Children started in 2020 more than 1,139 people have taken part, 5,695km have been walked and over £160,000 has been raised.

Find out more and sign up.

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