Campus News

Professor Dame Jessica Corner’s research update: knowledge exchange and me

November 20th, 2020

A key pillar of the University’s strategy is knowledge exchange.

The importance of shared expertise is even more apparent in these challenging times: our researchers are informing a better understanding of the pandemic’s impact on so many aspects of our lives, while working with our partners to translate our discoveries will help drive economic recovery and build more resilient communities.

My own career has been shaped by the power of knowledge exchange. I trained as a nurse and specialised in cancer nursing at the Royal Marsden Hospital, which pioneered putting patients at the centre of care. My work with the Institute of Cancer Research and later with Macmillan Cancer Support further underpinned my belief that only by the sharing of knowledge – in this case between scientists and clinicians, and also by working in partnership with funding bodies and policymakers – can we bring about transformational change.

I learnt early in my career how to develop research that could shape government policy by the way I posed research questions, designed studies and worked in partnership with funding bodies and government departments from the very beginning. Also, by co-producing research with end-users, in my case, people living with cancer.

Today, I am thrilled to be part of a thriving ecosystem of knowledge exchange.

As the University prepares to bring its new strategy to life, I have written about what knowledge exchange means to me, and how our people are at the very heart of the collaboration and partnerships that drive this essential part of our mission.

Please find out more at an online town hall exploring the future of knowledge exchange on Wednesday 2 December. I will be joined by Professor Chris Gerada, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Industrial Strategy, Business Engagement and Impact, as we discuss with you the importance of knowledge exchange and how it aligns with the University strategy.

Read more on the Research Exchange blog.

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Join the University’s Carers’ Network

November 20th, 2020

The University of Nottingham Carers’ Network is available for all University staff members who are carers.

A carer is anyone who is responsible for the care of a friend, family member or another person in need of support with daily living. Carers are a diverse group and every caring situation is different – the person being cared for may be ill, frail, disabled, experiencing a time of mental distress or suffering from substance misuse.

The network provides a supportive space where members can exchange information and ideas. It also acts as a mechanism for communication with the University, providing a forum for staff to consult on policy developments and advise on best practice. The network is supported by the People and Culture and Professional Development teams.

The Carers’  Network offers online support via the Staff Carers’ Network site on MS Teams. All staff can access this and materials that are currently on workspace are shared here.

In place of face-to-face meetings, a monthly MS Teams meeting has been scheduled for the first Thursday of each month. The next meeting will take place at 12.30-1.30pm on Thursday 3 December.

During this meeting, members will meet with each other for support and to exchange information, the arrangement of formal presentations that members would find useful, collectively decide on messages that University management should be steered towards and to create a small steering group for this network.

To join the Carers’ Network, contact June McCombie for details.

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University Strategy Blog: What the strategy means to me – knowledge exchange

November 20th, 2020

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Exchange) Professor Dame Jessica Corner writes about the University’s new Strategic Deliver Plan for Knowledge Exchange.

Universities are key drivers in the UK’s vision for science, research and innovation, economic recovery and for the regeneration and social transformation of the cities and regions in which they are located. To deliver this ambition, an exchange of ideas, expertise and discoveries with business and the communities we serve must be central to all that we do.

Visit the University Strategy blog to read more.

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Covid update for our community of postgraduate research students

November 16th, 2020

A message from Professor Dame Jessica Corner:

I would like to share an update bringing together a number of recent communications of interest to our community of postgraduate research students (PGRs).

While Covid-19 and national restrictions are having an impact on all our lives and across the whole University community, it is important to recognise that the pandemic has been a particularly troubling time for our PGRs.

Postgraduate research is rewarding, exciting and challenging, yet we fully appreciate that your experience has suffered, with studies disrupted, and worries that goals and plans for the future are uncertain.

We remain fully committed to supporting PGRs on your journey, listening to concerns and working tirelessly to deliver the very best possible outcomes to your research studies.

Please read my update for PGRs, which includes an announcement to research students on UKRI-funded PhD programmes, winter departure plans and Covid-19 testing, plus support for PGRs, including an introduction to your faculty champions.

Read more on the Research Exchange blog.

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Nominations for annual Lord Dearing Awards live

November 16th, 2020

Nominations for the annual Lord Dearing Awards are now live and can be submitted.

The Lord Dearing Awards recognise excellence in teaching and learning across the University and celebrate outstanding achievements.

Awards can be for individual members of staff or teams with direct links to teaching and learning across all job families.

There is also a separate award for Excellence in the Learning Environment for a School or Department where demonstrable impact has been seen to the student experience.

Nominations from staff and students are considered in spring with winners picking up their awards in summer 2021.

Find out more about the Lord Dearing Awards or nominate someone here.

Nominations should be submitted by Friday 11 December 2020.

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University Covid-19 testing service open to all on-campus staff [UPDATED 13.11.20]

November 13th, 2020

Message from Professor Andy Long:

I am pleased to confirm that from Monday 16 November the University will expand the number of campus testing stations for our asymptomatic Covid-19 testing service. This service is available to all University staff, postgraduate researchers, and hourly paid workers who are regularly teaching, supporting or working directly with students on campus or on placement.

It is really important to state that asymptomatic testing should never be seen as a substitute for any of the Covid-19 security measures in place across campus or the wider local public health rules. However, we are offering access to regular asymptomatic testing to provide staff with additional reassurance and peace of mind.

The number of active cases of Covid-19 continues its downward trend, reducing by 95% since October, to leave a total of 83 active cases at the University. Of this total, there are 62 active cases among students from a population of 35,000. Active cases among staff remain low at 21 cases.

Weekly asymptomatic testing will be available for staff until the end of November and reviewed thereafter based on capacity. We will then further increase our testing capacity to support the safe movement of students to and from home for the Winter break.  We will share our plans for this shortly.

Testing is, of course, voluntary, and I hope that by expanding our service we can continue to ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff and students, offer further reassurance at this time, and keep our community safe.

Please do be aware that the asymptomatic testing service is, by definition, for staff who do not exhibit Covid-19 symptoms. If you feel you have symptoms, you must book an NHS test as soon as possible.

How to use the staff testing scheme
You do not need an appointment to obtain and submit your test. You will need to visit one of the campus testing stations listed at the locations below:

University Park Campus
Trent Building Marquee
Monday to Thursday every week between the hours of 9am and 4:15pm
Staff testing only

East Midlands Conference Centre, Conference room 3
Monday to Thursday every week between the hours of 9:30am and 4:30pm
Staff and student testing

Jubilee Campus
Jubilee Hall, West Atrium (previously the Jubilee Conference Centre)
Monday to Thursday every week between the hours of 10am and 4pm
Staff and student testing

Sutton Bonington
The testing service visits Sutton Bonington every fortnight. The testing team will next be at Sutton Bonington on Monday 23 November. Testing is available to all staff and students who will be emailed directly with dates, times and locations.

How to take an asymptomatic test
Please visit the testing service website to find out more, look at the instructions on how to submit your saliva sample and log your sample online at the testing service website. Please return your saliva sample to one of the locations, (confirmed on the testing website by the end of this week) within two days of taking the test.

What happens next?
The University Testing Service aims to process tests within 48 hours, subject to demand and capacity.

If you receive a positive test result, you will be contacted via phone or text to the number you provide and sent an email providing information and advice on what to do next.

If you receive a negative test result, you will be sent an email confirming this.

Full details of the support available to students and staff is available on the University’s coronavirus pages

Thank you very much for your support in helping us tackle the spread of Covid-19. Should you have any questions about the service, please contact testingservice@nottingham.ac.uk

Professor Andy Long

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

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UNM Provost Announces Retirement

November 12th, 2020

University of Nottingham in Malaysia Provost & CEO Professor Graham Kendall has today announced that he will be retiring with effect from 31 January 2021, following a successful academic career of more than 20 years at the University.

Professor Kendall has secured many achievements for our Malaysia campus and will be missed by his friends and colleagues at the University in the UK, China and of course Malaysia.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West paid tribute to Professor Kendall, saying:

“As Provost & CEO of UNM, Graham has led a series of transformational projects which have delivered success for the Malaysia campus. Under his leadership, UNM has been delivering a World Bank project to transform the delivery of education in Bangladesh, by upskilling more than 10,000 university and college lecturers. He has also laid the foundation for “ASEAN and Beyond,” which looks to reach beyond Malaysia to deliver our programmes in countries such as Singapore, India and Sri Lanka.

“The University’s commitment to UNM and our presence in Malaysia remains as strong as ever and we are developing new strategies to chart our next 20 years in Malaysia with the same passion for education in the country as we have since the start of the century.”

Professor Kendall said:

“After completing my PhD at the University of Nottingham, I went on to work there. The past 21 years have passed in a flash but has been a fantastic experience with some lows but many more highs. I have been particularly pleased to serve as CEO/Provost and Pro-Vice Chancellor for the past four and a half years.

“When I reflect on my time in Malaysia, the highlight I keep coming back to is the collegiality, support and friendship I have experienced. Of course, we have experienced challenges but I have always known that when we have our backs against the wall, colleagues at the University of Nottingham Malaysia would step up and do whatever it takes to resolve the current issue. That has been something I have very much valued.

“Nothing we have achieved would have been possible without the support of my colleagues and our students. I would like to express my deep gratitude to every one of them. UNM is where it is today due to their hard work, the teamwork they have exhibited and their commitment to getting things done. I see these traits on a daily basis.

“I wish the University of Nottingham, in particular, the University of Nottingham Malaysia, every success in the future. It has been a pleasure to serve.”

The University will now instigate an internal recruitment competition to secure the next Provost & CEO for the University of Nottingham in Malaysia to continue to manage the current phase of the coronavirus pandemic and local restrictions as well as continue the development of our strategies for the campus.

In the meantime, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engineering, Professor Sam Kingman, will oversee campus operations as interim Provost and Chief Executive Officer and provide University Executive Board support for UNM. He will continue in his role as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engineering and be supported by his APVCs and senior team in leading the Faculty during this time.

Professor Kendall’s academic career with the University of Nottingham began in 1999 and spans more than 20 years. Prior to taking up his role at Nottingham, he had started his career in 1977 as a computer operator and, in an IT career which spanned 17 years, he rose to senior management roles.

In 2007 he was made a full Professor and moved to Malaysia in 2011 to take up the role of Vice-Provost (Research & Knowledge Exchange) before taking up role as Provost & CEO in 2016, also becoming Pro-Vice Chancellor and serving on the University’s Executive Board as part of that role.

Graham is a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) and the Operational Research Society (FORS). He has been an Associate Editor of 10 journals and a former Editor-in-chief of the “IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games.” He has published more than 250 peer reviewed scientific papers, with more than 100 of those in ISI ranked journals.

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Face coverings in buildings

November 11th, 2020

We’d like to remind the University community that wearing face coverings in buildings is an essential requirement for all staff, students and visitors, unless exempt.

Social distancing and good hygiene practice remain the most effective controls in slowing the spread of the infection, while the use of face coverings – particularly indoors – has also been proven to help. This is why we are asking our community to wear face coverings not only when entering, leaving and moving around buildings but also when using areas such as teaching rooms and study spaces.

It is our responsibility not only to lead by example, but to politely encourage all members of our staff and student community to comply full with our policy. With this in mind, the University is introducing the Advise, Warn, Leave process for anyone not complying with the policy, and asks everyone to assist with its implementation.

Advise, Warn, Leave
The steps below outline the process that should be followed for situations where someone may have to speak to people who are not behaving in line with the policy.

  1. Advise – Politely remind the person that it is University policy to wear face coverings at all times in our buildings unless exempt. Sunflower lanyards are available in libraries, to indicate an exception.
  2. Warn – If a face covering is not worn following the initial reminder and the person is not exempt, a polite verbal warning should be issued, stating that continued non-compliance with the policy will result in the person being asked to leave the building.
  3. Leave – If following the first two reminders, the person still consistently does not wear their face covering, they should be politely asked to leave the building. Students should be asked to show their University Card and their details should be passed on to the Campus Life team and staff details passed onto managers.

Study areas and workspaces (including libraries)
All workspaces and study areas, including University libraries, will require people to wear a face covering at all times. These areas can be identified locally or by the use of green dots to indicate a Covid-Secure student study space.

Exemptions
You may be exempt from wearing a face covering if you have personal health requirements or hidden conditions such as anxiety. A sunflower lanyard can help alert others to this. While wearing a sunflower lanyard to show exemption is recommended, it is not compulsory.

Guidance for wearing a face covering
When wearing a face covering, please ensure you have a good fit, but avoid touching and adjusting the covering where possible, as this can spread the virus to surfaces.

You should wash your hands immediately after removing your face covering and – if you have a reusable face covering – wash it after each use and tumble-dry it if possible. If you have a disposable covering, avoid touching the front of it where possible and dispose of it immediately and responsibly.

We want everyone to be able to use our buildings safely and confidently. We ask that everyone observes this policy and helps to enforce it in our indoor spaces if they feel comfortable doing so.

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COVID winter departure plans: message from Professor Andy Long

November 11th, 2020

Dear colleagues,

As promised in my last communication, and following the Government’s recent announcement, I wanted to share details with you about the upcoming Winter break and plans for the safe movement of students who wish to travel home.

Colleagues across the University have done a lot of work to make our campuses COVID secure and our low numbers of active cases offer significant reassurance that these measures are working.

We now need to ensure we do everything possible to prevent onward transmission for students who wish to return to their home address at the end of term. The last thing anyone wants is to infect loved ones, especially those who might be more vulnerable.

The Government has now shared the steps it is asking all universities to follow. The full guidance, which I’ve summarised below, can be found here.

Follow current restrictions
The current national restrictions will be in place until Wednesday December 2. These offer some protection in terms of minimising the interaction we all have with others. Education is classified as an essential activity and the current blended approach to teaching and learning should continue during this period as COVID-secure measures are in place. Research activity will continue as now until the end of term.

‘Travel window’ and online teaching
Once the national restrictions have ended, the Government has advised students to return to their home time addresses during a ‘student travel window’ between Thursday 3 and Wednesday 9 December.

Universities will be asked to arrange staggered departure dates from accommodation and work with other institutions in the region to manage pressure on transport infrastructure.

All teaching that can move online should do so by Wednesday 9 December so that students can continue their education from home. There is no evidence that in-person teaching presents a greater risk but we are being required to move to an online approach for most students and as part of this we will adopt the best approach to ensure students can meet their learning outcomes.

Professor Sarah Speight, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education and Student Experience, will be writing to all Head of Schools this week to confirm the approaches Schools should be considering to enable a smooth transition to online teaching, or in some cases the deferral of practical teaching until January.

Test to Protect
To provide additional reassurance, all students and frontline staff will be offered testing – either through the national scheme or through our own Asymptomatic Testing Service.

These tests will be available from the end of November – giving students the opportunity to isolate, should they receive a positive result, and still be able to return home in good time for the holidays. Students would be encouraged to book tests at times that work for their academic programmes. More details about the process for booking tests will be shared in the coming days.

This week, asymptomatic testing is being offered to all staff on campus.

Remaining on campus
We have also written to students asking them about their plans to allow us make appropriate arrangements. For students wishing to remain in Nottingham for the break, the University will ensure they are well looked- after and supported with entertainment and activities across the period.

January returns
Teaching up until December 9 will remain as now: a blend of online and in-person activity. After this date it will move to online up until the break.

The University intends to revert to the blended approach to teaching and learning for next term. As we approach the start of the new academic term in January 2021 we will adopt a similar process to welcoming students back to campus, using a combination of staggered start times and asymptomatic testing to provide safe travel and reassurance to our staff and student community. We will share more details of the logistics in coming weeks.

It has been an incredibly challenging term and I am grateful for the effort everyone has made to give our students the best university experience possible in spite of the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in.

We will share further detail on the above as soon as possible.

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Bereavement Support

November 10th, 2020

A new course is being offered for people who have experienced bereavement.

The Bereavement Journey is for anyone who has been bereaved at any time and in any way. By means of a series of films and discussion groups over 5 weeks it gently guides participants through the most common aspects of grief, enabling them to process things for themselves and find ways forward.

There is an optional final session (Week 6) on faith questions in bereavement making The Bereavement Journey suitable for people of any faith or none.

Each session lasts up to 90 minutes and will be run online.

Open to both staff and students, the group will run every Tuesday at 2pm. To book your place on the course, starting from Tuesday 24 November, please register here.

If you are interested in attending the course, please email the Chaplain Team and they will add you to the waiting list so that you can be informed when future dates are released. 

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