The University of Nottingham is celebrating three Queen’s Birthday Honours this week.

Professor Melanie Leng, Professor of Isotope Geoscience in the School of Biosciences, who is also Chief Scientist for Environmental Change Adaptation and Resilience at the British Geological Survey, has been awarded an MBE for services to environmental research.

The honour recognises her work as Director of the Centre for Environmental Chemistry, a collaboration between the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey where she heads a specialised laboratory researching environmental and climate change, human impact on the environment, food security and resource management.

Part of the Centre for Environmental Geochemistry has recently been commissioned by NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) as a national facility to provide geochemistry expertise and collaboration to the UK’s environmental research community and especially as a training facility for young environmental scientists.

Professor Leng said: “I am delighted to be awarded an MBE, which recognises my work on behalf of the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey.

“I have been fortunate in my career to collaborate with some fantastic scientists who have worked with me on environmental issues including understanding past environmental and climate change from natural archives such as soils and lake sediments and understanding how conditions on Earth have and are changing due to human impact on the environment.

“Over the last few years we have established the Centre for the Environmental Geochemistry – a collaboration between the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Society – which is a growing brand recognised for research in the environmental sciences.”

Harminder Dua, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, in the University’s School of Medicine, has been awarded a CBE for services to eye healthcare, health education and ophthalmology.

Professor Dua’s most famous contribution to ophthalmology was his research group’s discovery of a previously undetected layer of the human cornea in 2013. His work to develop our understanding of this Pre-Decemet layer – also dubbed Dua’s Layer – has already informed three new surgical techniques and made lamellar corneal transplantation safer.

He served as co-Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Ophthalmology and is a past president of both EuCornea and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. He was made Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in September 2018.

Professor Dua said: “I was thrilled to receive this great honour, which was not something I expected. On reflection, this is clearly a recognition of the multitude of individuals from amongst my family, friends, colleagues and students, who helped me reach where I am. I am proud to be part of the University of Nottingham and the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.”

Congratulations also to Rosie Tressler on her award of OBE for services to mental health in higher education. A Nottingham alumna and former Student Union Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer, Rosie is CEO of Student Minds, with whom the University is collaborating on the recently announced Office for Students-funded project to develop a sector-wide approach to supporting the mental health of international students.