Campus News
Update your details – help keep our campus community safe
September 12th, 2023
Colleagues who do not have a record of their phone number or emergencies contact details on MyView will be contacted by email to remind them to update their personal information.
Thankfully, emergencies on campus are rare. But to ensure we’re prepared for any eventuality; we’re asking that all our staff and students update their university record with their contact details.
You may have already shared your mobile phone number with your line manager or members of your team. However, keeping your details up to date on the university’s central system means that key colleagues can contact you in an emergency.
How do I update my information?
To update your details, simply log into MyView, click My Details on the left-hand navigation pane and proceed to check and/or update as needed.
It should take no longer than 10 minutes and will mean we’re getting in touch with the right people at the right time. You can find help on logging into and using MyView including resetting your password and security questions, here. If you do encounter any technical difficulties, please contact the IT Service Desk for help.
We recommend checking your details are up to date once a year to make sure all information remains correct.
We’ll be contacting students later in the academic year to request they do the same and we will provide detailed instructions on how they can do this. Please do remind your students to check and update their details.
Tags: personal details, Update your Details
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New Policy Finder for staff and students
September 12th, 2023
A new resource has been created to help staff and students find any university-approved policy, as well as other key information such as governance statements and discipline and grievance processes.
You can access the Policy Finder here.
The policy finder is searchable by category and title and provides a useful tool to include in your induction materials for new starters and students.
It is particularly helpful for highlighting Tier 1 policies – the policies that colleagues and students need to be aware of from the start of their contract or study to fulfil their responsibilities e.g. GDPR and data management requirements, health and safety, and equality, diversity and inclusion policies.
Work is underway to bring all existing policies into alignment with the Policy Management Framework. In the coming months, the format of each policy will be consistent and the Roles and Responsibilities and Consequences of non-compliance sections will help staff and students to understand their individual responsibilities as members of the university community.
The Policy Management Framework provides useful templates and guidance for staff to use for drafting not only policies, but standard operating procedures, codes of conduct or practice and guidance.
For further information, please visit the Risk Management and Assurance SharePoint site or contact Assurance@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: assurance, policy, policy finder, Risk and Assurance, risk management, Risk management and assurance
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Stephanie Allen-Patel, 1971-2023
September 8th, 2023
Stephanie Allen-Patel, professor of pharmaceutical biophysics and Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), has died aged 51.
As Professor of Pharmaceutical Biophysics and Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Stephanie Allen-Patel was an esteemed researcher and educator, dedicated to the advancement of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science throughout her varied career.
An esteemed member of staff at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy, she leaves behind a legacy of exceptional teaching, world-leading research and unwavering leadership and dedication to the field of pharmacy.
Allen-Patel was born on 13th December 1971. In 1993, she graduated with a BPharm degree from the University of Nottingham and, following pre-registration pharmacy training, returned to complete her PhD under the supervision of Martyn Davies, Clive Roberts, and Saul Tendler.
Allen-Patel pioneered the use of the atomic force microscope for the study of receptor/ligand interactions and was the first to publish the application of force spectroscopy to study industrially relevant systems. Her work was instrumental in creating the global reputation of the Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis, recognized through being a recipient of the Glaxo-SmithKline International Achievement Award.
In addition to the advancement of atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy, she led the application of many advanced biophysical tools to further the understanding of new therapeutic approaches and new materials, including optical tweezers, surface plasmon resonance, dynamic light scattering, rheology, size-exclusion chromatography, and fluorescence spectroscopy.
Allen-Patel supervised over 55 postgraduate students to successful completion of their studies. Allen-Patel was a member of the Royal Microscopy Society’s Scanning Probe Microscopy Section Committee (2016 – 2020), and an elected executive committee member of the Biomaterial Interfaces Division of the American Vacuum Society until 2017.
In addition to an outstanding research career, Allen-Patel made an exceptional contribution to UK and global pharmacy education and teaching as the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy Director of Teaching and Learning from 2012 to 2021. During this period, she directed the implementation of the ground-breaking ‘MPharm 2012’ Pharmacy degree at Nottingham, and the equivalent 2+2 version at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia.
She also led teaching innovations, such as the university’s 5-year MPharm degree programme with integrated foundation year training (the first of its kind in the UK to gain full accreditation status) and established the UK’s first UK-China joint Pharmacy course with Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TUTCM).
Other courses launched during her time as Director of Teaching and Learning include the MSc Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and MSci Pharmaceutical Sciences programmes. One cannot underestimate nor understate the positive impact all these developments have had, not only on the students and alumni of Nottingham but extending to and influencing pharmacy and pharmaceutical science education across the UK and internationally.
Allen-Patel’s central role in delivering these educational achievements has truly left a lasting legacy for pharmacy education as a whole and will continue as the new educational standards are realised over the coming years.
Allen-Patel secured the Pfizer Lectureship in Pharmaceutical Sciences position in 1999, was promoted to Associate Professor and Reader in 2006, and promoted to Professor of Pharmaceutical Biophysics in August 2016. In 2018, Allen-Patel was made Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for her distinction in the Profession of Pharmacy.
Her way too premature passing leaves an indescribable void within the School of Pharmacy at Nottingham and the wider academic community. However, her impact and influence upon the countless students and peers she taught and inspired will continue to shape the future of pharmacy education and practice.
Allen-Patel is survived by her husband, Nikin, and son Dhani.
You an add your comments to an online remembrance here.
Tags: obituary, Stephanie Allen-Patel
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University welcomes ‘tremendous news’ as UK rejoins Horizon Europe research programme
September 8th, 2023
The UK is to re-join Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship scientific research programme. The announcement, made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will allow scientists and researchers to apply for funding from the £81bn (€95bn) scheme from 7 September. The UK will also associate to Copernicus, the EU’s £8bn (€9bn) Earth observation programme.
The news has been warmly welcomed by the University of Nottingham and our European collaborators and partners. Professor Sam Kingman, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “We are truly delighted. Rejoining the world’s largest research collaboration programme is tremendous news for research institutions such as the University of Nottingham, our global collaborators, for the UK and for Europe.”
Professor Kingman urged research leaders and teams at the University of Nottingham to continue to be alert to opportunities in Europe.
He added: “Our faculty teams and Research and Innovation colleagues work hard to ensure an agile response to such opportunities. Our message to our researchers is to continue to think globally and seek new channels to take research across borders and amplify the impact of our discoveries.”
More guidance from the university and news of support for Horizon Europe and Copernicus funding opportunities will follow, including plans for in-person and virtual workshops. As well as promoting and supporting this renewed opportunity, we will ensure the anticipated increase in activity in this area is fully supported, both pre- and post-award.
Please visit Research and Innovation’s Horizon Europe funding guidance for updates or contact Matt Rackley, Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Manager for the EU.
There is also an opportunity to ask Science Minister George Freeman MP questions about the Horizon Europe deal.
Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, which has been a key advocate for securing a Horizon Europe agreement. Chief Executive Dr Tim Bradshaw said: “This deal is a true win-win for everyone. The scale of research supported by Horizon Europe will help deliver medical breakthroughs, new technologies, and advances in areas such as AI to improve all our lives and help tackle the shared environmental, economic, and social challenges we face.”
Chief Executive of Universities UK, Vivienne Stern, there would be a “unanimous sigh of colossal relief” from scientists at the news.
Under the bespoke agreement announced today, the UK will be participating as a fully associated member of Horizon Europe for the remaining life of the programme to 2027.
This will not only open up cooperation with the EU, but also Norway, New Zealand and Israel which are part of the programme – and countries like Korea and Canada which are looking to join too.
Associate membership had been agreed with Horizon as part of the Brexit trade deal when the UK formally left the EU in 2020, but this stalled due to disagreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In the meantime, the University of Nottingham’s ongoing commitment to engage with Europe has seen a number of projects secure funding under the ‘financial safety net’ provided for researchers who have successfully applied to Horizon Europe but were unable to sign grants and access EU funding.
Among other Horizon Europe awards, we’ve had particularly encouraging recent successes with prestigious European Research Council grants, including several €1.5 million Starting Grants for five-year ‘excellent’ frontier research projects, and €2.5 million Advanced Grants for established research leaders.
Professor Sam Kingman said the university was determined to maintain momentum and seize funding opportunities with Horizon Europe and Copernicus, the Earth observation programme that is playing an increasingly important role in environmental monitoring.
Tags: Copernicus, Horizon, Horizon Europe, Horizon Europe Research Programme, research
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Times Higher Education Awards 2023 – university shortlisted in two categories
September 7th, 2023
The university’s reputation for excellence in research, teaching and student support has been recognised with shortlistings in two categories in this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Awards – known widely as the annual ‘Oscars of Higher Education.’
This year, the university has been shortlisted in the following categories:
- Outstanding marketing/communications team – for the World’s First Micro-prospectus
- Research project of the year: STEM – for the wrist device developed that reduces the amount of severity of tics for Tourette’s Syndrome sufferers
Full details of the university’s shortlisted entries – together with their competitors for each award – are available at THE Shortlist pages.
The THE Awards are free to enter and open to anyone involved in Higher Education across the UK and Ireland.
Winners will be revealed at an in-person ceremony which will take place at the ACC in Liverpool on Thursday 7 December 2023.
Tags: the awards, THE Awards 2023, Times Higher Education, Times Higher Education Awards 2023
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Trent building to turn green for Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness
September 7th, 2023
Trent Building on University Park will be lit up green on Friday 15 September 2023 to raise awareness and show support for people with Myotonic Dystrophy.
Myotonic Dystrophy is the most common form of adult muscular dystrophy and considered the most variable of all condition, however there is currently no cure or approved treatments.
15 September marks worldwide Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day, with buildings around the world being illuminated in green to mark the occasion, including Nottingham City Council house in Market Square.
Colleagues at the university in the Schools of Chemistry and Life Sciences have been researching the condition for more than 30 years to understand more about how it affects the body and explore possible cures.
Raising awareness of Myotonic Dystrophy is critical as it is a rare, multi-systemic, progressive, inherited disease that affects successive family generations, but is often misdiagnosed and poorly supported.
Find out more about Myotonic Dystrophy and the support group that has been set up.
Tags: awareness raising, Myotonic Dystrophy, rare disease
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Vice-Chancellor surgery sessions: Thursday 21 September, 11.30am-12.30pm
September 5th, 2023
The next set of ‘staff surgery’ sessions are now available for colleagues to discuss any issue with Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, on Thursday 21 September 2023, from 11.30am – 12.30pm.
Booking your session
To register for a session, please email BA-VC-Surgery@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk with your preferred date from the list below and a brief agenda for the meeting.
Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so colleagues are encouraged to book early.
You will be contacted within two working days of your request confirming the date and time.
Further surgery sessions are available on:
- Tuesday 24 October, 2pm – 3.30pm
- Monday 27 November, 2pm – 3.30pm
For further information please visit the VC Surgeries webpage.
Tags: Professor Shearer West, VC Surgeries, VC surgery, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor Surgeries
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USS pension: personal information sessions – your questions answered
September 5th, 2023
The university is arranging one-to-one information sessions for members of the USS pension scheme to answer any questions they may have on the USS pension consultation (beginning on Monday 25 September).
The three-yearly actuarial valuation of USS is underway – as at 31 March 2023. The Trustee of the USS is expecting to report a surplus for the first time since 2008.
If you are a member of USS (or eligible and not joined) you will shortly be receiving communications regarding what the results of the valuation are likely to mean for future benefits and the contributions you pay.
Details of the one-to-one information sessions
If you are a member of the USS pension scheme, and you have questions about your USS pension and/or the consultation you can book a 20-minute session with consultants from leading independent pensions management company, Isio.
Appointments will be offered on the following dates on a first-come, first-served basis:
- Wednesday 28 September, 9am – 5pm
- Thursday 29 September, 9am – 5pm
To book an appointment, please follow this link.
Isio will be able to answer your questions, help you understand the background to the changes, highlight resources and identify some areas that it may be helpful for you to explore further.
Please note however that neither the university nor Isio are able to provide any personal financial, investment or tax advice during these sessions and attendance does not constitute independent financial advice.
If you have any questions or queries, please get in touch with the Pensions Team.
Tags: pension, USS, USS consultation, USS information sessions, USS pension
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Continuing to grow our food diversity
September 5th, 2023
In 2022 the university set in motion a fresh approach to our catering strategy, looking at expanding our offerings whilst embracing more sustainable choices, creating and offering more diverse food options and looking for opportunities to work more closely with the local community through our supply chain.
This approach applied to both our retail units and in Halls catering.
Broadening product range
Already we have made some significant changes to broaden our product range – opening Saijokai (our in-house pan-Asian food concept) and The Filthy Vegan (a small local company) and expanding our franchise options with Subway, Costa and Starbucks.
We have also joined the Too Good to Go initiative to support reduced food waste and have introduced more variety and plant-based options to our Halls menus via the food concept ‘Menus of Change’.
Kosher offer
This year we are delighted to be able to offer Kosher food to our Jewish students in our Halls of Residence as part of our expanding food options. 
We have partnered with the local Chabad of Nottingham, Rabbinical couple Rabbi Mendy and Brocha Lent, who have set up a commercial kitchen on their home grounds. Mike Lear (Food and Beverage Manager) along with chefs Matthew Carroll and Ashley Collishaw are working with Brocha’s recipes and preparing Kosher food once a week for our Halls.
We hope to be able to expand the Kosher food offer to the PuriTea concept on the Portland Food court. PuriTea is our new in-house brand offering delicious speciality hot and cold teas. 
We were runners up in the UK Udine Food Awards with PuriTea, who also sell freshly decorated doughnuts, homemade subs, salads and a selection of Kosher retail lines. Our next step will be to introduce some of Brocha’s Kosher recipes at PuriTea.
Sustainable choices
Using additional funding, we have invested in more crockery to reduce disposables, such as in Portland Food Court and on Jubilee Campus.
We have also used this funding to drastically reduce single-use items, such as baking parchment and clingfilm in Halls, replaced with reusable silicon baking sheets and lids.
To encourage staff and students to think more about the sustainability of their food choices, we have also introduced carbon labelling in Halls, Saijokai and Mama’s.
We undertook a Food Made Good rating and achieved two stars, to recognise all the progress we have made in sustainability, which captures our ambitions to source more locally and seasonally, provide more plant-based options, reduce waste and be more efficient with our energy and water usage.
Community
We are proud to introduce “Change Please” to Hallward Library and the Aspire café at Jubilee. By buying this coffee bean we will be supporting a local branch of the charity, where 100% of their profits go into giving people experiencing homelessness a living wage job, housing, training, onwards opportunities and a fresh shot at a life –
all made possible by your support when you buy a coffee.
Earlier this month we announced the investment we are making to refurbish and refresh our catering units across campus.
We are also exploring what we can do to make our spaces more accessible to our staff and students with neurodiversities.
Tags: cafes, catering, Catering on campus, Change Please, food, food on campus, Kosher, sustainability
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