Campus News
Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance: celebrating our global partnership
May 20th, 2024
The University of Nottingham welcomed a delegation from the University of Adelaide to an event celebrating the global partnership between the two institutions.
The second Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance Symposium took place at University Park on 13 May, and was attended by researchers, PhD students, undergraduates and professional services colleagues from both universities.
The alliance is based on many years of collaboration between the University of Adelaide and the University of Nottingham. It aims to deepen the impact of our partnership, promote a global mindset among students and spark new research collaborations to tackle global challenges.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West and Adelaide’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj renewed the long-standing Student Exchange Agreement between the two institutions.
The Adelaide visitors also visited the Advanced Manufacturing Building and Power Electronics and Machines Centre on Jubilee Campus, to explore potential research collaborations around sustainability, electrification and net zero technologies.
Professor West, welcoming, colleagues from both universities to the symposium, said:
“Your presence and support reflects the ambition of our alliance – as well as making a positive impact on lives in the UK, Australia and the world through research and education, we are committed to making a difference to our people, by enabling our staff and students to enrich their careers and outlook through opportunities for international partnership and experience.”
The symposium discussed the growing reach and impact of Adelaide-Nottingham collaborations, with a focus on the alliance’s three research themes: Global Food Systems, Sustainable Futures and Intelligent Health.
Intelligent Health’s highlights include a significant grant from Diabetes UK to the University Nottingham and the University of Adelaide, as part of a £1m research project using pioneering neuroimaging techniques to inform the development of new personalised dietary and drug treatments for people living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Global Food Systems researchers highlighted projects including Plants for Space, where University of Nottingham researchers are playing a key role in the University of Adelaide-led Centre for Excellence in Plants for Space, which aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to feed future space missions, while applying this science to sustainable solutions on Earth.
The symposium also showcased research into building Sustainable Futures, and previewed the First International Conference of Net Zero Carbon Built Environment, at the University of Nottingham in June 2024.
Participants on the alliance’s Joint PhD programme also shared their experiences. The programme allows researchers to spend at least a year in Adelaide and Nottingham, benefitting from the expertise of world-leading supervisors and access to specialist research facilities at both institutions.
Watch a video from Joint PhD student Tu Le
Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj added:
“Our alliance with Nottingham is the most significant between two universities in the UK and Australia. We each have a global reputation and a shared passion for innovation, and for training the research leaders and change-makers of tomorrow. By encouraging collaboration between our researchers, we deepen the impact and reach of our discoveries, and by giving our students the opportunity to spend significant time in Adelaide or Nottingham we enrich their studies and encourage them develop a global mindset.”
Professional staff mobility programme
David Ouchterlonie, Associate Director of Global Engagement, previewed a new professional staff mobility programme, which will invite colleagues from Nottingham to reach out to Adelaide (and vice versa) and together propose a joint project that will address one or more challenges faced at each institution. To support the design and delivery of their project, the successful pairing will each be funded to spend a week in Adelaide or Nottingham.
The programme aims to provide an opportunity for professional services and technical (i.e., non-academic) staff to:
- Experience different working environments, practices, and perspectives
- Enhance professional skills
- Broaden their knowledge base
- Develop a global mindset
- Return to their home institution with new ideas, strategies, and approaches to their day-to-day work.
Please look out for the launch of the programme and details of how to apply later in the summer.
Find out more
Global Engagement Hub
Images and presentations from the symposium
More about our partnership with the University of Adelaide
Contact: Global Engagement team.
Tags: Adelaide, Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance Partnership, University of Adelaide
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Staff news is changing
May 15th, 2024
The way that we host staff news is changing. The Internal Communications team is working on a news landing page in SharePoint, bringing articles aimed at colleagues to an internal platform.
This will help you find the news and information that you need in one place, with the functionality to comment, share and collaborate.
This new site will be launched later in the summer. In the interim, we will post some internal-facing content on our Staff Communications SharePoint site.
This will include blogs from our Vice-Chancellor and updates from senior leaders, as well as the latest on financial challenges and actions.
You can only access this site if you are a staff member at the University of Nottingham.
We will link directly to this site from our staff e-newsletter and other channels, like Staff Room and Viva Engage.
If you are logged in to your M365 account – which gives you access to your Outlook, Teams, Word and myriad other Microsoft accounts – you will be able to access the Staff Communications SharePoint.
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Professor Mark Bradley to take up role as Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience
May 14th, 2024
Professor Mark Bradley will be taking up the role of Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, effective from 1 August 2024.
Since first being appointed to the role of Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Curriculum Leadership in August 2020, Professor Bradley has led on a number of initiatives and workstreams to improve student engagement and satisfaction as well as providing leadership and guidance to many university departments.
Speaking about his appointment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said:
“Mark has been an invaluable colleague and has played an active part in the university’s drive to create the best experience for students across our campuses.
He particularly champions the needs of Postgraduate Taught students and always ensures they have a voice and representation at the top level.
I look forward to working more closely with Mark in the coming months.”
In addition to taking up the role as Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Professor Bradley has also been re-appointed as Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Curriculum Leadership for a further four-year period.
Speaking about his re-appointment, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Professor Sarah Speight said:
“Since his initial appointment in 2020, Mark has led on crucial pieces of work, including student engagement monitoring, improved processes for electronic exams, design guidelines for learning spaces, and digital accessibility.
He has a clear set of priorities for his second term (including developing an education strategy around use of generative AI and partnering with the SU to improve ‘student voice’).
I am delighted to confirm his renewal for a second term.”
As part of his second term, Professor Bradleys priorities include enhancing the university’s PGT education and student experience; assessing and providing feedback for Curriculum Nottingham; effectively integrating artificial intelligence in teaching and learning; improving the university’s Student Voice and examining academic ESE leadership role profiles.
Professor Bradley said:
“The past few years have brought unprecedented challenges for all of us, but I’ve been really impressed by the way staff and students alike have rallied together to keep the show on the road.
Further challenges lie ahead – making safe, ethical and creative use of artificial intelligence technologies, for example, ensuring our students’ voices are heard and that students are at the heart of our planning and decision-making, and balancing financial efficiencies with investments in strategic enhancement.
I look forward to supporting our terrific teams of academic and professional services colleagues across the university to weather the challenges ahead, but also to explore new opportunities to make sure the experience our students have bring out the very best in them.”
Tags: Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Professor Mark Bradley, PVC ESE
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The Haven: staff network summer events
May 14th, 2024
The Haven Staff Network are pleased to invite staff members to a number of events that are designed to support people experiencing baby loss or fertility issues.
At each in-person event, you will be able to find the network by looking out for the discreet tent image shown below:
Upcoming events include:
- Thursday 30 May 2024
Fertility café (in person)
Drop in between 12.30pm -1.30pm
Trent Café – look out for the discreet ‘tent’ poster - Tuesday 4 June 2024
Miscarriage and baby loss peer support picnic (in person)
Drop in between 12 noon – 1.30pm
Serenity Garden, Highfields (far end, past the lake) or Trent Café, if heavy rain – look out for the discreet ‘tent’ poster - Monday 10 June 2024
Pregnancy after infertility or loss café (online)
From 12 noon – 1.30pm
via Teams link (or email @MS-thehaven for a meeting request) - Friday 21 June 2024
Fertility, miscarriage, baby loss and unchosen childlessness café (online)
From 12 noon – 1.30pm
via Teams link (or email @MS-thehaven for a meeting request)
Events are open to staff members of any gender who identify with the topic. More information about each type of event can be found in the short glossary below.
You do not need to be a network/Teams site member to join in with an event. They are for informal, mutually supportive and confidential conversations between colleagues with shared experiences, with no set agenda beyond ‘what do attendees want to talk about today?’.
There is no need to book, but do feel free to ask any questions or to request a meeting request for any event by emailing the team at @MS-thehaven.
The Haven is an inclusive network that recognises that fertility and loss issues are intersectional. If you need a conversation on fertility or loss experiences relating to a particular gender, health issue or other personal circumstance, please contact @MS-thehaven to let us know what support you would welcome.
Learn more about The Haven network and join the confidential MS Teams site via the staff networks page.
Glossary of events
What: Fertility café in person
Who: For staff of all genders who have experienced challenges or issues in starting or extending their family.
Why: To discuss and offer/access informal peer support around infertility/subfertility including unexplained and Male Factor, assisted conception such as IUI and IVF, surrogacy, use of donors, adoption, and any other reproductive/family planning issues.
What: Miscarriage and baby loss peer support picnic
Who: For staff of all genders who have experienced the death of an infant or the ending of a wanted pregnancy including through compassionate induction, miscarriage at any gestation, or stillbirth.
Why: To discuss and offer/access informal peer support and to talk about your experiences (if you wish) with others who understand.
What: Pregnancy after infertility or loss online café
Who: For staff of all genders who are currently expecting a baby*, following challenges in starting or extending their family and/or previous pregnancy loss.
Why: To discuss and offer/access informal peer support during what can be a very anxious and emotional time.
*Staff members may be pregnant themselves, or their partner or surrogate may be currently pregnant.
What: Fertility, miscarriage, baby loss and unchosen childlessness on-line café
Who: For staff of all genders, who may or may not be current members of The Haven staff network.
Why: To discuss and offer/access informal and confidential peer support on any issues relating to fertility challenges, miscarriage or baby loss, or unchosen childlessness.
Tags: child loss, fertility, infertility, loss, miscarriage, The Haven
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Staff Information Fair – Tuesday 25 June 2024
May 14th, 2024
Join the Organisation and People Development Team, who will be hosting a Staff Information Fair on University Park campus on Tuesday 25 June 2024 between 8am and 5pm.
We are really excited about this opportunity for colleagues to network and find out more about the brilliant services, facilities, and opportunities available at our university.
There will be a wide range of UoN stalls providing information for all members of staff who may want to find out more. Stall holders will include:
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Pay & Reward
- Libraries
- Childcare Services
- Lakeside Arts
- Digital Core
- Staff Networks
- Castle Meadow Campus
- UoN Sport
- Widening Participation and Outreach
- Edible Campus Project
…and many many more.
There will also be an opportunity to connect to the Staff Wellbeing Conference for anyone wanting to explore the importance of wellbeing in the workplace.
The event will be based in A13 and A14 of the Pope Building, University Park. We look forward to welcoming colleagues throughout the day.
Tags: induction, information for staff, new staff, Staff fair, Staff Information Fair
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Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd, 1949 – 2024
May 13th, 2024
The university is saddened to hear of the recent death of Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd, former Vice-President at UoN and High Sheriff of Nottingham.
Dame Liz was an alumna of the University of Nottingham, graduating with an MSc in Health Care Policy and Organisation in 1994 before devoting her professional life to the continuous improvement of healthcare.
During her career, having trained as a children’s nurse, she held a variety of registered nurse, midwife and health visitor posts before supporting the nursing profession nationally, becoming Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England and serving as Director of Nursing / Lead Director for reviews and inspections at the Commission for Health Improvement.
She was a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Queen’s Nursing Institute and the Institute of Health Visiting.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shearer West said: “This is sad news and a tragic loss. Liz was a highly committed and engaged member of Council who cared deeply for the success of the university. On a personal note, I thought of Liz as a friend and mentor, who always demonstrated integrity and was willing to challenge with compassion. She will be much missed by all who worked with her at the university.”
In 2009 Liz was awarded the DBE for services to nursing and healthcare.
Her more current roles included commissioner on the Midlands Engine Health Inequalities Post Covid Commission, Vice-Chair of the UK children’s charity Together for Short Lives, membership of Southwell Cathedral Council and Nomination Committee and clinical advisor to Nourish.
Previously, Dame Liz was the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for 2020/21, Vice President of Rainbows Children’s Hospice, and an advisor to Justice Defenders.
Dame Liz was well known to our university community, having served as a University Council member from August 2009 until December 2018 and as University Vice-President from January 2012 through to the end of her tenure in December 2018.
In addition, she was an honorary professor in the School of Health Sciences since 2000 to the present day and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the university in 2003.
Tags: Obit, Obituaries, obituary, Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd
Posted in Announcements, News, Obituaries, People | 17 Comments »
Top tips for getting data protection right
May 10th, 2024
In our hybrid work environment, keeping staff and student personal data secure is crucial.
Safely sharing and storing information helps to prevent data breaches which could lead to harm and reputational damage or may result in other consequences.
Follow these six key tips when handling personal information:
- Take care with emails – check twice, send once!
- Once you press send, your control of the email is lost
- Think about what you need to put in an email (body and title) and avoid putting personal data in the title of your email
- Avoid copying to multiple people
- Think carefully before adding new people to an email chain – consider what information is already in that email chain
- Remember to use BCC rather than CC when emailing large groups and especially when emailing personal email addresses, to protect privacy
- Are you using auto complete? Consider turning this off to avoid picking the wrong recipient
- Be wary when considering whether to attach a document to an email. Remember, once attached and sent, the document is out of your control! Consider using a sharing link (see Section 3 below) and if you must attach, check that you have attached the right document and it is being shared with the right audience
- Clear your sent items (and deleted items) on a regular basis
- How well do you manage your spreadsheets?
- Remember – what is hidden can be unhidden. Sending a spreadsheet with hidden rows/columns can be unhidden
- Are you sharing a spreadsheet with colleagues? Consider sharing via Office 365 rather than attaching to an email. This means there is one central copy and you can decide if people can view or edit the document
- Only include personal data that is truly necessary in spreadsheets to minimise risk
- Read more tips – Data Protection: how secure are your spreadsheets?
- Sharing information
- Consider how you are sharing information with colleagues or externally
- If you need to share documents containing personal data, give access rather than attach to an email. You can share from Office 365 which means the document remains in your control and, most importantly, you can update or revoke access at any time
- Consider where you share from, your OneDrive is useful for short-term sharing but is linked to you and if you would like or need colleagues to help manage they are not able to do so from your OneDrive. Consider a secure Teams site
- Password protect documents if you really need to send them via an email
- Only share personal data internally on a need-to-know basis
- Physical security matters too!
- Do not leave printouts or devices containing personal data unattended
- Lock filing cabinets and offices containing personal information
- Securely destroy (shred) papers with personal data when no longer needed
- Report Incidents
If something goes wrong, do not be afraid to report it to the Information Compliance Team so we can help mitigate the error. We are here to help and support.
- Remember there are guidance and resources to assist you in our SharePoint Site.
Here you will find policies and guidance to support you when considering data protection in your day to day role. Some key resources:
- Data Protection Policy (nottingham.ac.uk)
- Information Sharing (sharepoint.com)
- Information Sharing use Office 365
- Data Protection Impact Assessments (sharepoint.com)
- Data Breaches (sharepoint.com)
If you need some help on how to share files in Office 365, our DTS colleagues can provide advice and guidance, or check out the Office 365 SharePoint site for further information.
Properly protecting personal data is everyone’s responsibility and integral to our roles at the university. By following these tips we can work together to uphold data protection.
As always, reach out to the Information Compliance Team with any questions or concerns.
Need to talk to us?
Email DPO@nottingham.ac.uk and a member of the team will get in touch.
Tracy Landon, Data Protection Officer
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Researchers and community partners needed to co-create research projects
May 10th, 2024
The university is inviting people to participate in Co(l)laboratory’s next round of research project co-creation, which runs from May 2024 through to September 2024.
This development phase is a core part of the programme where Nottingham academics and a wide range of partners from local community-focused organisations will work together to co-create new PhD research projects which address challenges relevant to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire communities.
Through this collaborative research approach, Co(l)laboratory aims to support community-engaged research – research which is grounded in the needs of local communities, and which is continuously informed by and carried out with people with lived experience of the challenges in question.
Through this, the aim is to deliver research which more readily leads to meaningful, evidence-based change for Nottingham’s communities.
Who are we looking for?
We’re looking to support Nottingham academics and community professionals to work together to develop new proposals for projects which would start in April 2025.
We need academics who want to help us drive forward an agenda of community-engaged research, and community partners who can provide a strong link to the real life practice and experience that can help ensure our research is relevant and responsive to the needs of local communities.
Why should you get involved?
For academics, Co(l)laboratory presents an opportunity to be part of a pioneering, cross-institutional project which is challenging the way that doctoral research is created, led, and delivered.
This highly collaborative approach creates opportunities for researchers to broaden their networks, skillsets, and experiences, as well as to help contribute to positive change within research and in our local communities.
Through this, the project aims to foster stronger connections between academics at NTU and UoN, support more embedded collaborations with external partners, and ultimately support the production of higher quality, more inclusive and therefore more impactful research.
Furthermore, project teams, including their fully funded PhD candidates, will become part of a unique community of creative and innovative individuals and will receive dedicated support and resources focused on partnership management, civically engaged research and more.
How do I express my interest?
To get involved with the latest Research Project Co-Creation phase, it will be mandatory to attend at least one of our support activities for new academic researchers and community partners in collaborating on new research projects.
We will be running four information webinars, starting on Wednesday 15 May 2024. They will be split into:
Academic Researcher webinars
- Wednesday 15 May, from 12pm-1pm
- Wednesday 29 May, from 12pm-1pm
Community Partner webinars
- Wednesday 22 May, from 5pm-6pm
- Wednesday 5 June, from 12pm-1pm
These will introduce people to the Co(l)laboratory programme, provide an overview of the research project co-creation process, outline how our research projects work, and what the expectations are of different project partners.
You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions.
Find out more on the Co(l)laboratory website.
Tags: Co(l)laboratory programme, Collaborative research, Collaboratory, NTU, research, research projects
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Global Accessibility Awareness Day events: get involved!
May 8th, 2024
Your day-by-day guide to events to mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Thursday 16 May 2024 marks the 13th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day and UoN Libraries’ Learning Technology team are hosting a range of events over the next week to help colleagues learn more about accessibility and how it can help everyone at the university.
Wednesday 15 May 2024
Community of Practice May meeting
1pm – 2pm, Microsoft Teams
Have you joined the Accessibility Community of Practice? Join colleagues across the university for the latest session exploring accessibility work and achievements across the university.
May’s programme
- Students As Change Agents (SACA) Digital Accessibility Project - Rebekah Thirlwall, Senior ESE Officer
- Digital Accessibility Frontier: A Faculty’s Journey of Change – Kerry Clamp, Digital Learning Director – Social Sciences
- Introducing the Moodle Accessibility Information Tool – Amanda Hill, Digital Accessibility Consultant and Stefan Van Der vyver, Learning Applications Developer
Join the session on Microsoft Teams
Accessible learning materials – multimedia
2pm – 3pm, Microsoft Teams
Do you create multimedia learning materials? Join this session to find out more about the accessibility opportunities and challenges related to lecture capture, pre-recorded videos and more.
Thursday 16 May 2024
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event
2pm – 3.30pm, A03 Monica Partridge Building, University Park
There’s still time to sign up to attend this in-person event to explore and celebrate all things digital accessibility.
Join UoN Libraries’ Learning Technology team for an engaging event which will explore:
- the origins of accessibility
- the idea of core accessibility – the simple habits that everyone can adopt that make a huge difference to students and the frameworks that will support you
- digital accessibility challenges and how to handle them
The event will also see the premiere of ‘Voices of Accessibility’ – a short film made with students which will show first-hand how important the accessibility is for our students.
In-person attendees will get the chance to meet colleagues across the university and enjoy a slice of GAAD celebration cake.
Can’t make it to the event on 16 May? The session will be recorded and made available through the Accessibility Community of Practice.
Book your place at the event here
Friday 17 May 2024
Accessible learning materials – Word and PowerPoint
1pm – 2pm, Microsoft Teams
Find out how to create accessible Word documents and PowerPoint presentations for use in your teaching and learning content.
Learn how to:
- make images accessible
- use headings to structure documents
- format text and use colour in an accessible way
- use tables effectively
- use PowerPoint to create an effective reading order for users of assistive technologies
Monday 20 May 2024
Core Accessibility: The Nottingham Accessible Practices
10am – 11am, Microsoft Teams
Your introduction to the Nottingham Accessibility Framework. Find out more about the ‘why’, the legal and user contexts, and the ‘how’ of digital accessibility.
We’ll introduce the idea of ‘core accessibility’, the simple habits that everyone can adopt that make a huge difference, and we’ll talk through the various challenges of digital accessibility, and how to handle them.
This session will be of interest to everyone involved in creating digital content – whether in teaching and learning, research, or professional services contexts.
Tags: Digital Accessibility, Digital Accessibility Community of Practice, GAAD, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, UoN Libraries
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Wilding Campuses pilot project launches
May 8th, 2024
The University of Nottingham is part of an exciting campus rewilding project led by Student’s Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK).
With funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this Nottingham-based pilot focuses on restoring nature into spaces where staff and students work and learn. It is a partnership between the University of Nottingham, Nottingham College and Bluecoat Aspley Academy.
Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are crucial for the survival of all life on earth. But nature is under threat, not least in the UK where we are one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. And as a consequence, we are also increasingly disconnected from nature.
Over two years, the collaborative Wilding Campuses project aims to address this by increasing the abundance and diversity of threatened species on and around our campuses. Crucially, it will also empower students, staff and young people across Nottingham to reconnect with nature and tackle the ecological crisis through practical skills sessions, and engagement and wellbeing activities.
The university has some of the greenest campuses in the UK. They support a diverse range of habitats and species and are enjoyed by our staff, students, and the local community.
The Wilding Campus project will tie in with work already underway to enhance and protect our beautiful green spaces for the benefit of all. A new biodiversity steering group, made up of staff and students, from across schools and operations, is driving this agenda. Recent surveys have helped establish campus biodiversity baselines so we can set effective improvement targets. For example, as part of the Wild Campuses project, the university has committed to rewilding 15% of our land.
Go! wild
More good news is that there is no shortage of ways to get involved and help wildlife both on and off campus this Spring. Find out more.
Go! Your sustainable choices matter.
Tags: Wild Campus, Wilding campuses, Wilding campuses pilot
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