Student
success

Showcasing our students and graduates

We are extremely proud of our students, graduates and their achievements, particularly as they have continued to succeed during such a challenging year. From award wins to research publications, they have shown true commitment and have enjoyed many successes.

College of Arts, Humanities and Education

• Sarah Blandford, MA Film and Photography student, was named Student Food Photographer of the Year in the Pink Lady Food Photography 2021 awards.
• Rebecca Bedford, MA Public History and Heritage student, and part of the University’s Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, took first place in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Para-Powerlifting event’s over 61kg category with a competition best lift of 85kg. This came just over a month on from her British record lift of 81kg at the Powerlifting World Cup that earned her a fifth-place finish at the international tournament.
• Georgia Alligan, a final-year BA (Hons) Textile Design knitwear student, won the John Smedley category at the Campaign for Wool Student Design Competition 2020. Students were challenged to create an innovative and exciting product made out of wool, and brands had the opportunity to choose their favourite product, with some offering winning items for sale in stores, or student work placements. The competition was pioneered by the HRH The Prince of Wales’ Campaign for Wool and Georgia’s winning design was put into a short run production at John Smedley, and staged in the Smedley flagship store shop window in Mayfair, London.
• In July, five Derby students/graduates won the Banks Mill Studios’ Student Residency Award. Amy Vallance (Fine Art), Gemma Woolley (Creative Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing), Sarah Blandford (Film & Photography), Sofia Yala Rodrigues (Film & Photography) and Charlie Collins (Illustration) were announced winners of the residency, which means they will be provided with access to a rent free shared studio space for a year, during which they will be able to develop their creative practice and explore a self-employment pathway, as well as take part in the University’s Be The Boss programme.
• Mohika Shankar, Dance and Movement Studies with Psychology student, created ‘Ganga: River Eternal (2019)’- a short musical art film that celebrates the sacred beauty of the River Ganga through the convergence of traditional Indian music and dance. Then she was chosen for the ScreenShare Mentoring Programme 2020 conducted by The Fi.ELD from East London Dance, which culminated into the MESA Online Festival. 
• Tom Mead, a Creative Writing and English alumnus, had his story Heatwave (originally published by Flame Tree Press) selected for inclusion in The Best Mystery Stories of the Year, an anthology edited by Otto Penzler and Lee Child, creator of the Jack Reacher series. 

College of Business, Law and Social Sciences

• A business idea from Claudia Jaunco Espejo (Analytics and Business Management student) and Veron Medic (Interior Architecture and Venue Design student) to increase online interaction and activity among older people was backed by a prize worth £4,000 in mentoring and support.
• BA (Hons) Marketing (PR and Advertising) graduate Ellie Kean landed a prestigious internship with Twitter, beating 70,000 other applicants. Twitter headhunted Ellie using her LinkedIn profile when they failed to recruit to the position. Ellie was also shortlisted for the Futures Award Student of the Year accolade in the University's 2021 Employability Awards.
• BA (Hons) Sociology student Amelia Poole secured a 12-month placement via the Government Economic and Social Research Scheme (GESR) with the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs. The placement involves working closely with the government’s marine department helping to undertake and analyse social research to implement policies that ensure our seas are healthier, safer, more productive and biologically diverse.
• MSc in Human Resource Management student Sian Brown was recognised as an NHS non-clinical unsung hero by BBC East Midlands for her dedicated and compassionate work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sian received numerous nominations from colleagues at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, who praised her kind, caring and compassionate work in the Sickness Absence Team.

College of Health, Psychology and Social Care

• Nursing graduate John Podmore won the title of Nursing Associate Trainee of the Year in the Nursing Times Student Awards 2020 for his work with patients who have learning disabilities while studying for his degree. John enrolled on the University’s Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship programme in 2018, looking to develop his career, which he began as a healthcare assistant after leaving college.
• Postgraduate student Lovely Ann Sorianosos was shortlisted for ‘Learner of the Year: Post-registration’ at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2021. She was nominated after submitting a poster presentation as part of her assessment which outlined an information guide to be used for staff who were being redeployed to critical care areas of the hospital as a result of Covid-19.
• In October 2020, Tobyn Bell, Compassion Focused Therapy PhD student, had a second paper from his PhD published exploring chair work and compassion, and in December he was interviewed by the Guardian. Chair-work is an experiential method used within compassion-focused therapy (CFT) to apply compassion to various aspects of the self. His study is focused on clients’ lived experiences of a chair-work intervention for self-criticism. Twelve participants with depression were interviewed following the intervention and the resulting data was examined using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

College of Science and Engineering

• Third-year Computer Games Modelling and Animation students Martyna Tomaszewska, David Phoenix, Will Brown and Will Kitchen founded ‘Not A Goose Games’after working together on the Applied Game Art Production module in their second year of studies. They successfully completed a polished, playable game, which their lecturers and classmates enjoyed. Now they plan to release a full game, Cheftastic! Buffet Blast, in early 2022.
• Two University of Derby graduates were among the winners of a prestigious national architectural technology competition which celebrates innovative building design by students. Karaan Sabherwal was the overall winner of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists’ AT Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology (Project). His design for a mixed-use building, comprising office space, restaurant and leisure units, was focused on maximising wellbeing and the availability of green space in Derby city centre. Reece Scattergood, Architectural Technology and Practice graduate, secured the commendation in the same category of the awards. He designed a fully sustainable development, with a large bio-diverse area where nature and wildlife can develop within Derby’s Cathedral Quarter.
• Architecture students studying on Degree and Masters level programmes worked with Milligan to create inspiring architectural and environmental concepts that explore the future vision for the Gateway component at Birchall Properties’ PEAK gateway resort development, located on the eastern boundary of the Peak District National Park. The design brief for the project focused on the Gateway area of the PEAK development, a highly sustainable resort with multi-use destination supporting leisure, business, health and education interests, creating a unique destination in its own right.