Research Supervisor 2025 Winners
Winner: Alistair Owens
Alistair Owens is Professor of Historical Geography and Director of Education in the School of Geography. Alastair was top-ranked by the whole panel, who were deeply impressed by his skill at successfully bringing PGR funding into his area by making Humanities and Social Sciences research relevant to real world applications, bringing his students into his wider professional activies as a mentor, and passing on his skills and experience in building partnerships and coalitions for ongoing impact.
They were also impressed by the first-person testimony from his supervisees which were thoughtfully included in his application. These emphasised his ability to combine delivering high-quality research training with a profound commitment to inclusion and collegiality. His former students have gone on to university positions (e.g. RHUL, Cambridge, Newcastle), influential heritage sector roles (e.g. a Lead Curator at the Science Museum; Head of Heritage, Houses of Parliament) and charity sector positions (e.g. Kent Refugee Action Network).
Highly Commended
Marina Resmini, Professor of Materials Chemistry in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. The panel highly commended her for her long record of successful PhD supervision, and for her leadership in her academic discipline and wider STEM community (including the Royal Society of Chemistry) in addressing gender bias in STEM career pipelines and professional bodies.
Graham Foster, Professor of Hepatology in the Blizard Institute. Highly Commended by the panel for his extensive career as a PhD supervisor and the outstanding track record of his former students in securing prestigious jobs, funding and influential positions in their field. His commitment to international and cross-sector collaboration in attracting PGR funding was especially commendable.