Professor Lars Chittka nominated for prestigious Times Higher Education Award
Lars Chittka, Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences has been nominated for Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year at the 2025 Times Higher Education Awards.
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Over 23 years at Queen Mary University of London, Professor Chittka has trained 28 PhD students, with two more in progress. Many were from developing countries or minority backgrounds, and 18 were female. Several of his former students now hold prestigious academic positions, including full professorships at UCL, the University of Arizona, the University of Würzburg, Jiangnan University and elsewhere.
Notable alumni include Professors Fei Peng (head of department, Southern Medical University), Anna Dornhaus (University of Arizona) and Elli Leadbeater (UCL, winner of two European Research Council grants). Recent graduates are postdoctoral researchers at top institutions, including Sorbonne University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Sheffield and students such as Alice Bridges and Samadi Galpayage have won international awards.
Professor Chittka's approach focuses on fostering intellectual independence, encouraging students to design their own research rather than following predefined projects. Diverging from typical UK training models, this method prepares students to become future leaders in research.
We, at the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, congratulate Professor Lars Chittka on this nomination, which recognises his longstanding dedication to research excellence and wish him luck for the THE Awards Ceremony in November!