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Award winners were recognised for their exceptional contributions at an event on 8 July.

The President’s Awards for Excellence recognise the achievements of individuals or teams in four categories: Culture and Community, Education, Research, and Societal Engagement. The President’s Medal is then awarded to an exceptional winner in each category.

Also celebrated at the awards ceremony on Wednesday 8 July were winners of the Provost’s Awards for Excellence in three categories: Animal Research, Health and Safety, and the Julia Higgins Award.

View the full lists of winners for this year’s President’s and Provost’s Awards for Excellence: 

We spoke to some of this year’s award winners about their work:  

• Dr Sophie Morse, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering
• Chemistry EDI Team, Department of Chemistry
• Pears School of Medicine Professional Services Team, Faculty of Medicine
• Lee Fernandes, Undergraduate, Faculty of Medicine

Dr Sophie Morse, President’s Medal for Excellence in Research, Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Sophie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. She has rapidly built an international reputation for developing innovative therapeutic ultrasound technologies to treat neurological diseases and promote healthy brain ageing – work that sits at a pioneering intersection of bioengineering, neuroscience and medicine.

At an early stage in her career, Sophie has secured just under £3 million in competitive funding as principal investigator, spanning a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship and 23 research awards. Her work has delivered important advances in biomedical acoustics, including novel ultrasound pulse sequences enabling safer drug delivery to the brain and new ways to stimulate our brain's immune cells to delay cognitive decline with age, neurodegeneration and fight brain tumours. She leads a large, interdisciplinary research group and has established collaborations across engineering, neuroscience, clinical medicine and industry.

Sophie said: "I'm truly honoured to receive this award – it reflects not just my work, but my incredible research group, who do amazing work every day, as well as my mentors, sponsors, and the Bioengineering department who made this research possible. Therapeutic ultrasound sits at such an exciting intersection of engineering and medicine, and I feel very lucky to be working on this surrounded by a great community."

Pears School of Medicine Professional Services Team, President's Award for Excellence in Education

The team were recognised for their work in setting up a completely new medical school in partnership with the University of Cumbria. In less than two years the team established processes for activities such as admissions, marketing, digital and IT, wellbeing, and student support. This involved managing budgets, staffing and more. Above all, for each activity the team had to bring together two very different institutions.

On receiving the award, the team said: “The establishment of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine was supported by a team of professional services colleagues across both Imperial and the University of Cumbria.  The main 'set-up' phase of this unique collaboration was delivered in a matter of 18 months – that so much was achieved in such a short time is a testament to the dedication, expertise and commitment of all of those colleagues.  We are absolutely delighted that this enormous collective effort has been recognised with a President's Award.”

Chemistry EDI Team, President's Award for Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

The Chemistry EDI team received the award in recognition of their sustained, strategic and deeply embedded approach to equality, diversity and inclusion. Their work includes funded programmes that widen participation, such as summer placements for ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ of Black heritage and inclusive curriculum reform. Alongside this, they have led high-profile events, mental health support and cultural initiatives – including developing a sector-leading EDI Training Bage Programme.

The team reflected on receiving the award: “The impact of the Department’s EDI work reflects a truly collaborative endeavour, built on the combined efforts of the Chemistry EDI Team, the EDI Committee, and the wider departmental community. Students and staff play a vital role through their engagement with initiatives and their commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive culture. Crucially, this work is championed and resourced by the senior management team, ensuring that equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded as core principles across all aspects of the department’s academic and operational activities.”

Photo caption:

From left to right: Professor Oscar Ces, Dr David Ayuso, Professor Kim Jelfs (previous EDI Co-Director), Dr Anna Barnard (centre-back, previous EDI Co-Director), Dr Nazila Kamaly, Dr Francesco Aprile, Ingrid Temmerman, Professor James Wilton-Ely

Lee Fernandes, President's Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement

Lee is a final year medical student and co-founder of In2MedSchool, a charity supporting aspiring medical applicants through mentoring, structured teaching, skills development and exposure to university and healthcare settings. He was nominated for the award for his exceptional contribution to student-led outreach and access work, through creating opportunities, building structures and improving provision for pupils who would otherwise have limited access to medicine-related support.

Lee said: “It is a real privilege to be recognised with this award in my final year at Imperial, for my work with In2MedSchool.

“When I first arrived six years ago, there were remarkably few initiatives or charities dedicated to supporting ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ from disadvantaged backgrounds in accessing medicine. It is truly heartening to witness how dramatically that landscape has changed.

“From being a founding member of In2MedSchool, to leading the national mentorship team, and ultimately co-founding the Acceleration Scheme – this award does not belong to me alone. It stands as a testament to the years of tireless dedication given by thousands of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and doctors, at Imperial and far beyond, who have poured their time and passion into building In2MedSchool into the organisation it is today. Their unwavering commitment continues to open doors for aspiring medics who might otherwise never have had the chance to walk through them.”