Awards season - EEE staff thank our brilliant colleagues

The latest round of awards honouring staff contributions to life and work in the Department took place last week at our Staff Summer BBQ Party.

The Celebrating Great Contributions Awards were established to recognise and reward the achievements, skills and efforts of all who help make our department a better place to work and study.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering staff are nominated by their colleagues for awards across five categories. The winners are selected from a Department panel made up of staff from across our job families.

Thank you to all our staff who made nominations, and congratulations to our award-winners!

Colleague Appreciation Award

This award is given in recognition of staff who make a particular effort and go out of their way to help and support others.

Two awards were made to members of our Technical Services team for their dedicated support to staff and students, particularly in the area of teaching projects.

Amine Halimi

Workshop Laboratory Technician Amine was praised for his expert support on printed circuit board design and building.

“Without Amine we wouldn't have as many working PCBs in the huge amount of student projects we are running in the department, and some of the staff research projects too. His support on PCB design, soldering of minuscule components and troubleshooting errors is exceptional. I have read multiple final year project reports where his name is a recurring feature in the acknowledgement together with the sentence ‘without him the work would not have been possible’.”

Phil Jones

Phil manages our Mechanical Workshop, supporting teaching and research with his mechanical engineering skills, and helping staff and students develop their ideas. Phil’s nomination reflects his hard work and commitment to colleagues which are valued by everyone who works with him.  

“I asked Phil for help producing some new equipment for a student project, the job turned out to be very time-consuming and Phil remained committed to top-quality workmanship and a positive attitude. He was happy to accommodate all my requests for modifications and was proactive in looking for solutions to problems.”

Teamwork / Collaboration Award

Exams Administration Team - Hashi Chowdhury, Kate Farrar, Thuy Linh Le, Jen Victor Smith

The team is responsible for ensuring our exams run successfully ­– managing the detailed processes involved in the preparation and production of exam papers, and the large amounts of data, handling queries from colleagues and students, ensuring compliance with assessment policies and regulations. This team award acknowledges the huge effort and dedication that is involved in our summer exam season, including collaboration with others across the department and beyond.

“The exams team led by Kate Farrar did an incredible job again this exam season, pulling off 45 exams over the three week period, preparing 2,547 printed papers, answer booklets, managing and training a team of invigilators, with countless students requiring extra time or other exam.”

Rising Star Award

This award celebrates staff who have begun their career or changed role in the Department in the last two years. It recognises staff who have created or grasped an opportunity to substantially develop and grow in their role.

The department panel made two awards in our Rising Star Category, to two members of staff who have joined in the last year, who have both already impressed colleagues in their respective roles in a short time.

Spencer Cockerell - Projects and Administration Assistant

“Spencer joined the department a little over nine months ago, and [in] all the weird and wonderful tasks he has been asked to do, a stand out is his active and positive leadership of the Mental Health Awareness week. He very much drove this initiative, and without Spencer, I very much doubt anything would have happened.”

“His willingness to assist knows no bounds, and he has actively championed inclusivity within DICE. Not only has he advocated for women in Engineering, but he has also extended his efforts to include staff and students with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Spencer’s efforts to foster a sense of community within the EEE department are truly valuable.”

Linh Thuy Le - Education Support Administrator

"Linh joined us in February and has thrown herself into the role, working very hard over the exam period and learning very quickly how the Department and the university works."

"Linh has only been part of the Education Office for three months but it seems as though she has been here much longer than that. Linh took over responsibility for managing the invigilators and submission of exam papers. She has been, and continues to be, a massive help and a positive presence in the office. I am impressed by how quickly she has fitted in."

Award for Citizenship and Community

This award recognises an individual who has been a good citizen within the Department, and/or made an exceptional contribution benefitting the Department or wider Imperial community.

Two members of staff received this award. 

Rodrigo Chacon-Quesada

Research Associate Rodrigo joined the department as a PhD student in 2018, and is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Personal Robotics Lab. His award celebrates the extra support he volunteers to provide across many areas – particularly in ICT and public engagement – to the group and the wider department, often ‘behind the scenes.’

“During the pandemic, Rodrigo spent an extraordinary amount of time helping with the networking aspects of the 10th floor and beyond.. to allow for remote operation of much of the equipment of our robotics lab, as well as departmental servers; this allowed for remote access by undergraduate and postgraduate students, allowing many of them to continue working despite the pandemic challenges. Over the years he has helped very frequently with installation, networking and computing support for many colleagues in the department as well as discussing the power consumption and environmental aspects of  much of our equipment clearly going beyond what is required by his normal job.”

“Rodrigo has also been instrumental advertising [our] research to industrial and academic visitors, as well as the public, at Imperial, as well as exhibitions outside Imperial (for example, engaging with Age UK Manchester, on discussions on AI for the elderly, [and] giving public talks (including in Spanish, which were broadcasted throughout Latin America, a continent our research does not usually reach.”

Kristel Fobelets - Acting Senior Tutor

Kristel receives the award for her ‘exceptional dedication, empathy, and dilligence’ in the role. Her nomination particularly highlights her compassionate handling of student mitigating circumstances cases, and dedication to special educational needs.

“Kristel’s approach to handling special educational needs is nothing short of exemplary. She has shown remarkable kindness and compassion, always prioritising the well-being of students. Her ability to listen, understand, and respond to the unique needs of each student has fostered a supportive and inclusive environment within our department. Kristel’s efforts have not only helped individual students overcome significant challenges but have also contributed to a broader culture of care and respect.”

“Her impact extends beyond her official duties. Kristel is known for her willingness to go above and beyond, often spending extra time to ensure that no student is left behind. Whether it’s providing additional tutoring sessions, coordinating with others to create comprehensive support plans, or simply offering a listening ear, Kristel’s dedication is unwavering.”

Inspiration Award

Kay Hancox

Our final award celebrates a colleague who has inspired others throughout the year, either through the activities they have carried out at work, or outside of Department life.

Kay has been a member of our Education team since the 1990s, for many years as Education Manager, and she is now in a new role focusing on our Admissions, Outreach and Education Projects. Kay’s nomination reflects her dedication to improving the teaching and learning experience, the valuable knowledge and expertise she has gained and shares with her colleagues, and her excellent leadership. She has been a central figure in engagement and outreach activities, including the Sutton Trust Summer School and Bring Your Child To Work Day, and this year she successfully managed our IET Accreditation which is a huge and complex task.

“Kay led the whole process and coordinated many colleagues to ensure that we uploaded documentation for over 145 active modules across 7 undergraduate programmes and 5 MSc. The tasks were complex and Kay provided invaluable knowledge in IET accreditation regulations. She took time to organise training sessions with IET and to understand the [new] systems. It is time consuming and not intuitive, but this did not phase Kay.”

“Co-ordinating such a diverse team with so many other priorities was not easy, but she accomplished it by showing great patience and people management skills. I believe that the success of the day was in great measure due to her efforts.”

“Kay has worked to improve and manage the undergraduate admissions process, been a driving force behind the Systems Support and Strategy Committee, excellent member of our Department Teaching Committee, and she led the organisation of the IET accreditation visit this year. Kay never shies away from a challenge and fully commits to everything she undertakes. We are truly fortunate to have her.”