Teamwork, community and inspiration: EEE celebrates our star colleagues

Departing HoD Prof Eric Yeatman was presented with the Inspiration Award

The tenth Electrical and Electronic Engineering Celebrating Great Contribution Awards were held last week at our staff Christmas party.

The awards, which were presented by Deputy Head of Department, Professor Kristel Fobelets, help us reward and celebrate the achievements and hard work of individuals and teams, and their contribution to the success of the Department. 

All staff members can nominate our colleagues across five categories for outstanding efforts that help make our department a better place to work and study.

Colleague Appreciation Award

This award is made in recognition of staff who make a particular effort and go out of their way to help and support their colleagues. Two awards were made in this category.

Max Cattafi

Senior Teaching Fellow Max’s nomination reflects his commitment and dedication for teaching, and for all his support and hard work helping improve our teaching, especially among our Graduate Teaching Assistants.

“Max has been fundamental in my development as a teacher. He has always been available to talk about the problems faced by the students, and ways to improve the teaching of the lab, and to improve my teaching techniques.”

“Max has a sincere passion and an uncommon commitment to his teaching. He is a supportive GTA coordinator, and he has always made every possible effort to provide high quality teaching, to manage and develop his GTAs, and to improve the overall student learning experience. His passion for teaching has deeply influenced me and my career.”

Pantelis Georgiou

Pantelis received his colleague appreciation nominations for his collaborative and supportive approach both in his own work, and in his role as our Director of Research.

“For many years, Pantelis has generously shared his hardware, his team’s expertise, his team members, and his infectious enthusiasm, with PhD and MSc students. This collaboration has broadened the scope of my research and resulted in joint research papers.”

“In his role as Director of Research in the Department, Pantelis’s characteristic of helping others diversify and succeed in research is evident. He has embraced this role with enthusiasm and skill, leading to increased information flow and dynamic promotion of proposal submissions to various research initiatives. This proactive approach is shifting the mood from concerns about low proposal funding success rates to a belief in our work and a determination to persevere.”

Teamwork / Collaboration Award

Widening Participation Team:

Kelly Greenwood

Emma Rainbow

Kristel Fobelets

The Widening Participation strategy aims to raise the take-up of higher education opportunities by students from lower income households and other under-represented groups who may face barriers to entry.

“[The team has] dedicated a lot of time and effort in support of widening participation students. From initially securing funding for essential equipment like laptops, they have gone above and beyond to level the playing field for all students. Their remarkable efforts include forming a Widening Participation working group, establishing a mentor scheme, and taking significant strides towards creating a Departmental Bursary Scheme.”

“Emma and Kelly are in the advanced stages of planning a Widening Participation induction week, designed to take place a week before the start of term, ensuring a seamless transition for new students into university life. Their commitment and proactive approach make them truly deserving of recognition."

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 an individual who has created or grasped an opportunity to substantially develop and grow in their role.

Jennifer Victor Smith

Jen took on a brand new role in a new Education Team structure last spring, and has been praised by colleagues for her approach as the new Education Support Officer for MSc programmes.

“Jen came into the Education Office during a flurry of activity, a change in structure and into a role that had not existed in this form. Despite all the challenges this poses, she has constantly been engaged and positive, even when having to design new processes 'on the fly'.”

“Where MSc courses were previously organised in the Research groups, Jen has centralised and managed this [change] in an admirable, and, profoundly patient, way, often with no pre-warning of what the expectations of staff may be.

“As well as contributing to the effective running of the team, Jen also contributes heavily to a bright atmosphere, and is a good hardworking colleague to have around.” 

Department Award for Citizenship and Community

This award recognises individuals who have been a good citizen within the Department, or who have made an exceptional contribution benefitting the Department or the wider Imperial community.

Four awards have been made in this round to some of our exceptional citizens, including two of our students.

Anna McCormick

EA to Head of Department

“For many who start a new job with this department, the first interactions are with Anna, and you couldn't wish for a better landing. She is the absolute definition of friendly professionalism, communicating expertly and clearly, without sacrificing any personality or warmth. I often see her take new starters for a coffee, having made the time in her own packed schedule to make sure they feel welcome and listened to.”

“Anna provides a huge amount of input into the events that are central to bringing all the Department together, from awaydays, to Christmas parties and Summer BBQs.”

“Anna's role is central to the smooth operation of the Department, and without her pulling all the various strings in the background, many things just simply wouldn't happen. She spends a huge amount of her time and energy on the invisible but highly impactful area of supporting our People. She is a go to person for many when they need someone to talk to knowing that it will always remain confidential. Although it's hard to qualify this with individual examples due to the personal-ness of the support that Anna provides, I believe many will recognise this."

Ciske Smit

PhD Student

"While Ciske has been making excellent progress on her own PhD and provides useful input to co-authored group papers, she also spends a remarkable amount of time and energy in substantive civic participation and engagement, making significant contributions to the research group, and to improving departmental culture and morale, including:

Her role as PhD representative for the ISN group, organising monthly speakers from the group with tea and cake, and a Bring A Dish event, doing much to create group integration and cohesion. Her contribution to the Lived and Living Experience Working Group as a member of the Department’s DICE Committee.

Ciske's contribution to department events includes Postdoc Appreciation Week, as instigator and organiser of the department’s first Postdoc Graduate Appreciation Reception, and for Women in Engineering, as co-organiser of the event celebrating women's contributions to the Department, and encouraging participation in our women students’ profiles feature for social media. She also organised and MC-d the EEE Department's Three Minute Thesis competition."

Emilie D’Olne

PhD student

“Emilie is enthusiastic and instrumental in promoting a community spirit and colleagial work environment in the department. In her role as the vice-chair of the IEEE Student branch where she has been a very active member promoting and organising professional activities including regular seminars, panel discussions, or student conferences.”

"As part of our department’s Sustainability Committee, Emilie has worked on a strategy to reduce heating waste in the winter due to windows being left open overnight. She has developed a camera-based window monitoring system which allows us to better understand the ventilation issues in the department. The whole hardware and software system have been installed on her sole efforts with help from Estates to install the cameras. Based on this we are proposing a new solution that aims to increase well-being in the Department as well significant savings on our building energy bill.”

Zohaib Akhtar

Senior Teaching Fellow 

Zohaib’s nominations reflect how much his colleagues value not only dedication to his own work, but also his support for theirs.

“Anytime I am having difficulty solving a problem, Zohaib is there to help me solve it, in a positive and empowering way. He continually goes out of his way to fix things, often working all hours in order to help others.”

“The first-year midterms previously were in-person, and a massive amount of work for the Education Office and Facilities teams, Zohaib was tasked with holding these in the first year lab, and he organised this impeccably, including managing a brilliant team of GTAs and it went so smoothly and it did not create any extra work for his colleagues.”

“Zohaib handles all of his work with good sense, intelligence, and unflappability, while going the extra mile to do things properly. He is a largely unsung star of our firmament so deserves another song.”

“Zohaib cares about his work, the students and his colleagues. He is a true asset to our department and he embodies the spirit of community and citizenship in everything he does. I wouldn't be able to do my job without him.”

Inspiration Award 

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

Eric Yeatman

Head of Department

Eric will be leaving us at the end of the year for a new post at the University of Glasgow. Since taking on the role of Head of Department over nine years ago, he has navigated a period of significant challenges at Imperial including our response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Amid challenges for Imperial he has championed a renewed focus on workplace culture, emphasising respect, inclusion, and community. His dedication to recruiting more women academic staff and his recognition of the importance of DICE activities have been instrumental in making these initiatives more prominent and integrated into department life, and his support for Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this year highlighted his commitment to well-being.

Furthermore, Eric has been at the forefront of embracing the paradigm shift brought by AI, contributing significantly to the establishment of I-X. His leadership during these transformative times has been nothing short of inspirational."

"...I don't remember a day where Eric has come to work without positivity and passion for the Department. He's unflappable, even in the most stressful circumstances, highly intelligent and able to think laterally about important matters."

"Eric has been a democratic leader and a good friend to many. He has brought 100% commitment and attention to the department, he is approachable, has a good sense of humour and has gone out of his way to help so many people, whether, staff, students or people he hasn't seen in more than 20 years, to help them develop and progress."

“Eric is an innovator in teaching, research and leadership and from an early stage of his career in the department he has made many changes, first small ones such as introducing the first year group project and the guided tutorials, to very large ambitious projects such as setting up I-X. His belief in people and his support for teaching, research and leadership have helped me to realise what a great leader in change I can be. Walking in his footsteps (although in smaller shoes) he has inspired me and others to be ambitious, dream big and be more diplomatic and strategic.”

Our congratulations to all our award winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who made nominations.