Meet the alumna putting endangered animals in the frame
OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
Hear from our award-winning alumni across the world
THE FUTURE OF CANCER RESEARCH
Discover the ways that data science might lead to the next big breakthrough in treating cancer
What are your old classmates up to?
Happy New Year and welcome to your latest edition of Hartley News, the University of Southampton’s alumni and supporter magazine. You are part of an inspiring success story, one that goes from strength to strength each year. Together we are making great progress, from appointing our first ever Associate Vice-President for Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice, to breaking ground on the first stage of our new estates development programme. We have improved or consolidated our position in all major league tables, been shortlisted for the Social Mobility Awards in recognition of our sector leading work in Widening Participation, and secured significant funding for our life-changing biomedical research. We were delighted to see several of our former students recognised by the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards, with winners and finalists in India, Jordan, Nigeria, and the Global finals.
2022 also saw the launch of our inaugural Outstanding Alumni Awards, celebrating talented members of our alumni community who embody the University’s mission to inspire excellence to achieve the remarkable and build an inclusive world. Our four winners represent the skill and dedication of our global alumni community, and I hope you find their stories inspiring.
You can read more about these developments in the following pages of Hartley News, as well as catching up with news and stories from fellow members of your alumni and supporter community.
I was heartened to see so many of you at our special 70th celebration, marking the anniversary of the University receiving its Royal Charter from the late Queen Elizabeth II. I hope that those of you who were able to come to Highfield Campus enjoyed the celebrations and were able to connect with old friends, and perhaps make some new ones.
The University of Southampton was the first institution to be granted a Royal Charter by The Queen, two months after her accession to the throne in 1952. The University community was deeply saddened by the death of Her Late Majesty earlier this year. Our special connection to The Queen has been a source of great pride to all of us at Southampton, and the University flag was flown at half-mast for the period of national mourning.
Looking forward to the future, I am pleased to be able to share with you some news from our colleagues at the Centre for Cancer Immunology, who are working in partnership with our world-leading data scientists to drive forward pioneering advances in cancer research. These new approaches could lead to a future where earlier detection and better modelling could save countless lives. You can read about some of this work, which represents just the beginning of Southampton’s ground-breaking collaborative research, on page 10.
Wishing you all the very best for 2023.
Professor Mark E. Smith CBE President and Vice-Chancellor
Lara Jackson (BSc Zoology, 2017 and MRes Wildlife Conservation, 2018) is a conservation biologist and wildlife photographer. Her photograph ‘Beads of Blood’ was awarded Highly Commended in the 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. We spoke to Lara about her inspiring work, and how her studies at Southampton shaped her future career.
When I was a young girl, I was obsessed with African wildlife but never had an opportunity to go to Africa in person. I come from a reasonably privileged family, but we still didn’t have the disposable income to go on Safari. So when I was able to visit the Masai Mara in Kenya as part of my Master’s degree, that was life changing for me. To be able to see lions, elephants and giraffes up close and to have a camera in my hand: it was magical.
It changed everything and it really ignited a passion in me. I just knew whatever I did, I had to get back to Africa. It wasn’t long before I did, because my Master’s programme involved an extended research project and I was fortunate that I was able to spend three months in Kenya, researching Black Rhinos.
I was looking at browse availability: the amount of food available to the rhinos and how they use those resources across the landscape. Savannah black rhinos are a browsing species, so their vegetation consists heavily of woody vegetation and shrubs. They don’t eat grass, so that’s a massive issue to overcome when you’re trying to increase the population of a critically endangered species.
I was researching what food resources were available to them in that landscape and trying to work out if there was a favoured species of plant that perhaps the reserve could grow in nurseries and then transplant into the reserve, or if there were certain areas that they could protect.
In order to try to protect the woody vegetation, the reserve had set up exclusion zones. You can think of these as a protected area: they’re surrounded with fences that are a bit like a badminton net so rhinos and zebras can pass underneath and access the food, but elephants and giraffes can’t because they’re the ones that really destroy the vegetation. I found that in some of the zones the vegetation had grown beyond the height that Black Rhinos could reach. A big part of the outcome of my research was suggesting that the reserve continue with erecting the zones because the amount of vegetation they could preserve was amazing, but that they needed to do it on a rotational basis. Let the vegetation grow 10 or 20 years and then take the fences away, let the elephants come in, destroy everything, eat all the tall growth, and then the food becomes accessible to Black Rhino again.
That trip was incredible. I loved every second of it. To work so closely with such an iconic species, and to be taking pictures on the side, it was life changing for me.
Through my studies I was fortunate to travel and work in some amazing countries and to see really inspiring wildlife up close. The photography started as a way to show my family what I was seeing.
My first ever university trip was to Madagascar – it was a research trip for my undergraduate dissertation. I stupidly went equipped only with a small action camera and we had lemurs coming down from the trees above our tents. I came back from that trip, and I had no photos to show my family. As soon as that happened, I realized I needed to get a good camera.
In between my undergraduate dissertation and my Master’s I set up my wildlife Instagram page because I had so many photos and the simple reason was I didn’t want to spam everyone on my personal page with them!
I remember at the time there were some incredible wildlife photographers but they were all sharing really dry, technical information like the shutter speed and ISO they’d used to take each photo: only of interest to camera nerds! I thought “You’ve taken a photo of a lion! There’s only 20,000 of them left in the wild and you’ve got a million followers. Why aren’t you talking about that?”
So I started sharing my images with conservation messaging and I guess it struck a chord with people and my Instagram page started to grow. I began to realise that I could reach more people through my photography and through social media than I could if I pursued the scientific research route and focused on publishing in journals, which remain really important but only reach a very small percentage of people.
Given the state of our planet and the danger that we’re in, I felt that the message needed to get out quicker. I could make more of an impact through photography with a heavy emphasis on conservation, than I could through scientific research.
“I began to realise that I could reach more people through my photography and through social media than I could if I pursued the scientific research route and focused on publishing in journals, which remain really important but only reach a very small percentage of people.”
Lara Jackson www.larawildlife.co.uk | Instagram: @lara_wildlife
When the pandemic happened, I was working on a dolphin conservation project in Zanzibar. All of the funding was pulled from the project, everything shut down and I had to come back to the UK. After a couple of months not doing very much, I thought to myself, maybe this is the opportunity I need to make photography part of my career. I threw myself in and went for it.
On the day the pubs opened in July 2020, my partner (who is also a wildlife photographer) and I flew to Tanzania. There were no travel restrictions at the time. We were working for a safari company who were desperately trying to raise awareness of the situation over there.
Reserves and conservancies rely heavily on the money generated by ecotourism in Africa to fund conservation, anti-poaching, security and rangers. Through the pandemic it had all just trickled to a stop. Guides and rangers were cut off from their jobs, with families to feed, so they really wanted us to raise awareness of the problems and document the wildlife and the absence of tourists.
It was pretty amazing: we were in the Serengeti National Park and we were the only car there at peak tourism season, which was very strange. That was, I think, the trip that made me realise I really could do this. Being employed by the safari company meant they could see value in what I do.
That was when I took the ‘Beads of Blood’ photograph. It was the time of year when the annual wildebeest migration moves through the Serengeti Mara ecosystem. Wildebeest go crashing through the river and are taken down by crocodiles and lions. It’s a time when there’s a lot of prey within the ecosystem and the predators go crazy as they can secure the easiest meal possible for about two months.
We were on the bank waiting for the crossings to start. About two million wildebeest were swarming on the banks, just hanging around, waiting, and at some point, one animal would go to cross, and it would start a chain reaction. It’s overwhelming.
As we waited, I saw movement at the corner of my eye. Was that a lion? We didn’t know. So we drove the car a little closer. And there she was - this lioness had just taken down a wildebeest. Unfortunately it wasn’t a clean kill. We think the lioness was quite young and possibly quite inexperienced. She had got it down and started to eat but it was still alive. The only way I could deal with it was to look through my camera, not with the naked eye. The scientist in me was fascinated. I’d never seen a successful hunt before. But part of me was also aware that it was horrendous. It was a grizzly moment.
I think it’s important to show that nature isn’t pretty, elegant or convenient. It can be brutal.
I was lucky because she was really focused on eating - as we got closer with the vehicle she put her paw over the carcass as if saying, you know to say “This is my kill. Don’t come any closer.” She just happened to look up and she looked straight down the lens of my camera.
I took the shot and I think that’s the first time I’ve ever felt properly intimidated by a lion: usually they ignore you but she was really looking directly at us, warning us to stay away.
The vehicle was specially adapted for photography: the sides fold down so you can lie on your front in the bed of the truck and there’s nothing between you. I was right at her eye level. It was really, really intense.
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Ol Pejeta in Kenya, which is where the last two Northern White Rhinos live. There are only two left in the whole world and I was able to photograph them. For me that was a dream come true.
It’s an incredibly sad story but it’s one that really needs to be told. These animals are protected 24/7 by Rangers and I was able to photograph the relationship between the Rangers and the rhinos, which for me was special. I want to use my conservation background more and show the work that’s being done to protect nature. That’s the direction I want to move in with my photography.
I always want to use my photography as a voice for the voiceless, to raise awareness and get the message out there. A photograph conveys so much more information than a headline. I think it sticks with people. I always hope that my photography evokes an emotional response in the viewer, so they actually do something about it. I don’t want them think “oh, that’s sad” and then forget about it.
I want them to think “What can I do to help? How can I change what I’m doing to stop that happening?”
I want to ensure that the stories I’m telling have real life consequences for the good of conservation.
The weirdest thing I’ve ever found myself photographing is a fake Loch Ness Monster made out of recycled jeans! It was called Messy, the COPness Monster. WaterBear, a streaming platform dedicated to environmental documentaries, built Messy out of 800 pairs of jeans to raise awareness of COP 26 in Glasgow, and start a conversation about fast fashion.
Image credit: George Benjamin
Image credit: Lara Jackson
A day in my life can include anything and everything! Sometimes I’m just replying to emails all day. Other times I’ll be brainstorming an idea and doing research to find out about interesting or unique stories. Of course the exciting part is when you’re out on assignment, waking up early every morning to make sure you’re up for the sunrise, seeing what wildlife you come across and trying to capture everything the best way that you can.
I think the job is a lot more computer-based than people realise: they only see the photos and the travelling, but there’s a lot of work that goes into planning those trips.
Anyone who want to get into conservation and photography should know that both are incredibly competitive industries that favour people who have come from privileged backgrounds. Photography equipment is disgustingly expensive. Conservation requires you to do two years of work for free before you qualify for a paid job.
The best advice I can give is to just be relentless, to be dedicated, to never take “no” personally, because you will hear it a lot. Try to develop something that sets you apart and just keep going, because you will breakthrough eventually and you just need to get a foot in the door.
“My university trips were the thing that kickstarted everything for me, but they were expensive. It’s so important to open up those opportunities for all students, to get them out into the world. The conservation world loses so many amazing, talented people who can’t afford these things without support. Programmes like Ignite, which support the students who need it the most, are so important to help these brilliant people get a place at the table.”
Next month, I’ll be running a photography workshop in Kenya where we will have three participants who have never been to Africa before. I’m excited to share the magic with them. After that my partner and I are off to Switzerland to do a project on the lynx there. The basis of that project is to explore what they’ve done and how we might look to reintroduce the lynx in the UK and live alongside them.
Then I’ll be heading out to India to work with a rhino orphanage. They look after Greater One-horned rhinos; there are only around 3,000 left in the wild. I’m working with them to create photographs for them to use in fundraising opportunities and newsletters.
I really am obsessed with rhinos!
I always think that conservation starts in our own back garden. You might research charities nearer to home to see what projects they’re running that you could help with. For any photographers who are reading, those charities are always in need of imagery. If you’re happy to give them your photos to use for fundraising, that can really help with awareness. But also just talking about these things with friends and family, spreading the word can have a huge impact.
Image credit: Lara JacksonSince the founding of the Centre for Cancer Immunology at Southampton in 2018, cancer research at the University has developed at pace, uncovering new knowledge and delivering better treatments for patients. We spoke to Professor Peter Johnson to find out about the current state of the cancer research landscape, the progress that has been made and where the next big breakthroughs might be found.
“We’ve seen enormous shifts in new ways of diagnosing cancer and new ways of treating cancer in the last few years. We have deepened our understanding of the molecular drivers of what makes cancers develop in the first place, which has allowed us to start looking at new types of tests to see if we can find it in people before they have symptoms.
We’re running large programmes for earlier diagnosis, which look at lots of different markers in the bloodstream and tissues. For example, we are taking samples from the lining of people’s noses to see if there are changes in the epithelium there, which might reflect early lung cancer developments. This tissue is the same tissue that is found in the lungs where the cancer develops.
At the same time, we’ve also seen huge changes in the way we use the immune system to treat cancer and sophisticated ways of harnessing the immune response to recognise cancers.
In doing both of those things, we’ve generated huge amounts of data about molecular changes, whether it’s changes that are causing cancer or changes that result from immunotherapy treatments.
All this work requires very intensive, high volume data analysis to allow us to derive the maximum benefit from the tests. It’s not just about the here and now, but making sure that the results constitute a resource for the future, to allow us to do new analysis as new insights come to light. Having the ability to curate and analyse these very large data sets is going to be critically important. We have to put ourselves in a good position to do that: linking between cancer scientists and colleagues elsewhere in the University who can do complex data analysis.
We also need to develop the kind of repositories that can hold personal data securely and make sure that we have the right layers of security in place. We need to ensure the right people can access that data in the right ways, allowing them to see the information they need without other personal details. At Southampton we’ve been at the forefront of developing these trusted research environments.
There is a very fertile relationship between the NHS, the University and our commercial partners, which allows us to maximize the benefit of this very complicated data: a real synergy between biology, data science, the clinical and commercial.
“We’ve only started to scratch the surface of the information available to us. These data will be very important resources for the future as we can search them to understand how to predict the likelihood of a person developing cancer, anticipate their reaction to certain treatments, and develop better outcomes for patients.”
Professor Peter Johnson is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University and the Director of the Southampton Cancer Research UK Centre.
He is a leading expert in lymphoma, a cancer that affects the body’s diseasefighting white blood cells.
“ You hear a lot about big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), but at Southampton we’re actually doing it on the ground right now. We’re uniquely well placed to do this work, and what we’re already doing forms an important basis to build on for the future. I hope we can take this expertise out into other disease settings beyond cancer –the possibilities are endless.”
The future of healthcare - harnessing the power of information
Professor Age Chapman, Professor of Computer Science, talks about the challenges and potential of AI in a medical health research context.
“One of the big problems when you talk about AI and health is that people become anxious that AI will result in removing the clinician, but that’s absolutely not the aim. AI can be used to aid doctors and healthcare professionals in making more informed decisions.
AI allows us to harness the power of information over millions of people and all their health needs: not just their genetics or the diseases that we know they have, but also their lifestyle choices, the food they’re eating, the weather they’re exposed to and more. From that we can identify precise interventions and mitigations for their health issues.
The power of this kind of approach is the amount of information you can uncover with the data. We can take learnings all the way down to the individual level, but you can also apply it to a community and expand the concept of social care or public health. It’s a way to holistically consider what a community wellness effort looks like.
There’s also the question of fairness. All data is biased, and we’re finding that large medical data sets often draw heavily from middle-class, Northern European individuals. Sometimes when we try to correct this, there’s a challenge around how to source that data in a fair and open way, with full consent from those communities who are under-represented in the data.
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The time is ripe for us to be working together to co- design a healthy society, to bring technologists and doctors, but also the public, the patients, the carers, the government, everybody who’s involved in our health and our health decisions together to revolutionise healthcare.”
Hot on the heels of being awarded the Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award, the University announced the appointment of Pascal Matthias into the newly-created role of Associate Vice-President, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Social Justice. The post was created to raise awareness and accountability of the senior leadership team through the lens of EDI, “and importantly the wider lens of social justice,” explains Pascal. “There is a move and an appetite to centralise these issues within University strategy and policy.”
Pascal takes up the post in February 2023 and will report directly to the Vice Chancellor. His focus will be on recruitment, progression, curriculum and culture with the overarching aim of encouraging, “a sense of belonging, from the University executive board to heads of school, deans, staff, students, and professional services.” He sees each cohort as equally important.
“You can’t change culture for students without recognising the need and impact that will have on staff and vice versa. Change is for the benefit of everybody, so that we all feel more empowered, knowledgeable and comfortable,” says Pascal.
Far from starting day one with the answers, Pascal sees his role as asking the right questions, having conversations that build trust and developing a culture where it is safe to speak up.
“We need to ask the questions that will lead to more equitable outcomes. It’s important for me to listen and understand with empathy as this is a difficult space for many people. We need conversations up and down and across the University, to listen, learn, and then look at interventions.”
In terms of interventions, it will not be a case of reinventing the wheel. “The systems are there to appraise staff, to measure students, to monitor assurances and quality, but we need to look at them from different viewpoints and check that we measure what we need to measure.” Pascal uses the National Student Survey (NSS) survey as an example. Students are asked for their views on their course and provisions. “Where is there a question asking how inclusive, diverse and equitable was your education?”
As the Vice-Chancellor acknowledged when making the announcement, there is a long way to go. However, Pascal can see a real appetite for change, as evidenced by his appointment, the REC award and the University’s silver Athena Swan award for addressing known gender equality issues. Change can also come quickly.
“When people tell me Rome wasn’t built in a day, and things will take time, my response is Pompeii was destroyed in hours. We can get somewhere very quickly with appetite, recognition and awareness. And the University recognises the need for change.”
Pascal is currently a Senior Teaching Fellow, Fashion Promos, at the Winchester School of Art, and Co-Founder of Fashion Academics Creating Equality (FACE). He will take up his new role part time and is enthused by the, “great conversations I’ve already had with people who are excited about moving forward. I will unapologetically be knocking down doors to open up this conversation and making changes as needed for everybody.”
Southampton Together represents your community of alumni and donors, who give back to the University through volunteering and philanthropy. Together we are changing lives.
This year, students on our alumni-funded Ignite Programme benefitted from a comprehensive programme of workshops and training sessions, designed to help them develop the tools they need to succeed. From managing a budget to crafting the perfect job application, our Ignite scholars have access to a wealth of advice and guidance.
Many of the speakers who delivered these valuable workshops are alumni of the University, who drew on their own experiences and success to help students navigate the challenges of living alone and finding work.
Said, in his second year of studying BSc Politics and International Relations, talked about how much he was inspired by his fellow students on the workshops, as he looks to his future career.
“The interactive employability workshops were really interesting – to see so many different people in the room with different ambitions for their
futures blew my mind! We’ve all got something that we want to work towards. So many of us come from deprived backgrounds, like mine, and to see the big ambitions that everyone has, to be studying at an institution like Southampton, gives me so much confidence and self-belief: we’re all here and we all have something that we aspire to.”
We currently support 89 students through the Ignite programme and with your help we can extend this lifeline to even more.
The Ignite workshops have been amazing. I recently took the workshop on CV writing. We were directed to all these resources at the University – the CV Checker and careers advice – so when I was writing my own CV I could reflect on it, and what the speaker had to say. Thanks to the tips I got from the workshop, I had three interviews over three days for swimming teaching roles and was offered three jobs.”
Dan, MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics, 3rd year
Donors to our Cancer Immunology Fund have helped Southampton’s Centre for Cancer Immunology to attract the brightest minds to join in the fight against cancer. By funding the Centre’s cutting edge research, specialist equipment, and the talent fund, our community of supporters has helped us create a vibrant research environment where the next big discoveries can be made.
A project co-led by one of the new researchers at the Centre, Tim Fenton, Associate Professor in Cancer Biology, is already reporting gamechanging findings in the area of cervical cancer.
The study is the largest ‘omics’ study of its kind, led by researchers at UCL and the University of Southampton. The team have discovered that cervical cancer can be divided into two distinct molecular subgroups – one far more aggressive than the other.
Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in women and accounts for 528,000 new cases and 266,000 deaths worldwide each year. Even in the UK, where NHS cervical screening has dramatically reduced cancer incidence and with the national HPV vaccination programme aiming to cut rates even further, around 850 women die every year from the disease.
The word omics refers to a field of study in biological sciences that ends with -omics, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, or metabolomics. The term implies a comprehensive, or global, assessment of a set of molecules.
In collaboration with scientists at UCL and the University of Kent, researchers from the Centre for Cancer Immunology carried out an integrated analysis of molecular and clinical data on 643 cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) cases, the most common form of cervical cancer.
The study found CSCC can be divided into two distinct subgroups – C1 and C2, with nearly a quarter of patients experiencing the more clinically aggressive disease (C2). C2 tumours displayed different genetic changes and had a lower number of killer T-cells, the white blood cells responsible for killing tumour cells.
The team also found that C2 tumours were common in patients who are also HIV-positive, underlining the link to a weaker anti-tumour immune response in this group.
Tim said: “Despite major steps forward in preventing cervical cancer, many women still die from the disease. Our findings suggest that determining whether a patient has a C1 or a C2 cervical cancer could help in planning their treatment, since it appears to provide additional prognostic information beyond that gained from clinical staging (examining the size and degree to which the tumour has spread beyond the cervix at the time of diagnosis).”
Southampton researchers are using a combination of gene therapy, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology from the Hubble Telescope to understand the common causes of blindness and develop better treatments for patients in a truly bench-tobedside approach.
Our community of donors who support the Gift of Sight appeal have helped fund this groundbreaking research and deliver better outcomes for people suffering from sight loss.
Professor Andrew Lotery and his team are pioneering a new form of gene therapy for agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) – one of the most common causes of vision loss. The team have identified 52 genes that cause macular degeneration and are beginning to study each one in order to understand their role in the mechanisms for blindness, with the aim of developing new treatments.
“Using genome engineering we can edit out a single gene from cells to understand its role in the deterioration of the macula: the centre of the retina at the back of the eye” says Andrew.
Gene therapy treatment is the focus of a current clinical trial for dry AMD. If successful, it could lead to the first treatment for the disease.
Thanks to Gift of Sight donations, the team was able to buy a special retina camera. This in turn led to a £4m Wellcome Trust Grant, which has enabled Andrew to bring together leading experts in AMD from across the world.
The project uses AI to gain new insights into AMD. Through the collaboration, the team has access to over 500,000 retinal scans, each one containing one million pieces of information.
“Using the data we have collected from these scans, our computers can produce models of how the retina deteriorates over time. This allows us to predict who is at greater risk of progression of the disease, which will help in clinical management,” Andrew says.
The team’s research can quickly deliver impact on patient’s lives. Andrew recently led a clinic trial across 22 sites in the UK, focusing on the effectiveness of a drug called eplerenone. This is the most widely used treatment for another eye disease, central serous retinopathy (CSR), which affects the macula, causing blurred or distorted vision.
The result of the trial confirmed that eplerenone was not effective against CSR at all. “To many this could be seen as negative, but this is actually an important result,” says Andrew.
“This will result in eplerenone being withdrawn as a treatment for CSR, saving patients from harmful side effects. We can now focus all our efforts on finding more appropriate treatments for this debilitating disease.”
In 2022 our community of dedicated volunteers spent more than 9,000 hours generously giving their time to inspire the next generation. These wonderful volunteers have shared their experience and knowledge, and helped to support students and recent graduates to take their first steps into exciting and fulfilling careers.
E-mentoring goes from strength to strength E-Mentoring Southampton launched in 2020 and has enabled thousands of students to reach their career goals, thanks to our dedicated alumni volunteer mentors.
E-mentoring provides Southampton students and fellow alumni with opportunities to connect to industry mentors, ask questions and get advice from experts in their chosen fields, plan a sustainable and fulfilling career and build a strong professional network.
There are currently 3,065 alumni mentors signed up to the platform. If you are one of our alumni mentors, thank you! Collectively your community spent over 5,800 hours dispensing advice, providing networking opportunities and opening doors for 2,479 students and recent graduates over the past year.
The impact of our volunteer mentors was recognised this year, when the E-mentoring Southampton staff team won the 2022 Vice Chancellor’s Award for ‘Enabling the University Strategy’.
Georgie Barrow (LLB Law, 2021) connected with a mentor who helped her secure a role as a trainee solicitor when she graduated from the University. “It’s very easy to search for mentors. I found one who is experienced in the legal profession. He was extremely helpful, giving me advice on applications to law firms.”
Last year construction began on a major extension to Highfield campus’s Jubilee Sports Centre. A ground-breaking ceremony for the centre, held in October, officially began the University’s £40 million investment in sports and wellbeing facilities and the start of wider improvements across the University’s estate.
The development is part of an ambitious programme of rejuvenation and refurbishment totalling £600 million, across the University’s campuses, which will create the best education and studying facilities for students, enable world-class research to take place, and foster collaboration with businesses.
Work will include removing buildings no longer fit for purpose, refurbishing existing buildings, improving accommodation and enhancing open spaces. The developments will support the University’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, as alongside improvements to the estate, travel, waste and recycling considerations will be addressed.
The Jubilee Sports Centre, on the University’s Highfield Campus, was named for the Diamond Jubilee of her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is widely used by staff, students and the surrounding community including local schools who use the swimming pool.
The extension to the centre will include a modernised gym with 200 exercise stations, five new sports studios including dedicated martial arts and indoor cycling spaces, and a bouldering/ climbing wall. It is due to open in summer 2024.
Elsewhere on campus, the University’s anechoic chamber, managed by the Institute of Sound and
Vibration also underwent a major refurbishment in 2022 thanks to a gift left by the late inventor and acoustics pioneer, John Gozzard in his will.
The ISVR’s anechoic chamber is one of the largest in the country and was last renovated in 1996. The upgraded chamber was refreshed with cutting-edge materials, which will enable students and researchers to develop new and exciting solutions to noise and vibration issues, from improving cochlear implants for people with severe deafness, to leading the way in aircraft noise reduction.
The gift also provided funds to upgrade teaching laboratories with state-of-the-art computer workstations for students, and specialised equipment to support learning.
Professor Mark Smith said: “Over the next five years we will be making significant investments in our buildings and infrastructure to ensure we are providing research and teaching facilities that enable our staff and students to continue to excel.
“This significant investment is for the benefit of both the University and the city of Southampton. I would like to thank all those involved in months of planning and I am looking forward to watching the development take shape over the coming months.”
2022 saw a record number of Southampton’s talented alumni recognised for their professional and personal successes with major awards.
In July, the University held its inaugural Outstanding Alumni Awards, at a dinner hosted by the Vice Chancellor. The awards celebrate just some of the exceptional individuals in our alumni community, who demonstrate excellence in their fields and are changing the world for the better.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr S Chelvan (BSc Politics and Law, 1998)
Dr S Chelvan practices as an immigration and asylum barrister, attracting national and international acclaim. He is well known for his prominent and policy-oriented advocacy for minority and, particularly, LGBTQ+ rights. He is considered the leading legal expert in the UK on LGBTQ+ asylum law. As of 1st September 2022, Chelvan also serves as a visiting professor at the Research Centre for International Law and Globalisation at the University of Southampton.
“As an Advocate, Activist, and Academic, who fully owes my undergraduate years at Southampton for providing me the safe space to ignite my passion for social justice, the Lifetime Achievement Award has been life-changing. Awarded in recognition of my work in Refugee, and LGBTQ+ rights, I also returned to Southampton from last September as a Visiting Adjunct Professor of Law, at the Centre for International Law and Globalisation.
This new role provides me an opportunity to share with students a symbiotic approach to strategic litigation, policy development, and academic research. I look forward to inspiring students, by sharing the fact that they too can be living their dream and be positive change-makers.”
Dr S Chelvan BSc Politicsand Law, 1998
Rising Star Award winner, Dr Kizanne JamesMcCarthy reflected on the connections she made during her time at the University. “I’m really humbled and grateful for this award, it means a lot. Southampton is a very prestigious university, so I feel honoured.
I have so many fond memories of my time at the University because we just got so much support here! Julie Cullen, who was one of my lecturers on my master’s in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care, and her colleague Yvette ran sessions for international students and every week we would talk about our cultures
and adjusting to life in the UK. We would bring different things from our countries, and it was such a warm environment.
I built such strong relationships. I now have a very good friend from Lebanon; she’s based in the UK now. I have friends in Egypt and all sorts of different parts of the world. I wouldn’t have made those connections if it wasn’t for being here at Southampton.”
Dr Kizanne James-McCarthy (MSc Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care, 2018)
Dr Kizanne James-McCarthy is a multi-award-winning leader, Chevening Scholar, women’s rights and health activist and physician with a passion for global health. She promotes family planning through activities including voluntary talks on sexual health at prisons and other institutions and developing digital services giving information about contraception.
Alumni Service Award
Jim (BSc Economics, 1956) and Monica Hubner (BA German, 1955)
Jim and his late wife Monica met as students at Southampton in the 1950s, and since graduating stayed closely connected to the University. Jim and Monica, who sadly passed away last year, were both active members of the University Council over many years. They both had a strong belief in the importance of the alumni community and its power to build meaningful relationships beyond graduation.
James has been a passionate supporter of a wide range of projects and priorities across the University, using his time, expertise and energy to help develop volunteering, mentoring, advocacy, enterprise and engagement in support of our students, research and infrastructure.
The University was well-represented in the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards, with finalists and winners in the Business and Innovation Award category in Jordan, India and Nigeria, as well as at the Global Award level.
Global finalist, Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal credits his time at Southampton as key to the success of his education management company in India.
Annalle Abuammar (MSc. Artificial Intelligence, 2020)
Finalist, Business and Innovation category
India
Rohit Mukul (LLB, 2017)
Winner, Business and Innovation category
Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal (MBA, 2007)
Finalist, Business and Innovation category
Nigeria
Oluwafemi Adedipe (MSc. Business Strategy and Innovation, 2016)
Winner, Business and Innovation category
Damilola Teidi (MSc. Business Strategy and Innovation, 2014)
Finalist, Business and Innovation category
Global Awards
Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal (MBA, 2007)
Finalist
Rohit Mukul (far left) Annalle Abuammar Damilola Teidi Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal“My mentor and guide from the Education DepartmentProfessor John Taylor - was pivotal in helping me start my entrepreneurial journey. University staff went above and beyond what I could ever have expected. Even after completing my studies, I still have an active connection with Southampton which says something about the University’s commitment to students and alumni. With my first start-up, Strategum Eduserve, I set out to transform India’s education sector. Through my education management company, I have already established over 50 schools, colleges and universities across India … My vision is to encourage and provide the new generation of learners with first-rate learning tools for an affordable, well-rounded and joyful education.”
Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Global finalistThe University of Southampton contributes £4.14 billion to the UK economy every year, according to the 2022 Economic Impact Report conducted by independent consultants London Economics. For every pound spent by the University, £7.40 was generated in economic benefit.
Approximately £1.6 billion of this economic impact occurs in the South East – with a very significant proportion of this occurring within Southampton itself.
The University also contributes £69 million to Southampton’s tourism industry, coming from approximately 23,000 study trips, business meetings and visits to see friends and family.
The Economic Impact Report indicates that every region and sector of the UK benefits from the activities of the University. The economic impact of the University on the East of England was estimated to be about £100 million in 2020-2021, while the economic impact on the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber were £83 million and £69 million respectively.
Our research, enterprise and knowledge exchange provides our largest economic impact, equating to £2.07 billion across the UK economy in the academic year 2020-2021.
2022 was a milestone year for the University, as we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II granting us our Royal Charter. This act, which signalled the formal creation of the University, was one of the first of the new queen’s reign.
In May we celebrated the landmark year with a special 70th anniversary event, welcoming over 375 alumni back to Highfield Campus, as well as members of our donor community, for a day of lectures, tours, reminiscing and quizzes.
Lecture theatres were packed to the rafters as Pro-Chancellor and alumnus Jon Sopel sat down with Professor Russell Bentley to talk about his experience covering the Trump Presidency, the state of American politics today and his next venture after leaving the BBC.
We also saw the crowds piling in to hear about the future of medicine and smart partnerships between medical researchers and data scientists. The team explained how cross-disciplinary research may be the key to the next big breakthroughs in tackling the world’s toughest diseases.
Guests also enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine, and a pub quiz all about Southampton and the history of the University.
2022 was also a success across all major league table rankings. We were delighted by the news that the University rose two places to 13th in the Complete University Guide 2023 and climbed another place in the Guardian University Guide 2023 to 16th, with 13 subject areas in the top 10.
Southampton also retained its 16th place spot for the second year running in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. Globally, we remain in the world top 80, with a ranking of 78 in the QS World University Rankings 2023
The University was also recognised for its excellence in health and science in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject 2023. Southampton rose to 88th in the global league table for Clinical Health, and maintained strong positions in Life Sciences and Engineering.
The University’s excellence in health and science was further endorsed this year when the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced funding of £25 million for the Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) over the next five years.
Southampton has spearheaded NIHR-funded nutrition and respiratory research since 2008. Most recently, the BRC played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This latest significant investment will enable new themes for Data Health and Society; Microbiology, Immunology and Infection; and Perioperative and Critical Care. The funding is an increase of around 80% from the £14 million received in 2017-2022.
“We are extremely proud of our partnership with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and this significant increase in funding is a testament to the ground-breaking work taking place across our communities.”
Professor Mark Smith Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton
In the summer we welcomed over 3,700 new graduates to our alumni community, as well as five honorary graduates whose expertise in their respective fields serves as an inspiration and exemplifies the University’s mission to achieve the remarkable and build an inclusive world. Almost 1,000 further graduates celebrated their graduation at our December ceremonies. Congratulations to all our new graduates, and a warm welcome to your alumni community!
Dr Stefan Cross KC (Hons) – Stefan Cross is one of the UK’s leading employment lawyers – his pioneering equal pay litigation has changed the legal landscape. Stefan a working-class boy on free school meals, graduated with an LLB Law degree from Southampton in 1982. From 2003-2013 his own firm, Stefan Cross Solicitors, conducted more than 30,000 successful equal pay claims, recovering more than £2bn for low paid women and men.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond DL FRSE FBA FAcSS – Professor Sir Ian Diamond is the UK’s National Statistician, Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Head of the Government Statistical Service. Sir Ian is a passionate teacher and researcher, who has worked on the analysis of large and complex data sets, most notably in population, and on census design and analysis. He spent almost 23 years at Southampton as Lecturer, Professor, Head of Social Statistics, Dean of Social Sciences and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
Admiral Dr Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC – Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has been the Chief of Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces, since November 2021. Previously, he was the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff. Sir Tony’s operational service has involved: the Iran/Iraq Tanker War; security duties in the Falklands; NATO embargo operations in the Adriatic; countering smuggling in Hong Kong and the Caribbean; and three command tours in Iraq. Sir Tony graduated from Southampton with an LLB Law degree in 1989.
Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE FIEY – Dr Hayaatun Sillem is the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. She has extensive leadership experience in UK and international engineering innovation, and diversity and inclusion activities.
Professor Derrick Swartz – Professor Derrick Swartz is a science advisor, higher education leader and democratic activist in South Africa. He is currently serving as Special Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, working on ‘grand challenges’ in climate change, renewable energy, health, food sovereignty and sustainable economic development.
“Receiving the honorary degree meant the world to me: it’s like a proud parent patting you on the back. It’s a recognition of the work I’ve done from an institution I’m very proud of. The University has such a power to change lives. It changed mine, and it means so much more to be recognised in this way by an institution I hold in such high esteem.”
Dr Stefan Cross Honorary Graduate and alumnus
Class Notes is a regular feature of Hartley News: alumni from across the decades get back in touch with life updates to share. Do you recognise any of the names from your years at Southampton?
Brian Thomas Hitch (BSc Chemistry with Physics, 1959) now lives in Naples, Florida after retiring from a long, esteemed career with British Petroleum. Brian’s family became US citizens in 1970 but he, along with his wife, still continues to enjoy visits to their original home in Poole, Dorset.
Veronica Thomas-Fuller (BA English and French, 1965) would love to get in touch again with any of her fellow graduates or anyone who has fond memories of their time together at the University of Southampton.
Bob Ingram (BSc Electrical Engineering, 1969) along with six friends from his Southampton University days celebrated their collective 75th birthdays this year. The group has gathered generally on an annual basis ever since they first studied together. They are Peter Hutchinson (BSc Maths, 1968), Tina Hutchinson nee Farquharson (BSc Maths, 1968), Richard King (BSc Maths, 1968), Phyllis King nee Martin (BSc Chemistry, 1968) and Alan Walker (BSc Maths, 1968). The group sends best wishes to any fellow students who may remember them.
Jeremy Krause (BSc Geography, 1972) now lives back in the South of England and enjoys exploring again the chalk downlands. He has great memories of Professor John Small explaining all about the downlands to him and his fellow classmates back in ‘72.
Stuart Barry (BSc Electronic Engineering, 1973), after reading the RAG Week article in the recent edition of Hartley News, reminisces about his time on the organising committee of the 1972 RAG Week. He shares memories of a lovingly crafted dragon made from wood, chicken wire and papier-mâché that made an appearance in the local newspaper after being kidnapped and placed inside the middle of Stonehenge by rival departments of the University.
Ray Rumsby (MA Education Curriculum Studies, 1974) now 75 years of age, has had his first book, The Prentice-Boy, published by Claret Press. A literary-historical novel set two hundred years ago written from the perspectives of an aquatint artist, William Daniell, and a runaway teenager living on the streets of London. The Prentice-Boy, recommended for reading-groups, is available from October Books in Portswood.
Ray Rumsby (MA Education Curriculum Studies, 1974)
Richard King, Bob Ingram, Peter Hutchinson, Alan Walker. Marsali Walker, Phyllis King (nee Martin), Tina Hutchinson (nee Farquharson) and Anne Ingram
Jonathan Cross (BSc Geography, 1989) recently published his first book ‘Making very difficult things easy to do’. A surreal self-help parody inspired by the purchase of a pandemic puppy.
Dr Bruce Englefield (MSc Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling, 1996) recently received the Order of Australia for their conservation and community work, an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service.
Dr. Irene Crocker (PhD Medicine, 1999) cowrote a fascinating new book, sharing memoirs from her mother’s time growing up in the Netherlands during the second world war. The book ‘Brave Face: The Inspiring WWII Memoir of a Dutch/German Child’, published by Amsterdam Publishers, is available now.
Ian Wyllie (BEng Mechanical Engineering, 2002) is sailing solo around the UK and Ireland in his aged Vancouver 27 ‘Trilleen’ as part of his rehabilitation from a spinal injury and mental health issues. During the sail Ian will raise funds for, and awareness of, the Andrew Cassell Foundation a unique charity that helps disabled people become independent sailors.
Miss Elizabeth Falzon of Windsor (BA Fashion, 2006), the daughter of Mrs Deanna Catherine Falzon and the late Mr Vivian Egidio Falzon, is to marry Mr Nicholas William Kingdom of Finchampstead. He is the son of Mr John Richard
Kingdom of Bristol and Mrs Christine Suzanne Kingdom of Bedfordshire. Elizabeth and Nicholas got engaged at the top of Mount Hoven while on a Norwegian Fjords Cruise on Thursday 2nd June. They plan to marry in May 2023.
Hector Hamilton (MEng Electrical Engineering, 2016) was recently selected for the Young Printmaker prize, an award for artists under the age of 35 working in print, for his work in the Wells Cathedral Exhibition. A later stage of his piece, ‘Brutally Untitled 6’, has also been selected for exhibit by the RE Printmakers in Bankside this September.
Melissa Albarran (BA Spanish and English, 2018), who moved to Edinburgh shortly after graduating, secured a managerial position at the award winning, female led PR agency Represent Comms. Melissa says “Studying at the University of Southampton gave me the skillset, work ethic, and confidence to take on a senior role at this first-class agency within a few years of graduating.”
Jill Lovelock née Denmark (BSc Social Sciences, 1969, in Commerce and Law) died on 9th March 2022, aged 73. She had been diagnosed with metastatic (‘secondary’) breast cancer in 2009, after a ‘brush’ with the disease a few years earlier, but had continued to live a full and active life.
Jill and Robin (BSc Social Sciences, 1969, in Politics and Sociology; MSc Social Sciences, 1998, in Political Theory) married in July 1970. Having stayed in Southampton they bought
Jonathan Cross (BSc Geography, 1989)an early-Victorian townhouse in the centre of the city in 1975, where Robin continues to live. He is also continuing to spend 2-3 months each year in several visits to their old stone house in a small country village in central France. Jill had a successful career as a local government officer: two spells totalling over twenty-three years working for Hampshire County Council ‘bookended’ fifteen-and-a-half years at Southampton City Council. In the last decade or so of her career Jill played a key role in developing Hampshire’s international policy and links, including managing a multi-authority office in Brussels.
Professor George Stevenson died peacefully in Oxfordshire on 1st July.
During his career, George pioneered the idea that antibodies could be used to treat cancer and along with his wife, Professor Freda Stevenson, established the Tenovus Cancer Research Group at the University of Southampton. Southampton continued George’s world-leading cancer immunology research and, thanks to the support of the alumni and supporter community, opened the UK’s first Centre for Cancer Immunology in 2018.
Outside of work, George led a busy social life, enjoying squash, chess and understanding how things work, especially his favourite subject –clocks, which he spent time building and repairing. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends including his wife Freda and three sons, James, Philip and Neil.
We were delighted to receive a letter recently from Heather Leigh, neé Spence (BA Languages, 1956). Heather met her future husband, John Leigh, during her studies and went on to have a successful and varied career in teaching, setting up the Spanish Department at Enfield School, serving as a Deputy Head at a school in Walthamstow and eventually founding her own language school, Leigh Languages, which she still runs today.
Heather wrote to us about her reluctance to go to university, as she had at that time set up a Dance School in Southampton which she wanted to expand. Her father insisted that she attend university first. Heather trained several dancers for the Rag Ball in 1953, putting her dance teaching skills to good use.
Heather’s husband John sadly died seven years ago, but she recently remarried and moved to live nearer the eldest of her two sons. Heather said:
Stay updated We’d love to keep you up to date with all the latest news, events and opportunities from your alumni and supporter community. We may not have your most recent details, however, so let us know how to stay in touch:
Go online to www.southampton. ac.uk/alumni-update
Or fill in the enclosed form and return it
“I began teaching in 1957 and I’m still teaching. I have been teaching for 63 years non-stop except for two periods of maternity leave. How lucky it was that I paid attention to my Father and agreed to go to university. I have never forgotten the happy days I spent there. I was an only child. I spent my childhood evacuated away from my parents. My father was in the Merchant Navy. He was a sick man having had cancer of the stomach at the age of 25 and the first person to receive radiation treatment. He survived the war but was frequently ill. I was halfway through my final exams at Southampton University when I received a phone call at my Halls of Residence telling me my father was in hospital seriously ill. My father survived that night but died a few months later. How I wish now I could tell him how grateful I am for what he did.”
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