Celebrating our star performers

Professor Paul Croney OBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, announced the winners of the Team Teesside Star Awards 2021-2022 at a prestigious gala evening event held at Middlesbrough Campus, celebrating the very best of Team Teesside.

The annual awards recognise the exceptional contributions of colleagues who have gone above and beyond to make our University such a special place to work and study.

More than 400 nominations were received from colleagues and students across nine categories, for individuals and teams who have made an outstanding contribution over the last 12 months.

All the submissions were reviewed by a judging panel of University Executive Team members and Student Representatives to select the finalists.

Our Star Award winners are:

Innovation, Enterprise, and Engagement Dr Kath Swainston, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, Dr Claire O'Malley, Research Associate, School of Health & Life Sciences, and Vik Brown, Lifestyle Clinic Coordinator and Lighten Your Load (LYL) Co-ordinator, Student and Library Services

Outstanding Teaching Dr Naheed Roni, Lecturer in Business Management, Teesside University International Business School

Research Excellence Dr Maria Angeles Juanes Ortiz, Senior Lecturer of Biomedical Science, School of Health & Life Sciences

Outstanding Student Support Service Dr Annalisa Occhipinti, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science (Data Analytics), School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies

Living our Values Dr Kevin Thomas, Associate Dean (International), School of Health & Life Sciences

Outstanding Leadership Professor Sarah Perks, Professor & Head of Department (Art & Design), School of Arts & Creative Industries

Unsung Hero Nicola Brennan, Administrator, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law

Fantastic Feedback Dr Quan Bing Eric Li, Associate Professor (Research), School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies

Team of the Year Health & Safety, Human Resources department

Professor Croney also congratulated and thanked colleagues who had completed 25 or 40 years of service, and others who had achieved significant personal accolades such as Teaching Fellowships or Professorships.

Professor Croney OBE said: ‘At Teesside University we truly value the contributions from every member of our University community.

‘Our shared goal is to make the University an outstanding place to work and study. These awards celebrate the very best of Team Teesside and highlight where we work together, support one another, and strive to achieve excellence in everything we do.

‘I’m delighted and proud that so many colleagues once again took the time to nominate their peers for these awards, and I congratulate our finalists and winners.’

---