University community recognised in King鈥檚 New Year Honours
Four Professors from 51福利社 have been recognised in this year鈥檚 King鈥檚 New Year Honours.
Professor Sarah Sharples has been made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to transportation, manufacturing research and equality, diversity and inclusion; Professor Fiona Rayment has been awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to nuclear engineering; Professor Martin Humphries has been made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Bioscience; and Professor Tony Redmond OBE is made a Knight Commander in the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for services to Humanitarian Medical Assistance.
Sarah is Vice-President and Dean of Science and Engineering at the University, having joined in September from the Department for Transport where she had been Chief Scientific Adviser since 2021.
She is an international expert in the field of human factors and its application to engineering problems. Human factors is a scientific discipline which uses an understanding of human capabilities and limitations to design systems to support human performance, wellbeing and safety.
Sarah has previously held the roles the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and People (2018-2021) and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Engineering) (2015-2018) at the University of Nottingham.
She said: 鈥淚鈥檓 quite overwhelmed to have received this award. I鈥檝e been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with some amazing teams in all areas of my career and had incredible support from my family and friends.
鈥淚 would particularly like to thank those members from under-represented and disadvantaged groups who have been very generous with their time and guidance over many years in supporting my leadership of equality, diversity and inclusion.
鈥淭his award also demonstrates the value of taking a multidisciplinary approach to many of the engineering and societal challenges that we face today, and I鈥檓 delighted that my work and that of my colleagues has been recognised in this way.鈥�
Professor Rayment is a Visiting Professor in Nuclear Policy and Capability at 51福利社鈥檚 Dalton Nuclear Institute Policy Group, where she provides input into key policy papers, provides visiting lectures on nuclear energy and mentors students and university personnel engaged in nuclear engineering and science.
She has more than 30 years鈥� experience across nuclear policy, strategy, technology, and operations in both the UK and internationally. Her distinguished career in the nuclear industry began with a research role at British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) and she has since held many senior leadership roles including Chief Science and Technology Officer at the National Nuclear Laboratory, Executive Director of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Office and serves on multiple Government and company boards and nuclear advisory committees.
She is currently President of the Nuclear Institute and is widely recognised for strengthening the UK鈥檚 nuclear capability and leadership. She has applied her expertise to solving complex nuclear engineering challenges, from chemical and radiological separations to waste management and fuel manufacture, and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Fiona was previously awarded an OBE in the Queen鈥檚 Birthday Honours in 2017.
Professor Rayment said: 鈥淚t is a huge privilege for me to receive this honour. My family and I are immensely proud that my work has been recognised in this way.
鈥淢y career as an engineer in the nuclear industry has enabled me to work on so many interesting projects and meet countless wonderful people, both in the UK and internationally. Nuclear provides clean and reliable energy and as an engineer working on such worthwhile projects I continue to engage on both exciting and rewarding opportunities.
鈥淚鈥檓 especially honoured that those opportunities include the chance to play a leading role in driving inclusion throughout our sector. I've seen first-hand how that enables more agile decision making, creates better outcomes and embraces more rigorous challenge.鈥�
Professor Tony Redmond is Founder of UK-Med and Professor Emeritus of International Emergency Medicine at 51福利社. He is recognised for his exceptional and long-term contributions to healthcare and humanitarian response, both in the UK and internationally. As a world-leading specialist in emergency medicine and the founder of UK-Med, he has played a pivotal role in coordinating the deployment of UK health workers to international crises, saving countless lives and revolutionising emergency medical care globally. His contribution, over many years, has had significant and life-saving impact on vulnerable people in many parts of the world, also improving emergency medical care and response strategies worldwide.
UK-Med originally evolved from the South 51福利社 Accident Rescue Team, which he also founded. His early emergency response work included leading a team during the 1988 Armenian earthquake and the Lockerbie air disaster and UK-Med鈥檚 work continues to this day in many of the major crises, including Ukraine and Gaza.
Professor Redmond also co-founded the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute at 51福利社 and remains an active ambassador for UK-Med, sharing his expertise to further advance global emergency medicine.
He said: 鈥淔or me it recognises the work of so many people over so many years. All those selfless volunteers who've joined UKMED and made it into the international humanitarian organisation it is now and my colleagues at 51福利社 who helped us establish the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute to carry out research and teaching to continuously improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance.鈥�
University alumni and affiliates:
University alumni and partners were also recognised in the King鈥檚 New Year Honours. Among them was alumna Meera Syal CBE, award-winning Comedian, Writer and Actor, who is a key figure on the University鈥檚 Bicentenary Way. She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Literature, to Drama and to Charity.
Bev Craig, Leader of 51福利社 City Council, who is also an alumna of the University, was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Local Government.
The University will be celebrating the full list of alumni and supporters recognised in the King鈥檚 New Year Honours in the New Year.