Loughborough University is proud to announce that Professor Sheryl Williams has been named a finalist in the prestigious PRECIOUS Awards, which celebrate the achievements of outstanding women of colour across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
For the first time, a Loughborough academic has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Woman in STEM category. Professor Sheryl Williams is one of only three nominees from across the UK to receive this honour in 2025.
Professor Williams said: “It is a real honour to be a finalist in these awards, which have to date recognised hundreds of remarkable women of colour across all fields of academia and enterprise. It is particularly important to me, given my focus as an international champion, that this year the STEM category is by The Ilesha Trust, a remarkable private charity that works to support diversity and equality.”
Professor Williams was nominated for her tireless work to make engineering more accessible to young people, and for her leadership in initiatives promoting equity, diversity and inclusion within the discipline.
The PRECIOUS Awards were launched in 2008 by writer and editor Foluke Akinlose MBE to provide a platform to celebrate the brilliance, resilience, and innovation of Black women and women of colour in the UK. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on 21 November.