Unsung Hero / Heroes

In the short time since joining Loughborough as a University Teacher in Criminology and Sociology in 2022, Dr Matt Long has initiated a range of new activities. Matt has volunteered to undertake outreach activities among feeder schools and has delivered excellent presentations to e.g., Year 10 students who have visited campus and to secondary school students in their home school environments.

Furthermore, Matt has volunteered to be part of the University's Chaplaincy Team as an associate Chaplain. In this role, he has taken the initiative to hold several CSSP-Chaplaincy drop-ins that have combined support for students with support of charitable causes in the local area.

Sean Creedon

About 12 months ago we merged the technical teams in Materials and Chemical Engineering. Sean took on the line management of the whole team and increased his direct reports from 4 to 9. Sean has taken on several additional responsibilities with superb leadership and is the key point of contact for academic staff from both departments.

If you have a VIP touring the facilities - ask Sean. If you have an accreditation visit and want to demonstrate that we are competent on H&S - ask Sean. If you can't get things fixed in a lab - ask Sean. If your student/researcher needs an odd bit of equipment that nobody else can find - ask Sean.

Pauline Matturi 

Pauline is the face that people see to welcome them at ‘Welcome to Loughborough’, the person who celebrates individuals at the long-service events, and says a loving goodbye at the retirement dinner. Her impact is such that people name her specifically in feedback and even go so far to give her a shoutout via social media!

But it goes beyond this, it is how she passes that ethos on to those she encounters and articulates to all what it really means to belong and be included at Loughborough.

Richard Blanchard

Dr. Blanchard is an unsung hero who has passionately dedicated his career to tackling energy poverty in the global south. He was the first and bold researcher to propose a project focused on using hydrogen for cooking in the global south through the Sustainable Hydrogen CDT.

In his own words from the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) website, Dr. Blanchard says, "Smoke from traditional cooking causes the death of millions of people each year, encourages deforestation and contributes towards global warming. It is time we modernise energy cooking services. Dr. Blanchard continues to be at the forefront of tackling energy poverty in the global south.

Berkeley Young

As a dedicated Research Administrator in our esteemed institution, Berkeley has consistently gone above and beyond to support academics and Postgraduate Research (PGR) students in their doctoral research journeys. What truly sets Berkeley apart is his innate kindness and approachability.

Regardless of the challenges students face, they can always count on Berkeley's open door and welcoming demeanour. His selfless dedication, exceptional support, and unwavering commitment to our academics and PGR students make him truly deserving of this esteemed recognition.