2024 Research Award winners announced

We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Research Awards. The winners were presented with their awards at a showcase event and awards ceremony which took place on campus on Tuesday 18 June, along with the recipients of this year’s Research Output Prizes.

This year’s Awards included a new Interdisciplinary Research category and we received a number of high quality entries on a broad range of topics, reflecting the creativity and impact, and depth and breadth, of research activities taking place across the University.

Seven outstanding projects were shortlisted and a winner was chosen in each category. The four winners are:

External Collaboration and Innovation

Andrew Daymond (Crop Science) and Tom Sizmur (Geography & Environmental Science)
Sustainable soil solutions: Revitalising Ghana's cocoa farming

More sustainable cocoa farming is now possible thanks to research co-developed by University of Reading crop and soil scientists working with Ghanaian partners. Through participation and training events, farmers and entrepreneurs have adopted organic soil amendments resulting in improved soil health, greater cocoa yields and private sector interest.

The judges said: "An impressive project, with a clear purpose and wide stakeholder engagement, that has the potential for very large longer term impact."

Interdisciplinary Research

FoodSEqual Team
FoodSEqual: Healthy, sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Reading and four partner universities are working alongside food, government and civil society stakeholders to address food poverty in culturally-diverse disadvantaged communities. Through co-creation, it develops innovative solutions that tackle a lack of access to healthy, sustainable food, empowering communities to have choice and agency over their diets.

The judges said: "An excellent transdisciplinary project with lots of wide-ranging partners that has clear outcomes and a well-defined trajectory to achieving significant impact.”

Public Engagement with Research

Emma Aston (Classics) and Andrew Mangham (English Literature)
In the Company of Monsters: New visions, ancient myths

The 'In the Company of Monsters' exhibition, co-curated by University of Reading researchers, engaged young audiences in museum experiences, using mythology and modern reinterpretations to challenge perceptions of difference. Its legacy has inspired plans for future museum visits, educational and digital resources and more challenging contemporary issue-based exhibitions.

The judges said: “Based on a successful exhibition, this is an excellent project showing considerable creativity and innovation, very promising outcomes and subsequent engagement that has potential for longer term impact.”

Research Impact

Frances Hamilton and Tahlia-Rose Virdee (Law)
LGBTQ+ travel tool: Safeguarding mobility for diversity

A new online travel tool, developed by University of Reading law researchers, is helping organisations develop policies for LGBTQ+ international travel and empowering individuals to check their employer's safeguards. Addressing a major policy gap and endorsed by advocacy and education organisations, the tool is being adopted by organisations across the UK.

The judges said: ““An impressive project that represents a thoughtful and important intervention in response to a demonstrable need which has had immediate take up by UK universities and wider engagement beyond HE demonstrating the tool’s significance.”

Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation said: “I congratulate every one of the researchers who applied for the awards this year and hope that the projects inspire you to find out more about our research and the ways we work together to ensure research brings benefits to all.”

You can find out more about all the winning and shortlisted projects by visiting the awards webpage and checking out our Twitter @UniRdg_Research.