CATE Winners
2025 CATE Winners - We are Chemistry (WaC)
We are Chemistry (WaC) is a student-staff partnership in Warwick's Department of Chemistry that puts collaboration at the heart of everything they do. Established in 2022, the team empowers students as genuine partners in educational transformation, creating lasting change that extends far beyond the department.
Tell us about your award-winning work...
Dr Tom Ritchie (Co-Lead, Department of Chemistry):
"What makes WaC special is that it's genuinely student-led. We learned early on that traditional engagement models weren't working - students felt disconnected and many were struggling to belong. So, we flipped the approach entirely.
We started conducting exit interviews with students who had left Chemistry, which revealed barriers we'd never considered. This led to our 'high-value, low-risk' philosophy - students can engage with projects they're passionate about without committing to rigid, long-term roles that don't fit their study pressures. The results speak for themselves. Students have co-designed curriculum modules, created a series of activities to engage students in URSS, established peer support networks, and developed the Warwick Black Chemistry Society. We've seen measurable improvements in lab skills, participation rate in extra-curricular activities, and importantly, we've reduced the awarding gap for Black students.
What's really exciting is how this has grown. The collaborative principles we developed with our Student Interns became the foundation for Warwick's Building Belonging Framework, which now shapes strategy across the entire university and beyond."
How does it feel to be recognised with a CATE award?
Adam Alcock (Co-Lead, formerly Student Engagement and Experience Coordinator, Department of Chemistry):
"This recognition means everything to our Student Interns - they're the ones driving this work. When students see that their leadership and innovation is being celebrated at this level, it validates what we've always believed: that genuine partnership transforms education.
It's also wonderful that universities across the UK and internationally are now asking us to share our approach. Our students are presenting at conferences and helping other institutions develop their own partnership models. That's the real impact - seeing these ideas spread and helping students everywhere have a stronger voice in their education."
