Winner - Emma Austin (School of Law)

Social welfare practice is in crisis, with demand for legal advice having risen exponentially, whilst capacity in the sector has significantly depleted. To ensure access to justice is retained for the most vulnerable in society, it is essential young lawyers are inspired to pursue careers in publicly-funded social welfare fields. I see every student session as an opportunity to ignite in them a passion for social justice. Having no formal teaching background, I endeavour to do so by sharing who I am with my students; with all I’ve learnt from the diverse personal and professional experiences that have shaped me.

About Emma

Emma is a Community Care and Public Law Solicitor at Central England Law Centre, where her work focuses on implementing the charity’s innovative ‘Rights in Community Strategy’. Emma leads the Strategic Social Justice Clinic with Warwick LinC, and is an Honorary Associate Professor at Warwick Law School.

Highly Commended - Kerem Öge (Politics and International Studies)

My teaching approach at the University of Warwick aligns with its Education Strategy, emphasizing student-centred teaching, embracing diversity, fostering innovation, enhancing employability, and integrating research. I focus on creating transformative, context-specific learning experiences in Politics and International Studies (PAIS) that stress real-world applicability. My methods include delivering inclusive content that supports students' comprehensive development across academic, social, cultural, emotional, and ethical dimensions. I enhance employability with inclusive support, and I am committed to excellence by co-creating the curriculum with students, incorporating their input to make our teaching and assessments more responsive and effective.

About Kerem

I am a Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Studies (PAIS), specializing in climate change, energy politics, public policy, and artificial intelligence. I also hold other roles as the Director of the MA in Public Policy, PAIS Employability and Alumni Lead, and Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA).

Commended - Sivamohan Valluvan (Sociology)

My ethos to teaching is modelled around a principle of disciplinary integrity, pedagogical passion and student inclusion. Today’s teaching environment contends with multiple risks, not least the erosion of tailored learning connections with individual students alongside the danger of simplified content to meet a consumerist era of higher education. My approach reflectively resists such tendencies. Through a combination of cultivating a lively and energetic teaching persona, establishing strong personalised bonds with students, and establishing a scaffolded learning approach, my teaching approach is dedicated to learners taking agential, impassioned and empowering ownership over often highly intimidating content and debates central to the disciplinary identity.

About Sivamohan

Sivamohan Valluvan (known as Vallu) is Associate Professor in Sociology, joining Warwick in 2017. Vallu convenes two modules – History of Sociological Thought and Postcolonial Theory – but has experience across a suite of mainly theory-oriented courses. He is also enthusiastic about supervising emergent researchers, be it URSS (7), doctoral candidates (11) or postdocs (2).

Postgraduates who teach award: Social Sciences Faculty

Winner - Gabriel du Plessis (Sociology)

At the heart of my teaching philosophy lies a commitment to fostering environments where students feel valued, supported, and empowered. Central to this approach to teaching is a sustained recognition of diversity in all its forms, and the importance of creating inclusive spaces where every voice is heard and respected. Through this and a focus on engaged pedagogy, I approach teaching as an opportunity to not only co-create knowledge but also collectively imagine possibilities and futures beyond current boundaries. In doing so, I aim to facilitate spaces where learning is collaborative, inclusive, and transformative.

About Gabriel

Gabriel du Plessis is a PhD candidate at the department of Sociology. Their PhD research focuses on the freedom-seeking practices queer and trans refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp complex and considers the ways queer and trans refugees develop protection strategies, establish support networks, and advocate for international assistance.

Winner - Yiran Xu (Warwick Business School)

I am dedicated to empowering students to prepare themselves for the real-world challenges, especially those posed by AI technologies. I inspire my students to uncover AI's potential to enhance their learning experience as students, and to recognise AI’s significance in creating value as future business leaders, all while remaining critically vigilant about AI’s potential unintended consequences. I am committed to the well-being and learning experiences of international students, particularly those from minority backgrounds. Appreciating the diversity in learning styles, I intentionally customise my teaching approaches to accommodate this variety, ensuring a safe and empowering environment for all learners.

About Yiran

Yiran Xu is a Doctoral Researcher at Warwick Business School. Her doctoral study is dedicated to understanding the ethicality of AI, particularly on the (in)voluntary constitution of ethics in AI and its intricate ethical consequences. She led lectures and seminars for UG and PGT modules on digital technology & innovation.

Commended - Bruna Picas i Prats (Philosophy)

I consider philosophy to be more of a perspective than a theory. Thinking itself is not incorrect, and it is crucial for students to understand this to learn to think critically. I view teaching as a horizontal practice where teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. For this reason, I approach my teaching practice as an ongoing learning process with a focus on creating a safe and inclusive environment that fosters student empowerment.

About Bruna

Bruna Picas Prats is a PhD candidate and TA at the Department of Philosophy. Her research field concerns Classical German Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy, and Pragmatism. Currently, she is writing her dissertation on the problem of completeness in Hegel’s Science of Logic.

Commended - Carys Hill (Sociology)

Acknowledging the various motivations that bring students to the classroom – from a pure love of sociology, to potential job prospects, to making a stressful UCAS decision! – I use my experience in creative and participatory methods to engage students in their own learning. Using participatory problem-solving approaches, I pitch teaching content as: what is this sociological problem, and how can we, using sociological knowledge, seek to solve it? I am committed to teaching and learning as a resource for social change, and I encourage students to see theory and knowledge as ways of understanding and intervening in the world around them.

About Carys

Carys is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology. Using creative research methods, her research focuses on the use of subscription crowdfunding platforms like Patreon, and the kinds of labour practices, subjectivities, and politics that emerge.