Undergraduate Virtual Graduation Yearbook 2020
Congratulations to our 2020 cohort of graduating students from the School of Life Sciences!
To help you celebrate, please browse the videos and messages below, and use our submission form to add your own message
See the latest updates - Degree Ceremonies (information on all news related to the postponed July 2020 degree ceremonies, due to Covid-19).
Leanne Williams
Director of Student Wellbeing
Leanne Williams Virtual Graduation 2020 message
Daniel Franklin
Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
Miriam Gifford
Director of Teaching
It is an exciting time in bioscience – you have a prized degree in a subject that is valued more now than ever. Your knowledge and experience mean you can be a biologist but also mean you can use your expertise to help understand our surroundings and how they are changing. Think back over what you have achieved - you’ve cracked it! Three or four years on from literally cracking eggs in your tutor group egg drop challenge you have graduated!
Many congratulations for dealing not only with the turbulent last few months, but the last few years of a challenging degree - from late days in lab practicals to early starts for MCQs tests. Now take the time to celebrate – at the moment this has to be remotely, but I very much hope you will stay in touch and we will have the chance to see some of you on campus again soon.
Emma Anderson
Senior Tutor
It has been a real pleasure to get to know many of you over your 3 or 4 years at Warwick, and I am delighted that you have overcome the significant hurdles in your way to graduate with well-deserved BSc or MBio degrees. You have shown yourselves to be resilient and adaptable, with drive and motivation to be the best that you can be. I hope that you have also enjoyed the learning along the way!
Unfortunately, we have all experienced the impact that pandemic viruses can have this year; for those of you who have studied virology during your degree, it may or may not have helped! But perhaps your studies will have given you insight into the work that is going on to understand the current pandemic, and your knowledge gives you hope for the future.
I wish you all the best of luck for the careers and lives that lie ahead of you!
Stuart Allen
Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies
Congratulations and well done to all graduating students!
I am especially proud of my tutees (BSc and MBio); you have all worked so very hard over the last three or four years, it is amazing to see your transformation from your first year (when you won the egg drop challenge on your first day!) through to graduation. What fine examples you are of tenacious and diligent students. To my Project students, I also say a very well done; I worked you hard, set tight deadlines and you all took the reins and you responded with putting in the hours and producing fine dissertations; I learnt some stuff, which I always enjoy, well done.
I wish you all the very best for the future, which I believe to be bright (even if your path is uncertain at this very moment) and full of opportunity. You’ll find your way (you have the skills and the aptitude), I am certain.
Keith Leppard
Director of Postgraduate Research Studies
Many congratulations to all of you graduating this summer, and in particular to my tutees, project students and those who studied the Medical Virology module with me this year. As events have turned out, being able to consider how viruses spread and new viruses emerge could not have been more timely and relevant, and following the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic together I hope brought home the importance and the uncertainties involved in understanding such events.
It feels really strange not to be able to say goodbye in person, or to be able to applaud you at a Graduation Ceremony. In the absence of that pleasure, this is my chance to wish you all the very best for the future. Please do keep in touch.
Katrine Wallis
Senior Tutor
Congratulations to all of you who are graduating this year.
Time goes so fast and it seems like such a short time since you were first years. Much has happened in that time and hopefully your experiences at Warwick and what you have learnt will be helpful in making your way in the world.
This world currently looks very different to what you were expecting not so long ago and times may well be tough, but I wish you all the best of luck and success in your future pursuits.
Freya Harrison
Undergraduate Admissions Tutor
Congratulations on your graduation!
You've all worked harder than ever to complete your degrees and your projects during lockdown, and I hope you're celebrating your achievements and looking forward to whatever comes next.
It's been a pleasure to teach you and I'm looking forward to hearing where your next steps take you.
Robert Spooner
Course Director, Biological Sciences
Difficult circumstances, altered timetables, remote working … but you did so well!
Congratulations and very well done indeed!
Richard Napier
Director of Research
Congratulations. The world needs good bioscientists.
I hope your degree brings you success, happiness and fulfilment as well as many happy memories.
Charlotte Allender
Assistant Professor
Congratulations! You made it and I wish you all the best for the next step of your journey. I hope you enjoyed your time here in the School of Life Sciences and those of you who got to share my love of all things ecological in Year 2 have some good memories of rocky shores, sand dunes and puffins……
John Walsh
Professor in Plant Virology
Congratulations to you all. It has been a pleasure getting to know those of you I have interacted with in Y1 lectures, Y2 practicals, Y2 tutorials, Y4 journal clubs and of course our tutorial group.
Our tutorial group bonded well and it was a pleasure to see you all working together as a team throughout our three years together. This made tutorials so much better, more fulfilling and constructive. There is so much more that can be achieved by working together.
I wish you all the very best for the future.
Isabelle Carre
Director of the MBio
Congratulations to all of you graduating this year, you have achieved and experienced so much while at University. It’s been amazing to teach and support you along the way. The past few years have gone incredibly fast, and I am sure that it feels a bit a bit daunting to leave us for the big wild world. But you’re going to do great. I am really excited about all the opportunities that are open to you. I hate to see you go without being able to say goodbye in person, but I hope that you will get in touch once in a while to let us know how you are doing. We’d also love for you to come back to inspire new generations of students as part of our career events.
Graham Teakle
Senior Tutor
Congratulations to you all, your degrees are an amazing achievement and now is an especially exciting time for the biosciences with the issues facing us and the technologies available to us. University is certainly about learning, but your university experience is a very formative time of your life and you won’t forget your time at Warwick.
I have found it incredibly rewarding to get to know and support you through your journey here and I would like to wish you all success for whatever you do in the future and hope I can stay in touch with some of you.
Laura Yetton
Placements Officer
Graduating class of 2020, congratulations!
It has been a pleasure getting to know so many of you throughout your time at Warwick. I would normally take the opportunity to congratulate you in person on graduation day at the celebration event, I will miss having the opportunity to share that moment with you and your loved ones, and to hear about the fantastic things you will be going on to do.
Despite the global pandemic, you are leaving us with incredibly strong skill sets, knowledge, and confidence. As graduates of Life Sciences at Warwick, I hope that you will go out into the world with pride and the ability to grasp every opportunity afforded to you.
We’d be thrilled if you come back and visit us - share your experiences with future students and stay a part of our Life Sciences community through our alumni network.
As alumni of Warwick’s Life Sciences department, you should be very proud of your achievements and I hope that you are all able to realise personal career success in the future. I am confident that you will successful in pursuing your goals and I wish you all the very best.
David Molyneux
Careers Adviser
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with you during your time at Warwick. I know you will all go on to do inspiring things after you leave us. Although your time at Warwick is ending, this is just the beginning of your journey and you still have lots of discoveries and decisions ahead of you as you pursue your careers.
As you join the community of Warwick Alumni I would advise for you to stay in contact with one another and help and support each other as you progress to meet tomorrow's challenges.
Please do keep in touch with us as well, we always like to hear the stories of our former students and I am happy to support you with your career as you take these next steps.
I wish you all the very best of luck!
Nikki, Nik and Khyati
SLS Student Reception
You’ve Graduated... Huge CON-GRADUATIONS!
We fondly remember welcoming you on your first day beginning your Warwick adventure- I'm sure you remember the egg drop challenge which must feel like a lifetime ago.
Here at Student Reception it has been a privilege getting to know you over the last few years as we have released your marks/given you your assignments back but (and I'm sure you will agree here) most importantly provided you with sweets! We hope you will miss us a little - because we will miss you!
Wishing you all the best for your future study and career whatever you choose to do.
Rebecca Freeman
Co-Director of Student Experience
Huge congratulations on the day of your virtual graduation. You have achieved so much this year and throughout your time at Warwick and it has been a pleasure to be a part of your time here.Thank you for your contribution to the department and the wider University. We have all really missed the opportunity to celebrate with you in person this week. Wherever you are as you receive your results, I hope that you are able to pause and take the time to celebrate your success.
Very best wishes for the future and please do keep in touch. It means so much to hear about the fabulous things that our graduates go on to do.
Phil Young
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Well- that was interesting!!!
Really sorry that we aren’t able to celebrate your achievements in person- especially as the majority of you joined SLS on my first official day as your Director of Undergraduate Studies. I hope you have enjoyed your time here as much as I have enjoyed working for you.
Good luck, enjoy your well earnt break and keep in touch!
Johannes Boltze
Professor of Neuroscience
Having joined the School of Life Sciences recently, I already appreciate that the student community at Warwick is built from highly dedicated and brilliant young people. I do look forward to working with this community of excellent people over the coming academic years and wish to congratulate all those who have achieved their degree with us this year. Keep your energy, your brilliant ideas and your sharp scientific mind and I am sure your work will make a great impact on basic science and applied industrial research alike.
Remember: it’s you who makes the difference in future science!
Mark Wall
Course Director, Biomedical Science
It has been a great pleasure to be involved with your teaching over the last 3 years and I really hope that you all go on to have great careers.
Tania Page
Communications Officer
Congratulations on your graduation! You've worked really hard to get to this point and I wish you all the best for a successful future.
Martin Mik
Co-Director of Student Experience
Congratulations to all of you who graduate today! We will – at some point – have an opportunity to celebrate your success in a formal degree congregation with all the pomp and circumstance this University can muster. But it is important that you take the time now to pause, reflect on what you have achieved since you joined the School of Life Sciences, and celebrate! Think back to your first day at the University and how it felt arriving to halls of residence before venturing up Gibbet Hill for your first sessions. Remember the mixture of excitement and anxiety? Remember the first person on your course you spoke to? Think back to all the people you encountered along the way, those who were there with you during the good times and the more challenging ones. Many of the friends you have made here will be your friends for life.
Over the past couple of years you have grown academically, but also – and more importantly – personally. You are now entering new chapters of your lives and probably experiencing a similar mixture of excitement and anxiety. Remember? However, there is a big difference: now you know you can do it. Don’t ever forget that. And also remember the people you met at Warwick, your friends. Your lives and careers will no doubt take you in various directions. Make sure you stay in touch with the School, but also with one another.
Finally, stealing the VC’s thunder (he will talk about it during the graduation ceremony, I promise), do remember those who supported you during your studies: your families, friends, random souls who showed you kindness and supported you when you needed it most.
But now, go and celebrate and enjoy the fuss. You deserve it. Congratulations!
Kevin Moffat
ProfessorRemember Drosophila. Thats "Dros sof ill a" NOT "Droso filli a". Many congratulations to all of you on all your hard work.
Luke Scriven
Biomedical Science
Thank you to everyone, staff and students, who helped to make my time at Warwick so special!
Max Claron
Biomedical Science
Summitting Mount Gibbet every day has to be up there with the best mountaineers.