The DCS hosted CS-ARC on the 22nd of March, with over 70 alumni coming to campus to reminisce and share their stories.

James Beavis, a former Biomedical Science student who gradated in 2016, spent his Christmas sleeping rough on the streets of London. His aim was to raise money for and to try to better understand the homeless community.

Read about his life on the streets in the Guardian: 'Spat on and ignored': what I've learned from a month sleeping rough in London

Dean of WMG, Professor Robin Clark; International Partnerships Manager, Nicole Craddock-Zhang; and International Academic Director – China, Dr Dawei Lu, travelled to China recently for a series of high-profile meetings with key representatives from higher education, industry and government.

The trip was a crucial part of WMG’s strategy to help future collaboration and drive innovation in the country.

Professor Clark and his team met with representatives from Beijing City University (Shanghai Operation) and East China University of Science and Technology, where they discussed further collaboration on both education programmes and research initiatives. They then headed to the Nanjing University of Science and Technology to explore student entrepreneurship programmes.

Meetings also took place with GAO Yingzhong, Director General, at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Zhejiang provincial bureau, where industry opportunities in the province were explored.

While in Zhejiang, constructive meetings were also held with Geely Holdings Group, China’s largest privately owned automotive company. Here Professor Clark and representatives from Geely Holdings discussed opportunities to support the company’s Automotive Engineering Institute.

Finally, there was the opportunity to re-connect with WMG alumni and hear more about their careers and business ventures post-graduation.

Commenting on the trip, Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said: “It was great to return to Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou after the pandemic. We strengthened WMG’s relationship with higher education partners, industries as well as government agencies that support our strategies.

“I was particularly pleased to be able to meet the alumni communities too, their enthusiasm was infectious. They were glad to see us, and they have proven to be great ambassadors in the industries they now work in, continuing to make an impact as part of the WMG vision.”