Sophie Powell, a recent BSc Cyber Security graduate, has been named Cyber Student of the Year at the National Cyber Awards 2023. This recognition is a result of her inspirational work to promote gender diversity and equality within cyber security.

The prestigious National Cyber Awards, now in their fifth year, bring together cyber professionals from across public and private sectors to celebrate excellence and innovation in the UK’s cyber security industry.

Sophie has made significant contributions to education and learning in the cyber security space. Notably, she co-founded CyberWomen@Warwick in her second year at university. This initiative was launched in collaboration with the Cyber Security academic team and fellow students.

Since its inception, CyberWomen@Warwick has grown into the CyberWomen Groups Community Interest Company (CIC). The non-profit CIC, directed by Sophie, supports branches of students in different UK universities looking to spotlight the importance of diversity in STEM. It currently has four active branches, CyberWomen@Warwick, CyberWomen@Coventry, CyberWomen@Portsmouth, CyberWomen@UWE, with plans to expand in the future. Executives within each branch work directly with the CIC to set and achieve their own diversity goals and ambitions.

Reflecting on her journey with CyberWomen Groups CIC, Sophie said: “We started this company to ensure every woman in university studying Cyber Security is welcomed into a safe, inclusive environment, where they can flourish both personally and professionally. We look to provide opportunities and resources to encourage a smooth transition into the Cyber industry and create a community that welcomes everybody from different walks of life.”

Alongside Sophie’s success, two current BSc Cyber Security students, Anahitha Vijay and Oscar Williamson, were also recognised at the National Cyber Awards as finalists in the Cyber Student of the Year category.

Dr Sandy Taramonli, Assistant Professor and Course Leader for BSc Cyber Security, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our students for their remarkable achievement. It’s a clear reflection of their hard work, dedication, and the exceptional skills they’ve developed during their time with us. The support from our Cyber Security course team and our commitment to our students’ growth have been key to this success. A hearty congratulations to all, and here’s to more success in the future!”

See the full list of 2023 finalists and winners of the National Cyber Awards 2023.

Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick and the University of Victoria in Canada, have won the inaugural Synthos Rubber Circularity Award.

The international competition was launched to encourage cutting-edge ideas and solutions that will significantly improve the environmental performance of synthetic rubber-based tyre compounds, aligning with the sustainability objectives of the global automotive and tyre industries.

Synthos, a global leader in synthetic rubber, praised the two universities for their breakthrough technology research concept and global collaborative approach.

Professor of Nanocomposites at WMG, University of Warwick, Chaoying Wan explained: “Rubbers are ubiquitous materials in modern society and have played important roles across transportation; construction; oil and gas; biomedical devices; sports and electronics.

“As the key component to connect the vehicle to the road the performance of the tyre, including its rolling resistance, abrasion resistance and wet grip, directly determines the fuel efficiency, wear emission and safety.

“The emerging EVs and SUVs have raised increasing higher demands for performance that challenge the current technology. This new partnership, with Synthos Synthetic Rubber and the University of Victoria, will enable us to innovate rubber chemistry and develop functional rubber nanocomposites manufacturing technologies to address performance challenges. The new technology will also innovate traditional rubber systems to be actively recyclable.”

Matteo Marchisio, Vice President, Synthetic Rubber, stressed the importance of investing in research and development of sustainable rubber and tyre materials. “We are very proud of our diverse group of exceptional and talented scientists that make up the Synthos Rubber R&D team. Together with the University of Warwick and the University of Victoria, we see an exciting future in expanding our product development horizons. I firmly believe that by fostering innovation and collaborating with the brightest minds in scientific research, we move not only ourselves but also the entire value chain closer to our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Synthos Synthetic Rubber R&D Director Dr. Malte Wohlfahrt added, “We congratulate the University of Warwick and the University of Victoria for presenting an impressive research concept that we believe is the best fit for us. However, I also want to acknowledge the excellence of many other entries we received. The Synthos Rubber Circularity Award isn't just about crowning a winner; it's about advancing a culture of innovation. Therefore, we intend to collaborate with and invest in some of the other standout scientists and institutes we’ve had the honor to engage with. Overall, this award has sparked immense inspiration across our entire rubber business and given us much food for thought.”

The university collaborators will receive a three-year funding package to support a dedicated research team. They will also be provided with Synthos rubber materials and access to its state-of-the-art facilities. In addition, scientists from both institutions and Synthos will form a project team to work closely together and leverage the capabilities of all parties in a way that maximises the value of the collaboration to the tyre industry.

Find out more about Nanocomposites research at WMG here: Nanocomposites (warwick.ac.uk)

The 22/23 Pettifer prize has been awarded to Connor Johnson for best overall examination performance.

Dr Peng Wang (Microscopy group) has been named as a Highly Cited Researcher in the Clarivate's 2023 list.Link opens in a new window The researchers are those whose publications are most often cited in academic journals that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year.

Professor Sandra Chapman (Director, Centre for Fusion Space and Astrophysics) has been awarded the 2024 European Geosciences Union (EGU) Hannes Alfvén medal.

Professor Emma MacPherson has been announced as the first female winner of the 2024 IRMMW-THz Society Exceptional Service Award.

Professor Paul Goddard has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Brian Pippard Prize from the Institute of Physics (IOP) Superconductivity Group.

The Pippard Prize is named in honour of Professor Sir Brian Pippard, and is awarded on an annual basis by the IOP Superconductivity Group to a scientist working in the UK who has made a significant contribution to the field of superconductivity in the last few years.

Tom Orton, Research Development Engineer in the Department of Physics received the Warwick Technician Commitment Award for Outstanding Achievement. Tom was one of two recipients of these inaugural awards, which received over 40 nominations campus wide. Tom had a number of nominations for his “exceptional ability as an outstanding technician” and his job “providing a sustainable, environmentally friendly and financially valuable resource” through the liquid helium recovery system. Many congratulations Tom and thank you for your extraordinary efforts!

The Warwick Technician Commitment Award for Outstanding Achievement celebrates the fantastic work our technical staff do across research, teaching and within our infrastructure, without which Warwick would not operate. Any member of staff or student to nominate a technical member of staff for achievements big or small, or to celebrate work that is unsung but still immensely important. Nominations are always open, with quarterly panels and award presentations.

Find out more about the Warwick Technician Commitment Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Congratulations to Dr Matthew Pearce who has been awarded the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine Thesis Award. Matthew was awarded this for his thesis titled “Applied-magnetic-field studies of f-electron materials."

Matthew did his undergraduate degree at Warwick, before continuing to do his PhD in the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group under the supervision of Paul Goddard. During his PhD he used a variety of experimental techniques including magnetometry (torque, SQUID, VSM and pulsed-field compensated coil), electrical transport (traditional 4-wire and PDO), heat capacity and x-ray scattering. Matthew performed measurements at low temperatures and high magnetic fields, utilising both the in-house facilities in the laboratories at Warwick, as well as international high-field user facilities – where materials can be studied in some of the highest magnetic fields on earth.

Matthew's research focussed in part on Ho₂Ir₂O₇, which belongs to a class of highly frustrated magnetic systems known as spin-ices, which are famous for hosting magnetic monopole quasiparticles. Matthew and his collaborators found that not only do measurements of the electrical resistance in these systems act as an indicator for the density of magnetic monopoles, but also that, mediated by the monopoles on the Ho sublattice, an applied magnetic field is able to manipulate the antiferromagnetic Ir domains, with potential applications to areas such as spintronics. He also studied the compound CeOs₄Sb₁₂, which had previously been found to undergo a valence transition. This is a transition where f electrons undergo a transformation from quasi-localised to itinerant with perhaps the most dramatic example being that of elemental Ce, which is accompanied by a volume collapse often quoted to be as large as 15 %. Matthew and his collaborators mapped out the phase boundary of this transition which exhibited an extremely unusual shape, owing to the influence of locally varying strain within the sample and quantum fluctuations.

Since completing his PhD he has been working at the University of Oxford with Radu Coldea studying quantum magnetism.

Congratulations to Joe Cregeen who has won the Postgraduates who teach award in the Science, Engineering & Medicine (SEM) category.

Find out more.