Warwick colleagues celebrated at the King's Garden Party
Congratulations to Modupe Jimoh and Helen Wheatley, who were invited to a special Garden Party at Buckingham Palace this month. The party, hosted by King Charles III, celebrated those working in Education and Skills.
We caught up with them to learn more about their exceptional work and hear how they felt to have it recognised in this way.
Dr Modupe Jimoh
Associate Professor (Teaching Focused), Civil and Humanitarian Engineering
How did it feel to be invited?
"It is a great honour to have been nominated by Warwick and the Department for Education to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of my outstanding contribution to education. This was a timely and pleasant surprise. I am glad that my impact and contributions received this recognition."
How did you find the experience?
"The garden party was a beautiful occasion with people from all over the country attending. It was a pleasure to meet other attendees who were representing the university community. The tea service was lovely, and it was nice to see the royals taking the time to chat with people. Attendees were free to stroll around the grounds of the garden while enjoying music performed by the Royal band. Overall, it was a lovely and memorable event."
Tell me about your career.
As an Athena Swan Champion, I led the School of Engineering to attain a Gold Award Charter Mark, a rare achievement in the UK engineering sector. I have also co-created frameworks and guidelines used to shape the design of engineering curricula and embed sustainability into engineering education and practice at UK universities and globally. In 2024, I was a 'Women in Engineering Finalist' for the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2024.
My career in higher education has been shaped by a deep conviction that engineering and engineering education can, and must serve humanity with equity, dignity, and sustainability at its core."
Professor Helen Wheatley
Academic Director, Warwick Institute of Engagement
How did it feel to be invited?
"I felt pretty surprised to receive an invitation to the Buckingham Palace Garden Party in recognition of ‘Outstanding Services to Cultural Education in Coventry’. I think this probably encompassed both my teaching in Film and Television Studies since 1998 and my leadership of the Warwick Institute of Engagement where my brilliant colleagues and all our staff and student collaborators make the work of the University more accessible to our wider communities."
How did you find the experience?
"It was really wonderful to take my daughter, Dora, to the palace and we enjoyed everything about the day from picking out hats and dresses to all the people watching we did in the garden. After seeing the King and Queen (and eating our share of delicious tiny cakes and sandwiches) we disappeared off into the beautiful garden. As an avid outdoor swimmer, I just about managed to resist the urge to jump into the palace lake for a dip! It was certainly a day we’ll both remember for the rest of our lives.
The day also made me think a lot about all the students I’ve had the privilege to teach over the years and all the people I’ve worked with since I joined WIE. Teaching and engaging with the public are both a real joy in themselves. Being recognised for doing things I love feels like the icing on the cake, really."
Tell me about your career.
"I'm Professor of Film and Television Studies and co-founded the Centre for Television Histories. I've taught Film and Television Studies at Warwick on and off since 1998!
I often work collaboratively with archives and curators to engage the public with the history of British broadcasting, and have twice been awarded the University’s prizes for impact/community engagement for this work. My book, Spectacular Television: Exploring Televisual Pleasure (IB Tauris, 2016) won the BAFTSS Award for Monograph of the Year in 2017 and my most recent book is Television/Death (Edinburgh University Press, 2024).
