Milestones & Memories

This gallery celebrates some of our brilliant colleagues who have dedicated 20, 30 and 40 years to shaping the University. Each photo tells a story of milestones, achievements, friendships, and moments that define what it means to be part of our community. From pioneering research and global collaborations to personal triumphs and unforgettable events, these memories reflect the heart and spirit of Warwick.

We'll be adding more memories over the next few weeks.

Visit our second gallery of memories and milestones from long-serving colleagues.

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Val's role has evolved in many ways — from baking cakes and preparing meals for Warwick's nursery, to cooking breakfast for 1000 customers at Warwick Conferences over the summer.

This photo of campus on a beautiful evening during the COVID lockdown reminds Val of how much more we came to appreciate nature during that time.

Val was honoured to be nominated by the Vice-Chancellor to attend the King's garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2024 - an event that celebrates individuals who've made a positive impact in their communities.

Dilip has been playing 5-a-side football with colleagues for the last 20 years. The group has been going over 40 years and is a great way to support mental health and wellbeing.

Dilip remembers it was a challenging time at Warwick when the lockdown was lifted and IDG began to provide important face-to-face IT support at the Library.

This was part of the staff summer celebration post-COVID. Warwick pulled out all the stops to set up this event. Dilip had a fantastic time and especially enjoyed the casino and live music.

Professor Nickie Charles and her colleagues were presented with the Bronze Athena Swan award for the Department of Sociology in Glasgow 2017. This recognises how the department tackles gender inequality and supports women’s careers. They've since achieved the Silver award and are working towards Gold!

Nickie brought her dogs to the picket line during the UCU pension strike in February 2018 - a memory that reflects her long-standing belief in the importance of unionisation. Her dog, Quince (pictured above), brought joy and camaraderie to the strike, even winning a prize after being featured in UCU tweets.

Here Nickie attended her student's PhD award ceremony with her colleague Carol. Supervising PhD students is a hugely rewarding part of Nickie's job and she loves to share their success with them. Carol and Nickie supervised, taught, researched and wrote papers together. Sadly, Carol died earlier this year. This photo is a reminder of the happy times they shared.

When Professor Bo Chen crosses the bridge between Computer Science and the Mathematical Institute, he recalls a defining milestone - leading the Operational Research partnership that secured a £3.8M EPSRC grant for the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications. The bridge symbolises Warwick’s interdisciplinary ethos and Bo’s growth as a research leader.

Taken in 2008 with the Lord Mayor, colleagues and students, this photo marks a proud moment for Bo and the Operational Research & Management Sciences group - celebrating the real-world impact of the MSc in Business Analytics & Consulting. Student projects for Coventry City Council delivered significant cost savings and were later showcased nationally.

This is Bo's old office in Social Sciences, where he led the Operational Research & Management Sciences group and contributed to the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications initiative. It holds memories of mentoring students, fostering research collaborations, and shaping the interdisciplinary work that defined Bo's time at Warwick.

Trudy felt lucky to be chosen as a Selection Event Volunteer for the London 2012 Olympic Games - hosted at the Warwick Sports and Wellness Centre in 2011. She interviewed Games Makers for all the different roles involved in the Olympics (from Drivers to Analysts and everything in between), meeting hundreds of talented people, many of whom went on to support the Games in 2012.

Witnessing student success is Trudy's favourite part of her role, but this graduation ceremony was particularly special as the first cohort of the MSc International Trade, Strategy and Operations students graduated. This was the first programme Trudy designed and delivered at Warwick, so she was very proud to attend these celebrations with the inaugural cohort.

Here, Trudy is receiving a Certificate of Commendation for her outstanding contribution to postgraduate education in the WMG 2018 Star Awards. With one successful Masters programme underway, Trudy received this award just a few months before launching her next- the University’s first Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship programme. It was wonderful to be acknowledged and have her success celebrated.