Between Monday 10 and Thursday 13 July more than 2,400 Brunel University London students will celebrate their success at our 2017 summer graduation ceremonies.
Over seven events next week the University will also award six Honorary Doctorates in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement, service to the national or international community, service to Brunel, or service to the local community.
Five individuals will receive Honorary Fellowships, in an annual tradition recognising the achievements and commitment of retired Brunel staff who have made an exceptional contribution to the University, or to local people or others who have established a close working relationship with the University and played a significant role in its development.
This year’s Honorary Doctorates are awarded to:
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock: A space scientist with a passion for presenting science to a general audience, Dr Aderin-Pocock’s Do We Really Need the Moon? On BBC 2 earned her the Talkback Thames new talent award at the 2011 Women in Film and TV Awards. She went on to present Do We Really Need Satellites? and Channel 4’s Brave New World. She now presents The Sky at Night on BBC 4 and CBeebies’ BAFTA-nominated Stargazing. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to Science and Education.
Kate Richardson-Walsh: Brunel graduate Kate is the most capped female hockey player in her country's history, and was captain of the GB and England women’s hockey teams for 13 years. She is widely credited with helping build the team ethos and commitment that drove the GB team to victory at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In 2017 she was awarded an OBE for services to hockey and now serves as an ambassador for the Women’s Sport Trust, supports disability hockey as an ambassador for Access Sport, and sits on the British and European Olympic Athlete’s Commissions.
Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz: Professor Borysiewicz was appointed as the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 2010. He is a founding Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society and an honorary Fellow of Wolfson College. In November 2016 Sir Leszek was appointed as Chair of Cancer Research UK. He was knighted in 2001 for services to medical research and education.
Professor Karen Middleton: Professor Middleton became Chief Executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) in 2014. She was formerly Chief Allied Health Profession Officer at NHS England, leading more than 80,000 physiotherapists and other allied health professionals in the NHS and other sectors. She was awarded a CBE in 2012.
John Holland-Kaye: John Holland-Kaye became Chief Executive Officer of Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd in July 2014. His previous roles at Heathrow include delivering the new Terminal 2, growing commercial income and improving passenger experience. Heathrow is now rated by passengers as the best airport in Western Europe and one of the top 10 airports worldwide.
Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge: Baroness Brown is an engineer with a career spanning Cambridge, Rolls Royce and Imperial College. She was Vice-Chancellor of Aston University from 2006 - 2016. Julia works on climate change mitigation and the low carbon economy, is part of WEF Global Agenda Council on Decarbonising Energy and is the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador. A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, she was named DBE for services to higher education and technology.
This year’s Honorary Fellowships are awarded to:
Paul Turnock: A champion of design for more than 25 years, Paul was instrumental in forming the design cornerstone of the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel. His passion for working with industry across the world has fuelled Paul’s teaching and imbued passion and dedication in his students and colleagues, earning him two national teaching awards. Paul is a fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and a Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacture & Commerce.
Janet Anne Al-Karaghouli: Janet was the first female Computer Operator in the Computer Science Centre at the University of Essex. She joined Brunel in April 1972 as a Computer Operator in the John Crank Building. After the introduction of the first PCs, Janet moved into IT procurement, a job she enjoyed up until her retirement in 2015 after nearly 43 years of service.
Dr Martin E. Bradley: Martin graduated from Imperial College in 1983, studying the first four year undergraduate Electrical Engineering degree, and later gained a PhD with Aston University. In 1989 he joined the Central Electricity Generating Board before moving into research and development and going on to develop and manage IT systems for National Grid’s Electricity Control Centre. Martin has been involved in PhD and post-doctoral research projects with Brunel for more than 20 years, acting as industrial supervisor for several PhD students.
Martin Roy Jarrett: Martin Jarrett is the Operational Excellence and Technology Director of the Automotive Structures and Industry business unit of Constellium, a world leader in aluminium manufacturing. In 2016, he established the new Constellium University Technology Centre at Brunel, having previously set up the Advanced Technology Centres for Luxfer in 1998- a leading example of academic and industrial collaboration. His career spans over 30 years in the industry, and includes senior roles at Alcan, British Aluminium, Alcoa and Sapa.
David Brough: David joined Hillingdon Council in 1969 and became Head of Democratic Services and the Council’s Returning Officer, championing equality, democracy and justice. In his 37 years with the Council he opened decision making to the public, introduced a petitions and complaints process, and took a leading role in promoting community safety and cohesion. The Metropolitan Police created an award in his name for the officer who has done the most to promote community safety in the Borough. David began working with Brunel in the 1980s and was instrumental in securing a grant for the student volunteering project. In 2007 he was made a Freeman of the Borough for his outstanding services to the community, becoming one of only two Council officers to receive this honour in the more than 50 years since Hillingdon was created.
(Images, top to bottom: Janet Anne Al-Karaghouli, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Paul Turnock)
Reported by:
Sarah Cox,
Media Relations
sarah.cox@brunel.ac.uk