Victoria’s awards showcase staff excellence
Hosted by Tertiary Education Minister Hon Paul Goldsmith, the annual awards acknowledge staff who have shown a commitment to excellence in research, teaching and public engagement.
Speaking at the event, Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford said “it is our staff and students who are at the heart of Victoria’s contributions to Wellington and the wider world.”
The high calibre of research at Victoria is reflected in the fact that Victoria is New Zealand’s top-ranked university for research quality, Professor Guilford said.
Three of Victoria’s leading researchers received Research Excellence Awards for work that spans topics as diverse as enzyme engineering, environmental psychology and international, multi-genre musical collaboration.
For the first time this year, Victoria presented a 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) Excellence Award recognising significant contributions toward more humane and ethical research.
Three academics have also been recognised for their innovative and exemplary teaching.
“Our teaching practices are inclusive and continually refreshed by attention to evolving pedagogies and technologies,” said Professor Guilford.
Victoria also presented Engagement Excellence Awards to two staff who have demonstrated how academic thought can inform and stimulate public debate.
“We pride ourselves on being highly ranked internationally and have set ourselves the vision of being a world-leading capital city university and one of the great global-civic universities,” said Professor Guilford. “These awards showcase how many of our staff are helping to take us there.”
2017 recipients
The 2017 recipients of Victoria University of Wellington Staff Excellence Awards are as follows:
Research Excellence
Associate Professor David Ackerley
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Science
Dr Taciano Milfont
School of Psychology
Faculty of Science
Professor John Psathas
School of Music
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
3Rs Excellence
Professor John Miller
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Science
Teaching Excellence
Dr Sondra Bacharach
School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr Sandi McCutcheon
School of Education
Faculty of Education
Dr James McKinnon
School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Engagement Excellence
Dr Nessa Lynch
School of Law
Faculty of Law
Professor Chris Marshall
Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice
School of Government, Victoria Business School