University of Leicester
SMILE to give global view on Earth’s ‘magnetic shield’, thanks to Leicester-built telescope
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Want to explore the University of Leicester's BA in English & American Studies? ➡️ Check out the website here: le.ac.uk/english/study/undergraduate
The students, from Leicester Law School, have been providing free legal advice Leicester residents from the Commonwealth to apply for the UK Government’s Windrush Compensation Scheme. Designed by 19-year-old artist, Nadir, from the Leicester-based company Graffwerk, the mural was funded by the University of Leicester’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nishan Canagarajah.
The mural is currently on public display in the David Wilson Library at University of Leicester. Eventually it will be moved to the Law School as a permanent fixture. More information about the Legal Advice Clinic can be found here: le.ac.uk/law/about/legal-advice-clinic
Want to become a Citizen of Change? Find out more: le.ac.uk/gge
Professor Alice Roberts digs University of Leicester’s fascinating finds.
One of Britain’s best-known broadcasters, Professor Alice Roberts, has endorsed the University of Leicester’s exemplary track record for unearthing some of the nation’s most treasured historical finds.
Today (Friday 19 January), the University formally recognised Professor Roberts’ achievements in bringing science, history and archaeology to a wide audience, by awarding her an Honorary Doctorate of Science during a graduation ceremony, held at De Montfort Hall.
In her acceptance speech, Dr Roberts, who is currently presenter of the BBC’s Digging For Britain programme, spoke about the impact Leicester’s archaeology experts have had.
Digging for Britain has featured several projects conducted by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS). These include an extraordinary Roman mosaic discovered under Rutland farmland and a unique Iron Age bark shield discovered in the south of Leicester. The latest project to be covered was the Leicester Cathedral dig, which was aired this month.
And of course, the University’s archaeology team was the one which uncovered the remains of King Richard III, in 2012.
Professor Roberts said: “I’m delighted to have received an honorary degree from the University of Leicester.
“I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with many archaeologists from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and University of Leicester Archaeological Services over the years, while making television series such as BBC Two’s Digging for Britain – including being lucky enough to visit the incredible excavation of the Rutland villa with its stunning Trojan War mosaic.
“All of these colleagues are just as passionate about opening up archaeology and associated sciences to a wide public audience as I am.”
Professor Roberts is an academic, writer and broadcaster, interested in the structure of humans, how we function, and our place in the wider environment.
She studied for a medical degree at the University of Wales then, after a period as a junior doctor, took up a post at the University of Bristol, teaching anatomy while studying for a PhD in palaeopathology. In 2012 she was appointed the University of Birmingham’s first Professor of Public Engagement in Science.
After early appearances on Time Team, Alice’s media career took off in 2005 when she was one of the original presenters of the hugely popular BBC TV series Coast. Since then she has presented more than a hundred television documentaries, ranging across human biology, history and archaeology. Her credits include The Incredible Human Journey, Ice Age Giants,
Britain’s Most Historic Towns, Fortress Britain, Ancient Egypt by Train, Royal Autopsy, The Day the Dinosaurs Died, King Arthur’s Britain: The Truth Unearthed and Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed.
She is also a successful author, her books including Evolution: The Human Story, Human Anatomy: The Definitive Visual Guide, The Celts: Search for a Civilisation, Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World and Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials.
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “I am delighted that we have honoured Professor Alice Roberts as an exemplar for our community.
“We share her commitment to the public dissemination of science, engaging with diverse audiences and her impact chimes with our University’s mission to create Citizens of Change.
“Her accomplishments provide a measure of the transformative influence that an individual can have upon society and she is an inspiration for us all.”
Retailer who backs scientific initiatives is honoured by University of Leicester.
A successful Leicestershire retailer who set up a trust to fund scientific initiatives has been honoured by the University of Leicester.
Sir Will Adderley is Deputy Chairman at his family business, the homeware retailer Dunelm, but is probably lesser known as the joint founder of the Stoneygate Trust. Since its formation in 2007, the trust has funded over 500 projects in Leicestershire, Rutland and beyond, benefiting organisations such as the LOROS hospice charity.
The Stoneygate Trust has a long history of funding support for the University of Leicester, most recently backing the University’s new £10 million Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare, within the College of Life Sciences at the University.
Today (Friday 19 January), the University of Leicester formally recognised Sir Will’s achievements, by awarding him an Honorary Doctorate of Laws during a graduation ceremony, held at De Montfort Hall.
After accepting his doctorate, Sir Will gave a speech to the hundreds of new Leicester graduates present at the ceremony.
He said: “Leicester is where I have lived since I was five years old. It is where I have worked my whole career, it is where I got married, and it’s where our three children were born.
“To be asked if I would accept an honorary degree from the University of Leicester was hugely humbling. It will be another reason as to why Leicester is such a big part of my life.”
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “Sir Will is a real Citizen of Change. It would be very easy for any successful businessman to take a back seat and enjoy the fruits of their labour, but Sir Will, and his wife Lady Nadine, decided to take on a huge responsibility and found The Stoneygate Trust.
“The Trust has proved to be a real lifeline for charities and organisations in need, and thanks to its funding of our Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare, we our able to put empathy at the heart of training healthcare professionals.
“I know I speak for the whole community of Leicester when I say without Sir Will, the city would be a much poorer place.”
Sir Will joined the family business in 1992 after gaining a degree in Industrial Economics from Nottingham University. Dunelm is the UK’s leading homeware retailer headquartered in Syston, Leicester, with close to 180 stores and 11,000 employees. In 1996, Sir Will took over the day-to-day running of the Dunelm Group from his father Bill who along with his wife (and Will’s mother) Jean, founded Dunelm as a stall in Leicester Market in 1979. Prior to becoming deputy chairman, Sir Will was the chief executive of the company. During this time, he oversaw the group’s flotation onto the London Stock Exchange in 2006.
Sir Will lives in Rutland with his wife, Lady Nadine Adderley, and their three children. Together, Sir Will and Lady Nadine set up the Stoneygate Trust (formally the Leicester Foundation) in 2007.
Sir Will was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021 for services to charity.
University of Leicester graduate-turned-diplomat returns to receive honorary award.
A diplomat who used her degree as a springboard to a successful career has returned to the University of Leicester to receive an Honorary Doctorate.
Karen-Mae Hill OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws during a graduation ceremony held at De Montfort Hall, in Leicester, today (Thursday 18 January).
A barrister by profession, Karen-Mae Hill worked for over 15 years in the banking and financial services sector before taking up her appointment as High Commissioner of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017. She also serves as that country’s non-resident ambassador to Ireland, Germany, Estonia and Lithuania.
In 2001, Karen-Mae won a scholarship to study for an LLB in French Law and Language at the University of Leicester. After graduation, she became the first Antiguan to win a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, where she read Development Studies.
Karen-Mae said: “Leicester is home to a large and dynamic Antiguan and Barbudan diaspora who contribute to the rich cultural, social and economic tapestry of the county. My time at the University was among my happiest days with lifelong friendships and academic rigour which have helped to shape my life. I am honoured to be recognised by the University of Leicester.”
Alongside her diplomatic work, Karen-Mae plays a key role on the international steering committee for the development of the Centre for Oceanography and the Blue Economy at the University of the West Indies Five Islands campus on Antigua and Barbuda. An accomplished pianist, she is the founder and chair of the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra. Karen-Mae has also developed a successful exchange programme for young cricketers between clubs in the UK and Antigua and Barbuda.
Karen-Mae is a fellow of Goodenough College and a non-executive director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She was awarded Diplomat of the Year for North America and the Caribbean in the 2023 Diplomatic Awards. She is also currently president of the Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE) Administration and Budget Committee.
Karen-Mae serves as a director of the Heritage Trust (Antigua and Barbuda) which is focused on the restoration of the historic Government House in Antigua. She was instrumental in securing a multi-million pound grant to build the Harrison Centre Institute for Continuing Studies in Antigua. She is also a disability rights advocate and worked with the Commonwealth Secretariat to host two IamAble conferences in Antigua and Barbuda. The conferences focused on access to employment, education, healthcare and political participation for persons with disabilities in the Caribbean.
Karen-Mae’s areas of professional interest are financial services regulation, the blue economy, trade, and advocacy around the recognition of the inherent vulnerabilities of small states, and she is a widely sought-after speaker in these areas. She has adopted the empowerment of youth, persons with disabilities, and music as a force for social mobility and harmony as her areas of social focus.
Karen-Mae was awarded the OBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List for services to youth and the arts.
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “I am delighted that we have honoured one of our own graduates, Dr Karen-Mae Hill, as an exemplar for our community.
“Through her achievements, Dr Hill practically demonstrates what it is to be a Citizen of Change. Her accomplishments provide a measure of the impact that an individual can have upon society and serve as an inspiration for us all.”
Helen Sharman CMG OBE singled out the University’s out-of-this-world research after receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Science during a graduation ceremony, held at De Montfort Hall, in Leicester, today (Thursday 18 January).
Helen became the first Briton to blast off into space in 1991, where she spent eight days orbiting Earth in a Soyuz spacecraft and on board the Soviet Mir space station.
After being presented with her Honorary Doctorate, the 60 year-old Sheffielder was quick to recognise the University’s role in pushing forward the boundaries of space research.
The University has a proud space heritage which began in 1960, when Professor Ken Pounds founded the Space Research Group. The first Leicester-built instrument in space was launched aboard a Skylark rocket in 1961 and there has been at least one piece of Leicester-built equipment operating in space every year since 1967. Sixty years on, the University continues to collaborate with international space agencies and to develop Space Park Leicester, a world-leading space and Earth observation cluster.
Helen said: “I am truly delighted to be offered an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Leicester. Leicester has a long history of world class space research, which was a driving force for the creation of the National Space Centre (NSC), with its amazing galleries, planetarium and education activities. As a Trustee in the 1990s, I became closely acquainted with the NSC from its early days and I continue to participate in a variety of activities there. Now Space Park Leicester is taking space research, industry collaborations and student education and training to another level. I look forward to discovering much more of space from the University of Leicester in the future.”
She also had the following words of advice for graduating students: “Across all professions, advances in science and technology are giving rise to new opportunities that previously we could only dream of. With your degrees from the University of Leicester, you are in a great position to make the most of what the world has to offer, to push forward your own boundaries and also the boundaries of what humans believe is possible. It’s an exciting time to be embarking on a career.”
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “I am delighted that we have honoured Dr Helen Sharman as an exemplar for our community. Her achievements are literally out of this world and her belief that people should make the best use of their lives to benefit the world chimes with our mission to create Citizens of Change. Her accomplishments provide a measure of the impact that an individual can have upon society and serve as an inspiration for us all. She is a wonderful ambassador for Leicester.”
Helen Sharman is a pioneer, a role model, a superb communicator and a world class inspirational speaker.
One of two Britons selected for astronaut training out of almost 13,000 applicants, Helen underwent a rigorous selection process, which focused on psychological and medical assessments, including tolerance to high acceleration and motion sickness, technical understanding and practical skills.
This was followed by 18 months of intensive training that included preparing for launch, feeling weightless, spacecraft operations, emergency situations, working in space and being part of a crew, as well as learning to speak Russian.
On board the Mir space station, her tasks included medical, agricultural and chemical experiments, materials testing, Earth observation work and operating an amateur radio link with British school students.
After her space flight, Helen chose to become a science communicator and speaker, winning prizes for radio and TV programmes and for her inspirational talks on STEM, leadership, teamwork and problem-solving. She often meets teachers who were inspired to study science after hearing her speak: her speech changed their lives, and now they pass on their passion and expertise to new generations of young scientists and engineers.
Helen added: “We should push forward, not only our individual boundaries, but also the boundaries of what humans believe is possible. People are the biggest limitations in our own lives.
“There’s a huge amount we can do, and we should make the best use of our lives for the benefit of the world.”
Helen received her BSc in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield. She worked in research and development at GEC and Mars Confectionery before becoming an astronaut. Later, Helen managed operations at the National Physical Laboratory, at Kingston University London and at Imperial College London, where she now works part-time as the UK outreach ambassador.
Amongst her other activities, Helen hosts the Zero Pressure podcast, a relaxed conversation with people on the cutting edge of science and technology.
College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
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From our state-of-the-art academic facilities and diverse accommodation choices, to places to spend time outside of your studies and chill out with friends, plus some hidden gems along the way, take a look around a campus built for change.
TRIGGER WARNING
A decade on from the original film, ‘Revisiting the Harms of Hate’ features the voices of people typically considered as members of ‘hard-to-reach’ groups, or perhaps more pertinently ‘easy to ignore’. Four victims share their experiences of hate and harassment, and explore how they have been affected by the events of an extraordinary decade.
Hate crimes have escalated over the past ten years, with hostile attitudes, divisive politics, online toxicity and continued cuts to services all reinforcing the huge challenges facing those who are targeted simply because of who they are or what they look like. But as well as showcasing these challenges, the film identifies steps that all of us can take to stop the hate. We can all make a difference.
Made by the Centre for Hate Studies and University of Leicester in-house Video Team, with support from the Leverhulme Trust.
le.ac.uk/hate-studies
#HARMSOFHATE
A decade on from the original film, ‘Revisiting the Harms of Hate’ features the voices of people typically considered as members of ‘hard-to-reach’ groups, or perhaps more pertinently ‘easy to ignore’. Four victims share their experiences of hate and harassment, and explore how they have been affected by the events of an extraordinary decade.
Hate crimes have escalated over the past ten years, with hostile attitudes, divisive politics, online toxicity and continued cuts to services all reinforcing the huge challenges facing those who are targeted simply because of who they are or what they look like. But as well as showcasing these challenges, the film identifies steps that all of us can take to stop the hate. We can all make a difference.
Made by the Centre for Hate Studies and University of Leicester in-house Video Team, with support from the Leverhulme Trust.
le.ac.uk/hate-studies
#HARMSOFHATE
Hate crimes have escalated over the past ten years, with hostile attitudes, divisive politics, online toxicity and continued cuts to services all reinforcing the huge challenges facing those who are targeted simply because of who they are or what they look like. But as well as showcasing these challenges, the film identifies steps that all of us can take to stop the hate. We can all make a difference.
Made by the Centre for Hate Studies and University of Leicester in-house Video Team, with support from the Leverhulme Trust.
le.ac.uk/hate-studies
#HARMSOFHATE
Watch the full Springpod Spotlight here: university.springpod.com/subject-spotlights-intro/university-of-leicester-chemistry-with-fabrizio-ortu-and-philip-ash
Watch the full subject spotlight on Springpod here: university.springpod.com/subject-spotlights-intro/ba-geography-with-dr-matt-wilde-dr-tess-osborne
Space Park Leicester is a strategically important component of the UK space ecosystem, delivering impactful research, inclusive education and space sector growth. Leicester’s experience of integrating space engineering and space data has resulted in new innovations, better health, new capabilities to predict and fight climate change, whilst providing unparalleled opportunities for students and young people. Space Park Leicester supports’ the government’s commitment to level up the economy, boost productivity and transform employment in the city and region.
This video looks at the highlights of our journey through space and the projects coming soon.
Medical Physiology student, Shahla Ela, stars in Universities UK International’s #WeAreInternational: Transforming Lives campaign, which is dedicated to highlighting the amazing contribution international students are making to the UK during their studies here.


