The Cambridge Awards 2024
for Research Impact and Engagement
Established Academic Award
The team at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.
The team at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.
Winner: Professor Sander van der Linden (Department of Psychology, School of Biological Sciences and Churchill College) and his team at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab (Team application)
A Psychological Vaccine Against Misinformation
Professor Sander van der Linden and team have developed a novel approach to countering the spread of harmful misinformation. This ‘psychological vaccine’ resulted in award winning public impact tools that have shown millions of people how to spot fake news online. These games have been adopted by the World Health Organisation, United Nations, UK Government and Google and led to key policy changes in the EU Digital Services Act.
Professor Gillian Carr (third from right) at a Holocaust Site in Kaunas, Lithuania
Professor Gillian Carr (third from right) at a Holocaust Site in Kaunas, Lithuania
Runner Up
Professor Gillian Carr (Institute of Continuing Education/Department of Archaeology and St Catharine’s College, Individual application)
Safeguarding Sites
The Safeguarding Sites project, led by Professor Gilly Carr has, produced a European heritage charter called the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Charter for Safeguarding Sites. This was launched in January 2024 at the European Commission. The charter identifies the challenges faced by Holocaust sites in the 21st century and has produced a series of principles, responsibilities and good practices to safeguard them now and in the future.
The Poppy team visit Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
The Poppy team visit Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Highly Commended
Dr Carmel McEniery (Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine and Churchill College, Team application)
The POPPY Study’s Meaningful Engagement: Raising Awareness, Fostering Collaborations, and Enriching Research
The POPPY Study, led by Dr Carmel McEniery, established an inclusive PPI panel and fostered collaborations with charities, councils and online influencers to raise awareness about placental complications and women's long-term cardiovascular health. Through extensive public engagement, undertaken in collaboration with members of the public, the study has revealed critical gaps in awareness, care and follow-up of conditions such as pre-eclampsia, underscoring the importance of community involvement in research.
Early career researcher
Dr Gabriel Okello
Dr Gabriel Okello
Winner: Dr Gabriel Okello (Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, School of Technology)
Applying multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches to tackle air pollution in rapidly urbanising African cities
The project catalysed Uganda’s first-ever Air Quality Standards, advancing policy and public health. It drove transformative growth in the e-mobility sector and battery-swapping stations. The Clean Air Network was established as a multi-regional community of practice for air quality management across Africa. The platform now provides real-time air quality data enabling evidence-based decision-making in Uganda and eight other African countries.
Dr Kirsty Ferguson (in green) fundraising with her team.
Dr Kirsty Ferguson (in green) fundraising with her team.
Runners Up 1/3
Dr Kirsty Ferguson (Stem Cell Institute, School of Clinical Medicine)
You, Me & Us: a collaborative neuroblastoma poetry project
As a childhood cancer researcher, Kirsty Ferguson is motivated to positively impact patient outcomes by developing kinder treatments. However, efforts in the lab often feel disconnected from human experiences. To bridge this gap, Kirsty established ‘You, Me & Us’, a collaborative creative writing project to connect those with different experiences of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. Their co-developed poetry collection gives a voice to participants and shares poetry as an accessible communication tool.
Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant exhibiting in Kenya.
Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant exhibiting in Kenya.
Runners Up 2/3
Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant (McDonald Institute For Archaeological Research, School of Humanities and Social Sciences)
Historical East African Archaeology and Theory
This co-created project aimed to address the ‘sense of loss of culture’ that pervaded Kenya’s Ilchamus community and increase capacity for preserving cultural knowledge. It brought craftspeople in contact with archaeological, ethnographic, photographic, and video collections to explore the community’s material cultural history. Together we created spaces for knowledge sharing through a touring exhibition. This has led to increased interest in traditional material culture, economic benefit for craftspeople, and better representation in the museum.
Stanley Jachike Onyemechalu speaking at an event in Enugu, Nigeria
Stanley Jachike Onyemechalu speaking at an event in Enugu, Nigeria
Runners Up 3/3
Stanley Jachike Onyemechalu (Cambridge Heritage Research Centre, Department of Archaeology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences)
Legacies of Biafra Heritage Project
This project in Enugu south-eastern Nigeria engaged young and old through creative artistic expressions. Through workshops and an exhibition, the project aimed to promote intergenerational
dialogue and historical awareness on the legacies of the Nigeria-Biafra war, a sensitive part of people’s collective history that has been suppressed by successive Nigerian governments.
Emma Houiellebecq with officials in Gaza.
Emma Houiellebecq with officials in Gaza.
Highly Commended
Emma Houiellebecq (Faculty of Engineering, School of Technology, St John's College)
Strengthening the resilience of essential services in humanitarian crises
In a collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Emma’s research supports humanitarian practitioners to address the challenge of maintaining access to essential services amid complex and volatile crises. Extensive fieldwork enabled Emma to engage with local humanitarian teams and stakeholders to develop systems mapping approaches that help strengthen the resilience of essential services. This research has also helped shape operational strategies in how they approach analysis and planning in complex humanitarian crises.
Collaboration Award
A presentation of Hellblade at a public event.
A presentation of Hellblade at a public event.
Winner: Lead: Prof Paul Fletcher (Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, Clare College)
Dr Dervila Glynn (Cambridge Neuroscience IRC)
Dominic Matthews (Ninja Theory Ltd)
Sharon Gilfoyle (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust)
Representing psychosis in video games: Communicating clinical science and tackling stigma
This work draws together expertise in video game design and clinical neuroscience, with lived experience of mental illness to co-produce two award-winning video games vividly conveying the nature of altered experience of reality in a character with psychosis. Within conversations around mental health, psychosis is neglected and highly stigmatised.
In creating a powerful character and telling her story through gameplay, the project has enabled sensitive and thoughtful conversations about psychosis, and mental illness in general. It has had a measurably positive impact on stigma.
Members of the community sit in a circle while taking part in group work.
Members of the community sit in a circle while taking part in group work.
Runners Up 1/2
Project led by Dr David Farrell Banks (Fitzwilliam Museum, Non-School Institution)
Kate Noble, and Molly Stock-Duerdoth (Fitzwilliam Museum)
Ruth Clarke (University of Cambridge Museums)
Co-researchers - Isaac Ayamba, Anasuya Chattopadhyay, Kath Gilfoy, Rob Hales, Jacqui Lam-MacArthur, Susan Lister, Tim Lister, Rick Nelms, Sue Nelms, Jade Pollard-Crowe
Connections Through Collections
Connections Through Collections is an action research project that centres participant agency, knowledge and expertise. Delivered by a diverse group of ten community co-researchers working with Fitzwilliam staff, the project resulted in the Museum’s first fully co-curated display, Tensions of Belonging: Connecting Cambridge. Through championing community co-researchers' voices, the project is acting as a catalyst for institutional and sector change.
Runners Up 2/2
Project led by Christina Rozeik (Cambridge Reproduction)
Professor Kathy Niakan (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience)
Dr Mike Norman (Babraham Institute)
Naomi Clements-Brod (Gurdon Institute)
Sandy Starr (Progress Educational Trust)
Professor Roger Sturmey (Hull York Medical School)
Suzannah Lansdell (UKRI Sciencewise)
Suzannah Kinsella and Jamie Hearing (Hopkins Van Mil)
Anna MacGillivray (Ursus Consulting)
Including public voices in policy through a public dialogue on stem cell-based embryo models
Stem cell-based embryo models offer exciting new opportunities to understand human development and pregnancy failures. But there are questions over how this research should be regulated ethically and responsibly. Cambridge Reproduction is leading a project to develop the first UK governance for these models. This has involved wide consultation, including scientists, lawyers, ethicists, regulators and research funders. We also carried out the first ever public dialogue on embryo models, to guarantee that public voices were embedded in governance right from the start.
The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial standing on the steps of a mobile CT scanner in Leeds.
The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial standing on the steps of a mobile CT scanner in Leeds.
Highly Commended 1/2
Project led by Prof Grant Stewart (Department of Surgery, Clinical Medicine and Selwyn College)
Stephen Sharp (MRC Epidemiology Unit)
Angela Godoy (Oncology)
Bill McGough (Oncology, Radiology, Applied Mathematics and Physics)
Jon Cartledge (Leeds Teaching Hospitals)
And colleagues.
Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial - Abdominal non-contrast CT scanning to screen for kidney cancer and other abdominal pathology within community-based CT screening for lung cancer
The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial. a world-first, was designed in Cambridge, delivered in Leeds, and aimed to establish the feasibility and acceptability of kidney cancer screening by low-dose CT scan. The trial engaged patients, clinicians, and researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions. It has directly impacted follow-up research and made a significant contribution towards making kidney cancer screening standard of care.
Julie Morin, INETER and University Clermont Auvergne collaborators with Concepcion Volcano in the background (Ometepe, Nicaragua, 2023)
Julie Morin, INETER and University Clermont Auvergne collaborators with Concepcion Volcano in the background (Ometepe, Nicaragua, 2023)
Highly Commended 2/2
Project led by Dr Julie Morin (Department of Geography, Physical Sciences)
Prof Amy Donovan, Martin Lucas-Smith, Lucy Bigam, Dr Rory Walshe (Geography)
One external lead in each Latin American country: Chile: Constanza Gomez, Museo de Sitio de Chaiten Peru: Nelida Manrique, Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico Nicaragua: Eveling Espinoza, Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales
And colleagues in each country.
Volcano Voices: Empowering communities and science to tackle risks and environmental challenges together
Volcano Voices is a collaborative project enhancing the fair and high-quality collection of interview-based data while fostering partnerships with communities in Latin America’s volcanic regions. Its primary output is an open-access interactive map. Contributed by collaborators, content focuses on their relationship with the volcanic environment. Tailored to local priorities, the map supports disaster memorialization in Chaitén (Chile), geoheritage promotion in Arequipa (Peru), oral history preservation on Rapa Nui (Chile), and hazard awareness in Nicaragua. This flexible, cost-effective project bridges scientific and local knowledge, offering transformative potential for disaster risk reduction.
Built with Shorthand