STAG Awards - The Results
Surrey Teaching and Greatness Awards winners have now been announced- find out more about these awards and who students have chosen!
Luana Vasconcelos
Thursday 14 May
This year the Union introduced the Surrey Teaching and Greatness Awards. This is a University wide chance to recognise and celebrate Staff at Surrey across seven categories. Students were asked to submit their nominations with examples linked to the category. These nominations were then shortlisted by Union Officers and final decisions were made by your Sabbatical team. Find out more from Matt below:
The Surrey Teaching and Academic Greatness Awards are an opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the incredible staff at Surrey, who work so hard to support, develop, and inspire students to become the very best they can be. This year, we received over 120 nominations from students celebrating the staff who have made an impact on their time at Surrey. It’s so clear to see how much students value and appreciate the dedication of staff across the University community. I’d like to extend my thanks on behalf of the Union to all the nominees, and congratulations to all the winners!
Matt Aikin, Union President 2025-26
STAG Award Winners 2026
Outstanding Lecturer Award:
Dr Sophie Billington – School of Medicine
“As the medical school's clinical skills lead, she's been working incredibly hard to pioneer the program and maximise our learning. She is compassionate, kind, funny and honest. She is always receptive to feedback, goes above and beyond for both students and colleagues, is extremely passionate about medicine and is someone we aspire to be like, and one day make proud.”
Excellence in Student Support Award:
Dr Lisa Morrison – Maths & Physics
“Lisa has a way of helping people relax in her presence and provides excellent advice and support with not only academic matters, but also personal. She goes above and beyond her role as senior tutor. It is no exaggeration to call her our angel of the physics department, and she deserves recognition for all the work she puts in supporting us all individually and collectively.”
Best Personal Tutor:
Deji Sotunde – Surrey Business School
“Since becoming a student at the university, Deji has consistently been in my corner, supporting and encouraging me in every academic and professional decision I have made. Deji played a crucial role in helping me discover the right networks and people I could turn to for advice and support. Deji has truly made a lasting impact on my university experience.”
Inclusivity Champion Award:
Dr Gabriele Lazzari – Literature & Languages
“Dr Lazzari consistently demonstrates a commitment to equity and diversity, ensuring the reading lists for each of his modules include authors and stories across the globe and which celebrate diverse communities. Dr Lazzari worked hard to diversity the curriculum, and during seminars, he always ensures everyone feels included and supported to raise their points.”
Student Voice Champion Award:
Dr Liz Bahs – Literature & Languages
“Dr Liz Bahs not only is an exceptional lecturer and seminar leader, but she always keeps the student voice at the heart of everything she does. As a Course Rep I've always felt like my voice was heard by Liz, and she made me feel supported to succeed in the role. Liz always takes student feedback seriously and acts upon it.”
Exceptional Feedback Award:
Dr Amy Morgan – Literature & Languages
“Her feedback during our 1-1 session following the submission of my outline was super helpful and she really took the time during the session to expand on the feedback. I felt like I came out of that discussion feeling more prepared for the assignment and this was reflected in the grade and feedback I received for the final submission.”
Outstanding Contribution to Research Supervision Award:
Professor M. Alector Ribeiro – Hospitality & Tourism
“I am nominating this professor because he genuinely transformed the way I think about research. When I first submitted my research sketch, I felt quite uncertain about my ability to approach academic research at the required level. He took the time to guide me through how to think critically, structure ideas and approach research questions more thoughtfully.”
A massive thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and took part in the Surrey Teaching Awards this year. The STAG Awards will be back in Spring 2027, where you can nominate Surrey staff for recognition and celebration.
You can find a full list of nominees here:
All Nominees
Outstanding Lecturer Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Dr Abdul-Razak Alhassan – Surrey Business School
Dr Alex Mandilaras – Economics
Dr Becky Wills – Literature & Languages
Dr Christopher Taggart – Surrey Law School
Dr David Walker-Jones – Economics
Dr Emily Finch – Surrey Law School
Dr Feja Lesniewska – Surrey Law School
Dr Laura Blow – Economics
Dr Lena Mattheis – Literature & Languages
Dr M. Mahdi Tavalaei – Surrey Business School
Dr Maria-Nerina Boursinou – Sociology
Dr Yanning Li – Hospitality & Tourism
James Green – Literature & Languages
Lisa Scott Gordon – Music & Media
Professor Bonnie Buchanan – Surrey Business School
Professor Bran Nicol (3 nominations) – Literature & Languages
Professor Ricardo Nunes – Economics
Professor Thomas Fackler (2 nominations) – Surrey Business School
Sylvia Ganbert (2 nominations) – Hospitality & Tourism
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences:
Caitlin Jeary – School of Biosciences
Charlie Adler (3 nominations) – School of Health Sciences
Charlotte Hebdige – School of Health Sciences
Dr Adriana Soni Garcia – Psychology
Dr Diana Cheso – Psychology
Dr Harry Roberts – School of Biosciences
Dr Martin Hawes (2 nominations) – School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr Matteo Barberis (2 nominations) – School of Biosciences
Dr Patrizia Camelliti – School of Biosciences
Dr Sarah Bolger – School of Health Sciences
Dr Sarah Hack – Psychology
Dr Sophie Billington (10 nominations) – Surrey Medical School
Dr Selvin Stanley Solis – School of Biosciences
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Dr Andrew Viquerat – School of Engineering
Dr David Birch (9 nominations) – School of Engineering
Dr Frank Guerin – Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Dr James Wright – Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Dr Milan Antonijevic – Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Dr Sotiris Moschoyiannis – Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Professor Gregory Chockler – Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Excellence in Student Support Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Dr Benaliza Loo – Surrey Business School
Dr Liz Bahs – Literature & Languages
Dr Saori Sugeno – Surrey Business School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences:
Annette Davies – School of Health Sciences
Charlotte Hebdige – School of Health Sciences
Dr Adriana Soni Garcia (5 nominations) - Psychology
Dr Debbie Gooch - Psychology
Dr Julie Hunt – School of Biosciences
Dr Sarah Bailey – School of Biosciences
Lisa Dennis – School of Health Sciences
Sam Harrison – School of Health Sciences
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Dr Lisa Morrison (10 nominations) – Maths & Physics
Dr Mariam Cirovic – Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Other:
Craig Aldridge – Students’ Union
Best Personal Tutor:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Deji Sotunde – Surrey Business School
Dr Alex Mandilaras – Economics
Dr Nathalie Weidhase – Sociology
Dr Stephen Mooney – Literature & Languages
Professor Constance Bantman – Literature & Languages
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences:
Dr David Allen – School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr Emily Auger – School of Veterinary Medicine
Professor Benjamin Gardner – Psychology
Shantel Lynch – School of Biosciences
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Dr Lisa Morrison – Maths & Physics
Inclusivity Champion Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Dr Gabriele Lazzari – Literature & Languages
Dr Katherine Hubbard – Sociology
Dr Lena Mattheis – Literature & Languages
Student Voice Champion Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
John Warburton – Music & Media
Lisa Scott Gordon – Music & Media
Dr Liz Bahs – Literature & Languages
Professor Theofanis Exadaktylos – Politics & International Relations
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences:
Dr Sarah Bailey (2 nominations) – School of Biosciences
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Dr Mariam Cirovic – Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
Exceptional Feedback Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Dr Amy Morgan – Literature & Languages
Professor Carol Woodhams – Surrey Business School
Outstanding Contribution to Research Supervision Award:
Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences:
Professor M. Alector Ribeiro – Hospitality & Tourism
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences:
Dr Sarah Trinder – School of Biosciences