Staff Awards
The Staff Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of LSTM staff and our partners.
We received over 220 nominations for the 2026 awards, and the winners were revealed at a celebration event at The Spine in Liverpool.
Thank you to all colleagues who took the time to nominate in this years awards, and to those who joined the event to celebrate our winners and all the nominees. You can read about the winners and see photos from the Staff Awards below.
Culture and Environment Award
Tom Cowling
Tom was nominated for making an exceptional impact on systems, processes and working culture across LSTM, far beyond the expectations of his role.
He received multiple nominations for his work which recognised its impact across multiple departments.
By designing and implementing two bespoke apps – in the Herpetarium and across Research & Education Facilities, and Health & Safety systems – Tom has transformed operations, streamlining workflows, strengthening compliance and data reporting, and improved communication, efficiency and oversight.
His innovative and collaborative approach has demonstrated how creative, user-focused solutions can drive operational excellence. And his work has improved the daily working environment for colleagues and established higher standards of operational integrity.
Mentorship Award
Poppy Pescod
The judges felt that Poppy demonstrated an outstanding commitment to mentoring, supporting and developing both colleagues and students, consistently making herself available to provide guidance, encouragement and practical support to others.
Her dedication to supporting collaborative students from Burkina Faso, investing considerable time reviewing manuscripts, providing detailed feedback and helping them navigate the process of preparing scientific work for publication, was highlighted in her nomination.
She was recognised for playing an important role in strengthening research capacity and supporting early-career scientists within international partnerships, directly contributing to LSTM’s commitment to equitable global collaboration.
Highly Commended: Imelda Bates
Imelda was nominated for her consistent exceptional mentorship and commitment to the development of others. She was praised for creating opportunities and building the confidence of staff and students, and her ability to recognise and nurture potential that individuals may not see in themselves was particularly noted.
Citizenship Award
School Staff Forum Committee
The School Staff Forum Committee were nominated for their dedication, and tireless focus on ensuring that staff are informed and listened to.
Together, they put in a lot of work co-ordinating speakers and updates, answering tea room questions and fielding all manner of parking and other operational queries.
Highly Commended: Ilinca Memelis
Ilinca was nominated for going far beyond her formal role to promote a positive, collaborative culture within LSTM’s shared laboratory spaces. She has invested time in understanding the needs of others, anticipated potential challenges, and taken proactive steps to support colleagues.
Societal Impact Award
Natalie Thompson, Richard Madden, Nour Essale and Sally Theobald
Nominated for their responsiveness, compassion and dedication to delivering a positive impact, Natalie, Richard, Nour and Sally worked tirelessly, beyond traditional organisational boundaries, and were responsive to an urgent need – working together to identify what was needed and pulling out all the stops to deliver it.
They were commended for their tireless work to facilitate the safe passage of Palestinian students and their families from Gaza, to take up their studies at LSTM. This involved advocacy, a lot of external networking and working with MPs; providing guidance on documentation and providing help and services to the students on arrival.
Their approach was described as truly inspirational – with each of them going above and beyond – demonstrating professionalism, proactivity, and dedication to ensure that our students felt safe, welcomed, and a part of the LSTM family.
Thanks to their collective efforts and the support of colleagues there are now 5 Gazan medics thriving at LSTM.
Team of the Year
Reception Team
The Reception Team were nominated for the exceptional impact they have through their collaboration and professionalism.
They embody the LSTM values through warmth and humour and an unfailing can-do attitude.
The judges particularly noted how their interactions communicate our culture, shaping how our organisation is perceived and how our values are lived. Their hard work sets the tone for collaboration, respect and excellence – making strong first impressions and creating a welcoming environment at LSTM in Liverpool.
Highly Commended – Legal and Governance Team
The Legal and Governance team was nominated for its work in bringing together new roles and colleagues from across the institution and building a cohesive, collaborative and high performing team culture.
The team plays a critical role in safeguarding the organisation through their work in governance oversight, due diligence on grants and contracts, and leadership in data protection and information governance. Their efforts have significantly improved organisational processes, strengthened compliance, and enhanced confidence in the organisation’s governance structures, working in partnership with colleagues across LSTM.
Contribution of the Year
Race Equality Charter Mark Self-Assessment Team
A cross-LSTM group who were nominated for their work in developing LSTM’s first-ever submission for the Race Equality Charter.
Their collective focus and commitment, along with their skills in strategic planning, data analysis, and development of robust action plans demonstrated professionalism and dedication, driven by clear leadership.
This resulted in LSTM being successfully awarded the bronze charter mark at the first attempt – which is a testament to their dedication and hard work, and their focus on guiding colleagues through challenging conversations and ensuring inclusive, safe spaces as part of LSTM’s wider Race Equality work.
This has involved a lot of work at a time when EDI more broadly has been under attack internationally and the landscape for race equality has also been challenging in the UK.
Highly Commended – Shevin Jacob
Shevin was recognised for his approach to leadership of the Research Ethics Committee, with the aim of fostering a supportive environment for researchers from all disciplines. The submission praised his calm, inclusive style which encourages open discussion, thoughtful challenge, and shared responsibility and helps to ensure that complex ethical issues are addressed collaboratively and thoughtfully.
Partnership of the Year Award
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
MSF were nominated for representing an outstanding example of an external partnership built on equity, mutual respect, and shared values.
Over many years, the collaboration has significantly strengthened LSTM’s work in outbreak response, operational research, and the delivery of evidence-based care in some of the world’s most challenging settings.
This partnership is characterised by fairness and genuine collaboration between academic and operational teams with a commitment to humanitarian medicine, which aligns closely with LSTM’s own mission to improve health outcomes in low-resource settings. Together colleagues across LSTM and this organisation have worked tirelessly to translate research into practice where it matters most, ie on the frontline of epidemics.
Highly Commended – Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme (CNRFP), Burkina Faso
CNRFP has been a key partner of the Department of Vector Biology since 2008. Starting with a small network grant to detect trends in insecticide resistance in malaria vectors they have since partnered on at least 10 further collaborative projects.
They have done all of this despite facing many barriers over the past 15 years, including political coups; climatic factors that make the success of entomological studies extremely unpredictable; and like many African institutes, they face severe challenges in access to consumables, equipment and engineers.
The resilience, integrity, creativity and passion of the team are a continued source of inspiration and we owe much of our understanding of the drivers of insecticide resistance to the tenacity and hard work of these vector biology colleagues.