Three inspirational academics from the University of Sheffield have been honoured with national awards in recognition of their work to transform student and academic learning.

Dr Julie Hyde, Professor Katherine Linehan and Dr Gary Wood have been awarded prestigious National Teaching Fellowships by Advance HE for the outstanding impact of their teaching and support in UK higher education.

They are among 54 new National Teaching Fellows announced by Advance HE.

Dr Julie Hyde, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Chemistry, is a key figure in the development and nurturing of innovative educational partnerships with Chinese universities. In establishing a programme of laboratory teaching at Nanjing Tech University, Dr Hyde transformed the way that laboratory practicals were taught, raising the profile of excellence. Her approaches were highly valued by her students in preparing them for their final year’s study in Sheffield.

Dr Hyde said: “I feel very honoured to achieve this award in recognition of my passion to teach and inspire students over many years about the subject I love. Developing a laboratory programme to teach in China on the University’s joint degree programme with Nanjing Tech University was an amazing opportunity and to become known for this work as a leader in the field nationally and internationally, by students and teaching colleagues alike, is a real privilege.”

Professor Katherine Linehan, from the University’s Department of Biomedical Science, has been the key driving force behind a pioneering redesign of the anatomy curriculum at the University. The revolutionary changes she implemented 15 years ago put students at the heart of the learning experience and were unprecedented at the time in her discipline. The ongoing success of her curriculum means that it remains an example of sector-leading practice in anatomy learning and teaching.

Professor Linehan, who is the Faculty Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Science) and Chair of University’s Gender Equality Committee, puts equality and inclusion at the heart of her practice and she has been instrumental in raising the profile of teaching staff across the University.

She said: “I am thrilled to have had the sustained contribution I have made to enhancing the student learning experience recognised by such a prestigious award.”

Acknowledging those who donate their bodies to medical teaching, without whom her work would not be possible, she added: “Throughout my career I have worked with a wide range of generous and inspiring individuals, both living and deceased, from whom I have learnt a great deal and will always be indebted to.”

Dr Gary Wood, from the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, has consistently had a transformative impact on the students he works with. He has led innovative work around teaching linguistics and has made an exceptional contribution to embedding enterprise education into the curriculum.

As Head of the Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy (SELA), he has developed a ground-breaking initiative, bringing together selected students, academics and colleagues from industry to offer development opportunities for the engineering leaders of the future.

Through workshops, publications and conference presentations, he has shared his work across both engineering and higher education sectors, playing a fundamental role in enhancing employability on a global level and contributing to the University’s reputation as a world-leading institution for engineering education.

Dr Wood led the UK’s contribution to UNIWORK, an EU-funded project to enhance employability services in Higher Education institutions across Central Asia, where he designed and delivered interactive workshops for colleagues in the region on enterprise education pedagogies, to equip them with the skills to cascade this learning to their teams. This project has directly had an impact on students and staff across the region, leaving behind a professional network of educators supporting each other and lasting policy change.

Dr Wood said: “It is a great privilege to inspire learning in students and colleagues. I am pleased to have been able to champion approaches that connect students’ learning to their future aspirations and enable them to succeed. It’s immensely gratifying to see students surprising themselves as they discover their potential and how much they can achieve, and inspiring to be able to learn collaboratively with and from them.

“I am honoured that my work has been recognised with such a prestigious national award, and grateful to all of my students and colleagues who make every day as a teacher and educator so rewarding.”

The winners will receive their awards at a special ceremony in Manchester on 16 October 2019.

Professor Brendan Stone, Deputy Vice-President for Education at the University of Sheffield, said: “I’m delighted that Julie, Katherine and Gary have been recognised for their outstanding commitment and dedication with a National Teaching Fellowship Award. They join a growing list of academics at our institution who have proven themselves as world class teachers.”

Alison Johns, Advance HE’s Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to all our 2019 winners of these prestigious, national awards.

“Becoming a National Teaching Fellow is a huge achievement. It can be truly life-changing. Creating ambassadors for innovative and impactful teaching who are valued by institutions and colleagues, and who can set in motion change and enhancements to make a really positive impact on student experience and outcomes across their institution and beyond.

“Advance HE looks forward to working with the winners to help to disseminate their work for the benefit of all.”