See the statements of thanks from academic staff to their postdocs across the University of Bath for their valued contribution.

As a token of the University’s appreciation for their contribution, all supervisors and postdocs include below will receive a voucher so that they can have a break and enjoy a hot drink together in 4 West Café.

Faculty of Engineering and Design

Dr Alborz Shokrani, Department of Mechanical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Joe Betts for his dedication and support to the SENSYCUT project, his innovative ideas and helping and mentoring PhD students in the lab.

Dr Christopher Vagg, Department of Mechanical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Rob Gray because he always goes above and beyond to deliver on every task (especially when others ask for help), he shows such great initiative and independence, and is so humble in everything he does.

Dr Robert Grover FHEA, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Emma Taylor because of her outstanding commitment and drive to the Transforming Homes project. Her transition to an academic post from an industry one has been rapid, and she has brought outstanding skills and experience that have been indispensable to the project.

Dr Richard Ball, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Barrie Dams because you are a great person to work with, you show dedication and commitment to research and offer help and support to all those around you.

Professor Paul Shepherd, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc, Dr Boroto Hwabamungu, because he never stops smiling. We come from very different backgrounds, both culturally and in terms of our research methods & fields, which means every meeting is a learning experience. Boroto greets both successes and setbacks with positivity, never loses sight of what is really important, and is a constant reminder of the immense value of trans-disciplinary research.

Professor Tim Mays, Department of Chemical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Raj Japgpal because he is a fabulous colleague brimming with creative and interesting ideas and energy. I look forward to and enjoy our weekly research catch ups which are always peppered with novel concepts and results. Raj reminds me just how exciting research can be. I will always be indebted to him for his massive commitment to establishing the national, EPSRC funded hydrogen research hub, UK-HyRES, based at Bath. Without Raj’s essential contributions the hub would not have been funded. I continue to be proud and thankful to work with him.

Dr Hannah Leese, Department of Chemical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you to Dr Nael Berri for being such a kind and caring team member, a great role model and mentor for early career researchers and his commitment to research excellence.

I would like to say thank you to Dr Xiang Ding for his commitment, his creativity and kindness and openness to support researchers in the team and beyond.

I would like to say thank you to Dr Madhurima Dutta for her positive energy, kindness and commitment to pushing research boundaries.

I would like to say thank you to Dr Fatima Anjum for her inspiring can-do attitude, for her kind and caring nature to everyone and determination to try new things.

Professor Xiaoze Pei, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Jiawen Xi. Her dedication to excellent research is matched by her outstanding collaboration with our team members. Dr Xi's ability to engage and work seamlessly with the technician team has significantly enhanced our projects, ensuring smooth operations and high-quality outcomes. Her professionalism, combined with her collaborative spirit, makes her an invaluable asset to our research group.

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Yuchen Wang. His leadership in innovative research is truly inspiring, driven by his deep passion and creativity. Dr Wang’s enthusiasm for advancing our work is contagious, motivating everyone around him. He is also highly engaged with our PhD students, offering them invaluable support and guidance. Dr Wang’s contributions have had a profound impact on our team, and I’m grateful for his commitment to excellence and collaboration.

Dr Katharine Fraser, Department of Mechanical Engineering:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr Nathaniel Kelly because he has done some fantastic computational fluid dynamics which means we can get novel results and potentially improve the design of our paediatric heart pump. At the same time as this tricky computational work, he has also helped out with many other things including: undergraduate and phd projects, leading a team of undergraduates in lab work, organising group meetings, and generally improving the research environment to make it both more effective, and more pleasant.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Alistair Hunt, Department of Economics:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc, Dr Eleanor Eaton, because of the unstinting and high quality work that she has continued to carry out across a series of externally funded research projects in the area of environmental policy. She has great strengths in her sensitive handling of a range of important stakeholders as well as the research community. Critically, Eleanor is unafraid of working across disciplinary boundaries and is adept at communicating technical research findings across a range of audiences – both written and spoken.

Professor Julie Barnett, Department of Psychology:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr Johanna Meyer because she is a great contributor to the teams that she works with and that projects that she works on. She brings new and valuable perspectives and insights to projects and papers we are working on and invariably improves them! She exemplifies a commitment to open research that has an important role in challenging and improving my own practice in this area.

Professor Sarah Halligan, Department of Psychology:

I would like to thank my research associate, Dr Tamsin Sharp. For the last two years, Tamsin has been supporting research into the impacts of trauma exposure among South African youth. She is resourceful, capable and lovely to collaborate with. Tamsin consistently implements the highest standards of scientific rigour in her own work and in her support for others, enhancing our research culture. She has taken the initiative in securing her own grant funding to share the outputs of our project in an arts-based way, showing a commitment to impactful science communication. Thank you, Tamsin, for all your work.

Dr Lukas Wolf, Department of Psychology:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr Philip Howlett because he is very organised and pro-active in leading on the various aspects of the project, from analysing and writing drafts to coordinating with the external partner (a lot). I’m grateful I can leave tasks with him and he is a real pleasure to work with.

Dr Katie Maras, Department of Psychology:

I would like to say a big thank you to my postdoc, Dr Ralph Bagnall, for being an all-round godsend and good egg. As well as doing an amazing job on my ambitious and challenging ESRC grant, Ralph is a proper ‘good citizen’, contributing to range of activities at departmental level including teaching on Forensic Psychology (helping to increase OUE satisfaction scores to an all-time high of 4.51 this year!). Ralph has also been invaluable in supporting various activities for the Centre for Applied Autism Research (CAAR), including developing and maintaining the autism participant database, running the CAAR email inbox, pioneering new developments for the University Transition Autism School (UTAS), and co-leading the ‘Enhancing Research Culture’ project to increase the level of participatory research at CAAR. We are very lucky to have you, Ralph!”

Professor Matt Dickson, Institute for Policy Research:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr Maria Pia Iocco Barias because she is both an exceptional talent and a very hard worker. Pia’s role requires the manipulation of complex administrative data, econometric analysis, understanding of economic theory and presentational skills. Pia excels in all dimensions. Very importantly, on a personal level she is very amiable and a pleasure to work with. Thank you Pia for all of your hard work and for the huge contribution you are making to the success of our project.

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr María José Ventura Alfaro because she is an incredibly talented researcher who allies that talent with diligence and hard work. Maria has brought skill and energy to our project and is producing great results, interviewing policymakers, education stakeholders and young people up and down the country. Thank you Maria for your contribution to our project, it would not be the success that it is without your dedication and ability.

School of Management

Professor Vivek Soundararajan, School of Management

I would like to thank Dr Pankhuri Agarwal for her commitment to the project, her sense of ownership, and her aspiration to make a meaningful impact through it.

I would like to thank Dr Divya Tyagi for bringing new ideas, conducting deeper analysis, and putting in immense effort to push the project forward.

Faculty of Science

Professor James Davenport, Department of Computer Science:

I would like to say thank you my postdoc Dr Ali Uncu because:
a) He does the “postdoc job” (research and publishing the research) well, with several conference papers published and a major journal paper in draft.
b) He has worked, and continues to work, with our research students, helping them technically, with publication, and indeed managing the technology transfer process to the relevant software house.
c) He is a great colleague as a human being, being a great support to me when I got Covid and a serious infection while at a conference in his native Turkey, where I had no understanding of the language or health system.

Professor Richard Guy and Professor Begona Delgado-Charro, Department of Life Sciences:

We would like to say thank you to our long-serving postdoc (and now Research Fellow), Dr Panagiota (Nota) Zarmpi. Nota has worked with us continuously on three research projects, funded by the US FDA, EPSRC and The Leo Foundation, since 2019 and has been an integral part of their success in terms of conference presentations, publications and impact. Nota is smart, thoughtful, incredibly hard-working and productive, and very considerate towards her peers and colleagues. It has been and continues to be a massive pleasure to work with her and to observe her rapid development as an independent, early career researcher.

Dr Phil Trinh, Department of Mathematical Sciences:

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc, Dr Josh Shelton, for their devotion to growing professionally and personally over the last few years at Bath. Not only have they planted their scientific roots while in this position, but they have also worked to mentor the younger students and improve the culture of the department. Thank you, Josh!

Professor Tim Birks, Department of Physics;

I would like to say thank you to my postdoc Dr Kerrianne Harrington for being so professional: carrying out her postdoc role with skill, ambition and growing leadership of course, but also going beyond that to pursue research avenues and outreach projects of her own devising, improve shared facilities and processes, and selflessly support everyone she works with. Thanks Kerrianne!