Recognising our people Education Excellence Awards

Dr Heather Coleman is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, teaching across the MPharm, MSci, BSc (Hons), and MSc programmes and Course Director for the MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Associate Research Group Lead in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, she has published 47 journal publications, 120+ conference publications, and 2 book chapters.

Her scientific research over the last 25 years has focused primarily on the fate and removal of contaminants of concern in the environment, more recently focusing on antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance and investigating prescribing rates and attitudes to antimicrobial resistance in healthcare.

Heather’s strong interest in pedagogic research and student-centred approaches to teaching includes Universal Design for Learning and ‘partnering’ with students to enhance learning, teaching, and the student experience, closely aligning to our Principles and Qualities of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience and strategic direction in learning enhancement.

Completing a Master of Education at Ulster University in 2021, Heather has presented her pedagogic research at national and international conferences.

Dr Marianne Doherty is a Lecturer in Law at Ulster University, with expertise in inclusive and student-centred legal education.

Course Director for the LLB with Criminology and the LLB with Politics & International Studies and convenes modules in Law of Tort and LLB Dissertations, she also serves as an external examiner for LLB and LLM programmes at Leeds and Staffordshire Universities.

With a particular interest in widening participation and experiential learning, in collaboration with Dr Gillian McNaull, she co-developed the Ulster Prison Project at HMP Magilligan – a cross-faculty initiative creating collaborative learning opportunities between students and people in prison.

Across her career, Marianne has led prison education partnerships, developed staff training for teaching in prison settings, and integrated her research into her teaching practice, reflecting a sustained commitment to creating inclusive learning experiences in higher education.

Marianne was nominated for Ulster University’s Educator of the Year, shortlisted for Inclusion and Diversity Champion at the Learning and Teaching Awards and awarded a Distinguished Excellence in Teaching Award in 2024.

Dr Gabrielle Nugent-Stephens is Lecturer in Criminology and Course Director within the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences at Ulster University.

An Early Career Educator with a particular interest in pedagogic development and inclusive teaching practice, her teaching draws on evidence-informed approaches and aims to connect theoretical concepts with real-world issues to support meaningful student learning and engagement.

Completing her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice in 2023 and as a Fellow with the Higher Education Academy, Gabrielle continues to share and reflect on her teaching practice with academic communities, including through a recent webinar discussing the use of interactive technologies to enhance student participation and success in large-group settings.

Her interdisciplinary research interests primarily focus on state crime and security governance, specifically the social harms produced through the administration of state security, and how these practices impact broader understandings of justice and accountability.

Through both teaching and research, Gabrielle aims to contribute to the development of critical criminological thinking and create inclusive learning environments that encourage students to engage with complex social and political issues.

Aoife Conway is a Lecturer in Nursing at Ulster University’s School of Nursing and Paramedic Science.

A registered mental health nurse with specialist experience in dementia care, Aoife brings her clinical expertise into teaching, creating meaningful and evidence-informed learning experiences that foster confidence, competence, and compassion in future healthcare professionals.

Aoife has played a pivotal role in the development and delivery of the Dementia Education Programme, a unique, multi-year curriculum embedded within the undergraduate nursing degree.

Developed in partnership with colleagues and stakeholders, the DEP aligns with regional and national frameworks and has enhanced students’ knowledge, attitudes and confidence in dementia care.

Aoife has extended the reach of dementia education across the faculty, integrating interprofessional learning opportunities for students from paramedicine, occupational therapy, and diagnostic radiography.

She has also secured competitive funding to lead innovative education initiatives, including integrating the InspireD reminiscence app into practice learning, and co-leading the rollout of the Time for Dementia programme in Northern Ireland.

Alongside both evidence-informed and evidence-generating teaching, her pedagogical research is contributing new insights into the impact of dementia education in undergraduate health programmes.

Lisa Thompson is the Doctoral Development Manager in the Doctoral College and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Lisa leads the development and delivery of the Researcher Development Programme for PhD Researchers, which she established in 2017 to support the professional and personal development of PhD Researchers.

Enhancing and developing skills relating to their PhD journey, the programme also supports them in their life beyond the PhD, in both academic and non-academic contexts.

Informed and guided by the Researcher Development Framework (Vitae, 2010) and the UKRI Expectations of Doctoral Training (2024), and delivered by a wide range of academic staff and external colleagues, this broad, comprehensive and dynamic programme is continuously enhanced and improved.

Lisa also established the Festival of PhD Research and Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition at Ulster University, creating a vibrant research culture and community for PhD Researchers across all disciplines and campuses and enhancing the PhD experience.

These provide Researchers with an informal, multi-disciplinary space to connect, share their work, and develop professional skills like public engagement, networking, and presentation skills.

The festival offers an inclusive, active and collaborative platform for PhD Researchers to share and connect with peers and colleagues.

Professor Sonja McIlfatrick is Dean of the Doctoral College and Professor in Nursing and Palliative Care.

This award recognises her leadership and sustained impact on level 8 education and her commitment in championing the research teaching nexus in clinical practice, locally, nationally and internationally.

A distinguished academic whose career has spanned clinical practice, postgraduate education, academia, research, and scholarship, Sonja is also an internationally recognised leader in palliative care research.

Publishing extensively in this area and holding various Visiting Professor appointments, Sonja has also served on numerous international research-funding boards.

The linkage between the education–research–practice nexus was the basis for her Fellowship application and this award also acknowledges the importance of considering doctoral education in the widest sense, including the pedagogical practices that underpin high-quality research supervision.

Sonja has a keen interest in doctoral education and served as the first non-US based President for the International Network of Doctoral Education in Nursing.

This interest has extended within her current role which involves leading the institution for postgraduate research, developing good practice for doctoral education and ensuring high-quality student experience for level 8 learners.

A collaboration between Ulster University Business School and Ulster University Curriculum Enhancement & Approval, the Special Interest Group on Inclusive Teaching (SIGIT) is now being rolled out across the entire university as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum Community of Practice.

This meaningful collaboration amongst staff created a shared vision for providing an inclusive experience for the students we teach and support through a learner-centred mindset and commitment to providing visibility and opportunities for students to share their own experiences through the idea of ‘experts by experience’.

The activity captured in the SIGIT case study firmly aligns with Ulster University strategic areas of inclusivity and student voice, through its emphasis on learning from students as teachers of inclusion and experts by experience.

SIGIT raises awareness and educates others about EDI in multiple ways.

It delves into important themes like unconscious bias and inclusive language through panel discussions and showcases the experiences of under-represented student cohorts through storytelling sessions.

Its engaging portal of resources equips participants with the knowledge and skills to address EDI considerations in their own spheres of influence.

Special Interest Group on Inclusive Teaching (SIGIT) Team

• Nancy Brown (Team Lead)
• Tracy Galvin
• Paul Joseph Richards
• Jo-Anne Watson
• Fodhla McGrane
• Christina Woods

Enhancing Digital Marketing Education through Collaborative Innovation: The MarTech Laboratory

Led by Dr John Bustard and a multidisciplinary team, the MarTech Laboratory is a transformative, student-centred approach to digital marketing education, integrating academic, industry, and community expertise to deliver high-impact, real-world learning experiences.

Achievements include the certification of 483 students, engagement with over 40 enterprises and start-ups, the development of micro-internships, bootcamps, and workshops rooted in digital marketing and AI application.

By embedding design thinking and co-creation, particularly through the student-led “Thinkathon” event, the Lab has ensured alignment with learners’ aspirations and industry needs.

Students developed strategic and technical competencies through applied projects such as the NW200 digital campaign and CoDE behavioural science initiative.

Collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University and involvement in events like eComm Live extended the Lab’s influence across the HE sector, supporting inter-institutional innovation and knowledge exchange.

The #6SCommunity (students, specialists, startups, social enterprises, sustainability and social good) has been central to this success, nurturing networks that amplify students' civic and societal impact.

Student feedback highlights increased confidence, employability, and digital fluency, with many achieving the prestigious EDGE award.

Integrating pedagogy, practice, active learning and purposeful and authentic project-based learning opportunities, the Lab’s flexible model and broad appeal offers potential for replication across disciplines and institutions.

MarTech Laboratory Team

• John Bustard (Team Lead)
• Ursula McTaggart
• Lisa Harkness
• Peter Bolan
• Karise Hutchinson
• Rachel Withers
• Daniel Hsu

As an inter-professional staff/student team, we recognised a need to modernise and future-proof our curricula and student experience through a new Graduate Attributes Framework.

Feedback from employers and stakeholders highlighted a pressing need to reimagine how we prepare graduates for the workforce.

Since students can struggle to articulate the valuable skills gained during their Higher Education experience, a focus was to ensure all students, regardless of background or discipline, shared a common language to articulate their diverse skill sets.

By embedding these Graduate Attributes into activities and assessment, the aim was not only to cultivate highly skilled graduates but empower them to confidently convey these capabilities to employers and stakeholders.

With clearly defined goals and significant university-wide impact, a collaborative approach has ensured that the Graduate Attributes Framework aligns with the university’s strategy, the qualities and principles of learning and teaching, is student-centric, and has been integrated into 1,800 module handbooks this academic year.

Adopting an empathetic, user-driven approach, with continuous feedback from stakeholders—faculty, students, employers, and senior leadership—to guide and refine our work, this inclusive process resulted in an innovative framework unique to Ulster that is sustainable and transferable to other institutions in an evolving higher education landscape.

Graduate Attributes Framework Team

• Glenda Martin (Team Lead)
• Robert McKenna
• Rachel Telford
• Ursula McTaggart
• Colette Murphy
• Philip Griffiths
• Shauna McCloy
• Barbara Skinner
• Rachel Bittles
• Martin Ozarek
• Gavin Boyd

The Personalised Medicine Team at Ulster University brought together specialists from different disciplines in collaborative partnership, prioritising student experience and employability.

Their holistic approach, integrating teaching and research, produced agile graduates, responsive to the needs of the sector and has benefitted the local economy through graduate training and job creation.

Find out more at advance-he.ac.uk

Collaboration of School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Medicine

• Paula McClean
• Dr Sarah Atkinson
• Prof. Tony Bjourson
• Dr William Duddy
• Dr Stephanie Duguez
• Dr David Gibson
• Dr Catriona Kelly
• Dr Kyle Matchett
• Dr Andrew McDowell
• Dr Victoria McGilligan
• Dr Elaine Murray
• Dr Priyank Shukla
• Dr Taranjit Singh-Rai
• Dr Steven Watterson
• Dr Shu-Dong Zhang