Recent news

Professor Lucy Chappell receives honorary degree

Our warmest congratulations go to Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), who received her honorary degree on Thursday 19 December during winter graduation. 

Professor Chappell has overall responsibility for DHSC research and development and for supporting analysis and life sciences across the department. She provides scientific advice to ministers across a range of health topics and is involved in cross-government science policy. She is also Chief Executive Officer for the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the research delivery vehicle for the UK Department of Health and Social Care. 

Lucy is Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London, working mainly in clinical trials in pregnancy, and a practicing Consultant Obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. 

We’re proud to honour her achievements and celebrate her impact on the future of healthcare.  

Southampton awarded University of Sanctuary status 

In October, we were delighted to achieve University of Sanctuary status, placing us in a national network that’s committed to making higher education institutions a place of solidarity and safety for refugees and asylum seekers. 

As part of our commitment, we will offer Sanctuary Scholarships for one eligible undergraduate and one eligible postgraduate taught student per year. The scholarships will: 

• Cover 100% of tuition fee costs for each year of study  

• Provide a bursary for each year of study to help with additional study costs 

• Provide a bespoke welcome pack for students 

• Support students with University accommodation 

Find out more about our Sanctuary Scholarships  

Alumni mentors guide Southampton teams in Universities Business Challenge 2024/25 

We’re celebrating the incredible journey of our three undergraduate teams competing in the prestigious Universities Business Challenge. We want to extend our thanks to our amazing alumni mentors—David Smallman, Simon Cloke, and Christopher Spackman—who are guiding our students to develop their employability skills, sharpen their business knowledge, and connect with industry leaders. 

Southampton Business School students excelled in the first round, with one team coming in first place and two teams securing a position in the semi-finals in February. Meanwhile, the first round of the Global Masters competition is kicking off this month, coached by alumni mentors Chris Spackman, Rebecca Self, and Gerard Hutchings. 

Supported by leading UK universities, the Universities Business Challenge is the world’s top simulation-based business competition. Previous winning teams include the University of St Andrews, Coventry University, and the University of Liverpool, with the University of Southampton last claiming the title in 2023. Since the challenge’s inception in 1998, over 45,000 students have benefitted from taking part. 

If you’re looking to inspire the next generation of industry leaders, you can join our online E-Mentoring Southampton platform to share your career insights and advice.  

Please email GiveTime@soton.ac.uk if you are interested in mentoring a team in the Universities Business Challenge next year. 

Purple plaque honours Southampton graduate’s pioneering achievements 

In an historic celebration of women in leadership and entrepreneurship, on Tuesday 3 December the School of Electronics and Computer Science unveiled a Purple Plaque to commemorate the remarkable achievements of alumna Dr Iris Kramer, recipient of Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Award.

Dr Iris Kramer initially studied archaeology before completing her master’s and PhD in computer science at Southampton. Since then, she has won investment at Future Worlds’ Dragons’ Den event in 2020, was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list and more. 

With thousands of blue plaques scattered across the UK, fewer than one in seven honour women. In contrast, the Purple Plaque initiative aims to shift this narrative by recognising and celebrating the innovative contributions of women like Dr Iris Kramer who have made significant strides in their respective fields. 

Innovate UK hopes the purple plaques will inspire more women to get into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and follow in the award winners’ footprints. 

Hear Dr Iris Kramer talk on our 360 Degrees podcast 

Read the latest Re:action

From imagination to innovation: the Winter 2024 edition of Re:action, the University’s research and enterprise magazine, is out now.   

Catch up on all the latest news from across the University, including how we were ranked ninth in the UK in the QS World Rankings for Sustainability 2025.