'A vital element in the ecosystem'

The winners of two awards, which recognise the crucial role of technicians in both psychological research and teaching, have been announced. 

This year's winner of the Research Award was Dr James Alvarez (University of Sussex) who leads the software team at Sussex University and has more than 10 years' experience building software for academic research. He said he was thrilled to receive the award, which he said highlighted the crucial role that technicians and software developers play in research.

'What has made this role particularly fulfilling is how we've been able to support researchers in reaching more participants, by aiming to make taking part in research both fun and accessible. This would not have been possible without the tremendous support of my colleagues in the psychology department, who took a chance on transforming a temporary position into a permanent technical unit.'

This year's winner of the BPS/ATSiP Teaching Award, which recognises the key role that technicians play in supporting students' learning experiences in psychology departments, was Dr Glen Pennington. After a Psychology PhD, Pennington went on to become a Professional Tutor and Lab Manager at Liverpool Hope University, she said she was grateful to Professor Caroline Wakefield and Dr Catherine Thompson for nominating her for the award.

'This award is a great opportunity to showcase the fact that technical support is a vital element in the ecosystem of the School of Psychology. I am fortunate to work with great people who value my efforts, staff and students alike. There's a great satisfaction in watching students come into their first year feeling apprehensive, spending three years with us and leaving with a good degree, and a lot more confidence in themselves. I'm very happy to be a part of that process.'

The deadline for nominations for next year's BPS/ATSiP Teaching and Research Awards is 26 October.

See more information.