2012 Celebrating Excellence Awards
Rising Star
The Rising Star award recognises a member of staff who has been in their role here at the University
for a relatively short period of time, but in that time has initiated, coordinated or accomplished
complex activity within or on behalf of the University.
Shortlisted Nominees:
Dr Emyr Lloyd-Evans, School of Biosciences
Julia Hallett, Cardiff Business School
Dr Tracey Loughran, School of History, Archaeology and Religion
Dr Emyr Lloyd-Evans
Dr Lloyd-Evans was appointed as an RCUK Fellow at School of Biosciences in November 2010 in his
first appointment as a Principal Investigator, having worked previously as a post-doctoral scientist at
the University of Oxford. Since joining Cardiff University he has continued his research into lysosmal
function, having established a fully working independent research laboratory and acquired in excess
of £450,000 external research funding from charitable sources and the EU and the UK research
councils.
He has established collaborations within Cardiff, nationally and internationally, and is currently a
collaborator on a project which will potentially initiate a clinical trial of an FDA approved drug for
one of the most common causes of maternal loss and childhood autism in Europe, Smith-Lemli-Opitz
Syndrome, at the National Institutes of Health.
As his nominator summed up, “In the space of just 20 months, Emyr has proven he is capable of
obtaining funding, establishing and running his own research laboratory and projects, establishing
major collaborative links and publishing in major journals as an independent scientist”.
2012 Celebrating Excellence Awards
Julia Hallett
Julia Hallett joined the Business School in February 2008 as Operational Planning Manager, having
previously worked in Registry and Planning project managing both learning and teaching and
research projects. She is described as “an exemplar as a senior administrator...carrying out her role
within the University with the utmost professionalism, positive attitude and dedication”.
Julia has implemented a new strategic plan system in the School, and developed new metrics and
processes for monitoring the performance of the School. She has worked with and engaged with
Lean University to review some of the processes and has then quickly recognised other areas which
could benefit from the approach, demonstrating the professional, reflective and applied approach
always taken by Julia. In addition to her work with staff, Julia has supported the development and
running of the Student Ambassador Programme and has gained the respect of the students in
carrying out this role.
Julia’s nominator emphasizes that her work goes “above and beyond her stated role, and is carried
out with modesty and professionalism. The Celebrating Excellence Awards are an opportunity for
her peers and senior colleagues to show their thanks and appreciation in a manner that reflects her
outstanding approach to the life and success of Cardiff University”.
Dr Tracey Loughran
Dr Tracey Loughran is a Lecturer in Medical History in the School of History, Archaeology and
Religion. Since joining the University in 2008 she has played a full role in teaching, research and
administration, and has been at the forefront of programme development in the department. Her
achievements include the setting up of the Families, Identities and Gender Research Group, which
organised its first symposium last autumn.
Particularly worthy of recognition is her involvement in a year 1 working group which recommended
the introduction of a new skills module for year 1 students in History and Welsh History. Tracey
took the lead in formulating this module, ‘History in Practice: Fury, Folly and Footnotes’, drawing up
the programme of lectures and seminars, working out the schedule of assessment, and also drawing
up information sheets for student use on a variety of topics that year 1 students find problematic.
The module was immediately popular, offering many transferable skills and meeting student
concerns about making the transition from school to university.
Tracey’s nominator states that “Tracey’s hard work and ability to think outside the box have been an
inspiration in the department....with the support and encouragement of her colleagues she has
facilitated the department’s development of new means of improving skills and the employability of
its graduates”.