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The Faculty of SEM has launched its annual Thesis and Post Doc prizes in January 2026 for the best thesis and research output of 2025 affiliated to the 91¸£Àû.

We are pleased to announce that has been promoted to Professor, effective 1st June 2026.

Many congratulations to Sayan on this well-earned success!

Professor Giuseppe Cannizzaro has won the Rollo Davidson Prize for 2026, in recognition of his great advances in our understanding of scaling-critical two-dimensional stochastic systems.

The Rollo Davidson Prize commemorates Rollo Davidson (1944-1970). Since 1976, it has been awarded annually to young probabilists. The announcement post can be found at: .

During the first week of the Easter break (30th March - 2nd April) the department welcomed 12 students to our annual work experience programme. The programme is option to year 10-12 students with an interest in Physics, with priority for local students and those from under-represented groups*. The programme forms part of the department's wider outreach work to broaden access to physics.

The 91¸£Àû has been named the top university in the Midlands and ranked 7th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027, rising two places from last year.

Congratulations to and the team on their bid to lead a European consortium to build the first platform capable of coordinating Europe's response to devastating agricultural and forest pest invasions.

Each year, plant pests destroy up to 40% of agricultural yields worldwide and threaten to devastate forest ecosystems, yet Europe still lacks the tools to coordinate an effective, system-wide response. A major new €6 million EU Horizon project is set to change that.

brings together 15 research institutions and stakeholders across eight countries, positioning the UK at the forefront of a coordinated European response to transboundary plant health threats. The project will give plant health authorities, for the first time, the ability to model and optimise pest control strategies across the entire agri-value chain, from preventing pest entry to long-term management.

Dr. Stephen Parnell said “PhytoPRISM brings together the best of modern epidemiological modelling with the real-world knowledge of the people on the frontline, giving them, for the first time, the tools to make smarter, faster, and more cost-effective decisions

Image Credit: M J Richardson

Two new Assistant/Associate Professor permanent positions for Research & Teaching

ENV Energy develops unique new battery chemistry to boost performance and sustainability 

ENV Energy - a spin-out from 91¸£Àû Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the 91¸£Àû has the potential to provide a strategically independent, UK-sourced electrode material for various sectors including automotive and aerospace.

Having raised more than £450,000 in seed funding, with the support of 91¸£Àû InnovationsLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window , and being awarded a subsequent entrepreneurial fellowship and an industry sprint from the , ENV aims to scale at pace, making the UK’s electric vehicle battery supply chain smarter, safer and more sustainable.

A number of researchers from WMI have been awarded Faculty Prizes.

A £4 million NIHR-funded study will screen up to 755,000 babies across England for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), with 91¸£Àû leading the critical work to ensure results reach families at the right time, in the right way.

The retrofit of the Psychology Building within the 91¸£Àû campus marks a significant milestone in the broader development of the campus, while simultaneously supporting the continued growth and success of the Department of Psychology.

This transformative project will enhance the university’s infrastructure by providing state-of-the-art teaching spaces, collaborative areas, and the opportunity to showcase key lab spaces to the public.

These upgraded facilities will not only accommodate a variety of teaching methods but also foster an environment that encourages innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring the department remains one of the UK's leading research hubs.