Lucien has demonstrated exceptional care to PhDs. His enthusiasm for the personal and professional development of doctoral students is truly appreciable. His proactive engagement includes providing invaluable advice during job searches and teaching all PhDs in the group to build personal websites that enhance their professional profiles. His empathy and availability during challenging times ensure that students feel valued and supported, contributing to a positive and nurturing academic environment.
21 October 2024
King's Doctoral Support Award 2024
King's Doctoral College
We are pleased to announce the winners of this years King's Doctoral Support Award; Dr Lucien Heurtier, Professor Helen Fisher and Boma Campbell.
This award recognises all the non-supervisory members of staff who make important contributions to doctoral student success. The winners each receive £1000 to use on their professional development as recognition for the excellent support they offer to doctoral students in their faculty, school or department.
This year's winners represent the broad range of staff at King's who support doctoral researchers' success, with Dr Lucien Heurtier, a member of research staff from the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences, Professor Helen Fisher, an academic from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and Boma Campbell a professional services staff member from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine.
The three winners were selected from over 100 nominations received from doctoral students and staff from all faculties across King's due to their high quality of support for doctoral students.
Helen is incredibly generous with her time and is proactive in her approach to supporting doctoral students that she doesn’t supervise directly. This includes, feedback on draft chapters, fellowship applications, job applications, and papers; a monthly ‘ask me anything’ initiative; signposting to opportunities; mocks vivas and job/fellowship interviews; and a training programme that spans a wide range of topics – from impact and media engagement to grant writing and research governance – available for all Centre-affiliated students at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health to attend.
Boma has been instrumental to bringing together support for doctoral students within a very large and complex faculty that is FoLSM. Working with all relevant teams across King's to build relationships and get things done. She makes a huge impact on the support we offer doctoral students, taking on safeguarding , managing support for study meetings and holding their hands during the induction process. She heavily supports our clinical doctoral students with research passports and makes sure that students who need occupational health and/or DBS checks are supported in getting access to these facilities. This kind of activity makes a huge difference to individuals as they join the doctoral community at King's.
The King's Doctoral College introduced the Doctoral Support Award in 2023 to recognise all the non-supervisory members of staff who make important contributions to doctoral student success.
Approximately 4,500 postgraduate research students are registered at King’s, drawn from all parts around the world and researching across all disciplines. Each year, hundreds of doctoral students complete their degrees and graduate, going on to become leaders in academia, research, industry, and beyond. This is only made possible by the hard work and dedication of all the staff who support doctoral students at King's.
In this story
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Professor of Developmental Psychopathology