We’re proud of all our postgraduate students and researchers graduating today – a huge achievement in difficult circumstances – and wish them the best for their future.

Lancaster Environment Centre staff paid tribute today to the 126 postgraduate students and researchers who graduate this afternoon.

Professor Philip Barker, director of the Lancaster Environment Centre, said:

“These cohorts of students have overcome more than most in achieving their taught postgraduate or research degrees. They have worked alongside staff through the pandemic and still achieved excellent outcomes. This resilience will serve them well in the future, where I hope they will use their learning to make a contribution to society and the environmental crises we are facing.”

Dr Paul Young, director of postgraduate research, congratulated the 30 postgraduate researchers who receive their degrees today.

“This marks the end of a hard slog, particularly through the pandemic where our students had to adapt their projects to fieldwork cancellations and with much time spent working away from the department's research environment. However, I know they are doing - or will go on to do - amazing things both inside and outside academia, contributing their skills and bringing their passion to make the world a better and more sustainable place. We wish them all the very best and look forward to hearing from them as they build their careers!”

Graduates included 88 who completed MSc and MA degrees, five with Postgraduate Certificates and eight with Postgraduate Diplomas.

The graduates receiving prizes are:

• Best Overall Performance (MA/MSc): Sophie-Dorothe Lieke (80.3%), MSc Environmental Management
• Best Overall Performance (PG Certificate): Ellie Meek (79.3%), PG Cert Food Challenges for the 21^st Century (Distance Learning)
• Best Overall Performance (PG Diploma): Thane Goodrich (88%), PG Dip Food Security (Distance Learning)
• Best Dissertation: Sophie-Dorothe Lieke (88%): In a box, in a bite, in a bin: Using coffee shop waste as a lens to conceptualise proenvironmentalism through Social Practice Theory
• Best Industry Based Project: Phil Wadley (86%): Upstream Downstream – Quantifying the Effectiveness of Leaky Dams to Reduce Downstream Flood Risk
• Keith Beven Hydrology Prize: Rachael Cooper (87%): Investigating Microplastic Distribution in Canals: A Case Study of the Shropshire Union Canal

Poster prizes:

• External Business Partnership: Harriet Cooper (77%) Quantifying and Reducing the Associated CO2e Emissions of Preston City Council’s Household Waste Collection Service and Phil Wadley (77%) Upstream Downstream Can Leaky Dams in Whinlatter Forest Reduce Flooding in Downstream Communities?
• Natural: Rachael Hurst (82%): How do floodplains operate to reduce flood risk?
• Social: Katy Molloy (75%) ‘Summers aren’t what they used to be.’ The rising risk of heatwaves and the impact community resilience could have on the elderly