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Hear from some of the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s (FSE) winners of the 2026 Manchester Doctoral College (MDC) Excellence Awards, and join us in celebrating their successes, while learning what having their research acknowledged means to them.
About the MDC Excellence Awards
Each year, we celebrate our postgraduate research community, and the Manchester Doctoral College recognises postgraduate researchers (PGRs) across the University for their achievements.
Postgraduate researchers and supervisors from each faculty are nominated for the Excellence Awards for a range of categories and shortlisted by a panel. A committee at the MDC then decide on the winners from each faculty and host an awards ceremony each summer for the entire PGR community. This year’s ceremony was held in Christie’s Bistro and marks the thirteenth year of the awards.
Meet our MDC Excellence Award Winners
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the awards from the Faculty of Science and Engineering this year, and to all the winners across the University.
The 2026 winners from FSE are:
- PGR of the Year: Kailai Yang
- Best Outstanding Research Output: Ethan Lim
- Best Contribution to Internationalisation: Henrik Pak Hong Wong
- Best Contribution to PGR Environment: MIB EDIA Committee
- Best Contribution to Society – Local Community: Emily Walls
- Best Contribution to Society – Research Impact: Rafael Sa Menezes
- Supervisor of the Year: Professor David P. Mills
We asked some of the winners what these awards mean to them:
Kailai Yang | Winner: PGR of the Year Award
“I feel deeply honoured to receive the FSE PGR of the Year Award. This recognition means a great deal to me, as it reflects not only my research journey but also the invaluable guidance and support of my supervisors, collaborators, colleagues, friends, and family.
“I hope this award encourages other PGR students to pursue ambitious ideas, remain resilient through challenges, and make the most of the many opportunities available during their research journey.”
Henrik Wong | Winner: Best Contribution to Internationalisation Award
“I was absolutely over the moon to receive this award. I am deeply grateful to my supervisor for nominating me, and I am delighted that my research and international collaborations have been recognised in this way.
“This award is particularly meaningful to me because it acknowledges not only the scientific value of my work, but also the importance of building international research partnerships and sharing the University of Manchester’s spirit of internationalisation.
“Much of my research has involved collaborations with colleagues in other countries, particularly Japan, and this recognition encourages me to continue developing these relationships and contributing to an inclusive, internationally connected research community.
“My sincere thanks go to my supervisors (Professor Clara Cheung, Alexander Gaskill and Shazia Dar / My research supervisor – Dr Sam de Visser) for their continued support and encouragement.”
Ethan Lim | Winner: Best Outstanding Research Output Award
“I am incredibly grateful to receive this award. Research is fundamentally a collaborative endeavour, and this recognition reflects the support, mentorship, and expertise of my supervisors, Dr Michael James, Dr Cristina Trujillo, and Dr James Douglas, together with our collaborators at AstraZeneca.
“It is especially rewarding to see our work recognised in this way, and I hope it shows other PGRs that curiosity, perseverance, and collaboration can lead to exciting and meaningful outcomes.”
Emily Walls | Winner: Best Contribution to Society – Local Community Award
“Winning the MDC Excellence Award for Best Contribution to Society (Local Community) was honestly a total surprise! I was nominated by my supervisory team just six months into my PhD, so winning an award like this so soon after starting at Manchester has been really heart-warming.
“I’ve been involved in outreach since my undergraduate studies, continuing into my postgraduate work through initiatives like the Jodcast, the ‘I’m a Scientist’ programme, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), and the Social Mobility Foundation.
“Being recognised for this, not just within my department at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, but across the wider Faculty of Science and Engineering, means a great deal to me. As I’m incredibly passionate about social mobility, as well as ethics, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within physics and for the University to support work like this is a testament to its commitment to widening participation in STEM.”
Join a community that celebrates its researchers
Read more about life as a postgraduate researcher here at The University of Manchester and join our thriving PGR community in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. You never know, you could be a future winner of the MDC Excellence Awards.
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