Student Success

Showcasing our students and graduates

We are extremely proud of our students, graduates and their achievements. With support from their lecturers and our Careers and Employment team, our students are career-ready once they graduate. They have enjoyed many successes over the past year, from award wins to exciting extra-curricular opportunities.

1. College of Arts, Humanities and Education
2. College of Business, Law and Social Sciences
3. College of Health, Psychology and Social Care
4. College of Science and Engineering

College of Arts, Humanities and Education

• Goldbox Productions, a video production company started by four enterprising University of Derby graduates, signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the University in September 2023. The team has established a successful business offering video content to a wide range of industries and clients including Bear Grylls, Dunelm and Hilton Hotels.  

• A group of Film Production students and graduates worked with Academy Award-winning film director John Stephenson on a music video for trio Remember Monday. There was a strong female representation in the crew to support the band’s commitment to female empowerment and to counter the under-representation of women in the film industry.  

• New Tropic Pictures, a Film Production company based in Derby founded by two university friends, Fletcher Smith and Floyd Parker, won a student residency at Banks Mill Studios. The group have used the office base and business support to progress their company.
  
  
• A group of BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies students worked in partnership with Derby Book Festival to help promote the significance of early literacy through the love of books. First-year students produced story sacks which were used within their placements and in a range of early childhood settings.
  
  
• BA (Hons) Special Educational Needs and Disability students visited Westminster to meet with MPs and watch Education Questions from the public gallery at the House of Commons.
  

• Three Photography students were commissioned by the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust to document the restoration of world heritage site, Wingfield Railway Station. Orisunayo Akinniran, Nina Erminio and Carla Collinson created a digital archive of one of the world's oldest and most unique railway stations. Their work was also featured on ITV Central News.  
  
  
• MA Arts graduate, Alana Gray, took up residence at Banks Mill Studios after winning a Business Enterprise Award at the MA Arts degree show. She used her studio space in the run-up to her Foyer Gallery exhibition in the spring.
  
  
• A group of School of Arts students spent a month in Las Vegas in January on an interdisciplinary trip funded by the Turing Scheme. The visit offered students the change to observe and immerse themselves in the study of water, both in terms of Nevada's significant issues with water scarcity and its symbolic quality of life.  
  
  
• Final-year Fashion Design student Shaojing Zhu was a joint first-place winner in the Graduate Fashion Foundations’ Ellesse Tailor Competition. Three pieces from their collection were produced by the Ellesse team and shown at the GFW24 Best of Catwalk Show in June. Their prize also included an intensive one-day workshop and internship at the company.  

• Football Journalism student, Juliet Nottingham, took third place in the Vikki Orvice Football Writer of the Year award at the FWA Student Football Writer of the Year awards.  

College of Business, Law and Social Sciences

• Students from our Law courses discussed their work at the Student Legal Advice Centre with the RT Hon Emily Thornberry, Shadow Attorney General, during her visit to the University of Derby’s law facility. She was accompanied by Catherine Atkinson, now Labour MP for Derby North.  

• Team Derby badminton sports scholar Bradley Evans represented Jamaica at the Pan American Championship in Santiago de Chile. While he pursues a masters degree in Strategic Sustainability Management, Team Derby continues to support him in successfully navigating a dual career as a student-athlete.  

• Postgraduate research students participated in the Postgraduate Social Science Symposium, a collaborative event with the Jeonbuk National University in South Korea. The presentations covered interdisciplinary areas of the Social Sciences, including Doctoral studies, the MRes Social Sciences and Humanities, MSc Intelligence, Security and Disaster Management and MSc Criminal Justice and Criminology.  

• A team of students took part in the Tourism and Hospitality Education International Centre of Excellence Global Revenue Management Challenge 2024 and came third out of 32 teams. This year's challenge attracted more than 65 students representing nine institutions from around the world to test and develop their hospitality and tourism revenue management skills in international, inter-institutional teams.  

• Event Management graduate Tamara Stasinska was awarded the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research 2024 UG Thesis Prize for her research on the use of virtual reality in museums.

College of Health, Psychology and Social Care

• A group of five Public Health and Social Care students went on a month-long trip to Kolkata, West Bengal, India. They worked with the Cathedral Relief Service of Kolkata, supporting people in the poorest communities through a number of slum-based projects delivering inspiring work in health, education and women’s empowerment.
    
• Anna Wild, a Nursing Associate Apprentice, was recognised for her skillset and dedication to her work. She received the award of Chief Nursing Officer Award (CRH) for her commitment to quality care and reflection of NHS values.  

• Helena Jodrell, a Nursing Associate Apprentice, was presented with two DEEDs awards, nominated by patients she had cared for. The Delivering Excellence Every Day (DEED) awards are given by the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to recognise the work of staff and volunteers who go above and beyond. Helen was credited with her dedication to her vocation and her patients.
  
  
• Psychology PhD student, Rhys Furlong, was awarded the Conservation Foundation Young Conservation Leaders Award. He was nominated by his PhD supervision team from the School of Psychology due to his ongoing commitment to conservation-related research and his growing leadership in the area of allotment gardening for people from low-income areas.

College of Science and Engineering

• Architecture students had their designs displayed at the Derby Property Summit and in the City Lab. They worked to a live brief, set by Marketing Derby, which allowed students to engage with real-world developments. 
  
  
• Forensic Science undergraduate and postgraduate students presented their research at the 24th annual British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology conference held at University College London. Their research posters covered decomposition, tuberculosis in the Royal Navy, and evidence for autopsies in Derby. 
  
  
• Third-year Sport and Exercise student Chris Hodson presented his research on how remote biophysical monitoring can be used to inform the treatment and management of long Covid patients at the Biophysical Modelling in Respiratory Medicine Conference 2024. The data has already been used to inform the submission of a multi-million-pound research grant.
  
  
• PhD student Natalie Weir won the University of Derby Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Winners award and People’s Choice award with her work titled ‘Nurturing movement and physical literacy in the early years’. She will go on to represent the University at the regional and national 3MT later in the year.

• Sport and Exercise Science students worked with Notts County Women FC at the University’s Human Performance Unit. After undergoing pre-season testing in August, the players returned to campus to undergo their mid-season testing programme, delivered by both Sport and Exercise Science staff and students, to monitor their performance, injury prevention and learning.  

• Second-year BSc (Hons) Performance Analysis and Coaching Science student, Josh Moye, gained experience at West Ham United’s first team after completing a year placement with Derby County Academy. He worked at Europa and FA Cup games during his time there and gained valuable connections in the industry.  

• A team of engineering students worked with Alstom to take part in this year’s IMechE Railway Challenge. They came second overall, won the Traction and Ride Comfort challenges, and were the only team to have a 100% reliability record over the previous two competitions.
  
  
• PhD student Natalie Weir was part of an expert panel that contributed to shaping the Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England. Created by an expert group of researchers and professionals alongside Sport England, the statements explore the importance of physical literacy in providing positive experiences of movement and physical activity for all – a key priority in Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy.