Student Success

From national awards and global placements to start-ups and international sporting success, our students and graduates continue to make waves this year.

Their achievements show the talent and drive across every college, backed by expert teaching and careers support that prepare them to make an impact from day one.

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

• Animation graduate, Albert Marsden, secured a Student Residency at Banks Mill Studios, gaining rent-free studio space to advance his creative career.
• MA Creative Writing student and BA graduate, Conor Perrott, opened the Derby Poetry Festival with a featured performance. 

College of Business, Law and Social Sciences

• Event Management student, Alba Betancort, was shortlisted for the ABPCO Student of the Year Award, recognised for applying academic insight at Nottingham Venues.
• Marketing graduate, Luke Taplin-McCallum, was nominated for the Rising Star award at The Wires Global Awards for pioneering work with major brands.
• Marketing alumna, Emily Smith, who joined through Clearing, co-founded Narrative Social, a social media agency serving clients across the UK and US.
• Economics and Finance student, Jack Shillito, secured a Barclays Retail Banking Analyst internship, gaining high-level industry experience.
• Second-year Event Management students planned and hosted the College Christmas party, raising £184 for Children First Derby while gaining full event-delivery experience.
• Second-year International Hospitality Management students presented sustainability research to senior managers at Leonardo Hotel Derby as part of a live industry brief.
• Third-year Accounting and Finance students delivered a live consultancy project for Chatsworth House, presenting strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

College of Health, Psychology and Social Care

• Health and Social Care apprentices, Adam Allton and Harriet Sowter, won Degree Apprentice and Higher Apprentice of the Year awards at the 2024 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards.
• Student midwife, Kayty Richards, received the Royal College of Midwives Student Midwife of the Year award for leadership and advocacy.
• Access to Social Work students hosted guest speakers from Remedi to explore conflict mediation and restorative justice practice.
• Criminology and Sociology students partnered with local charities to design campaigns tackling online child exploitation.
• Sociology graduate, Marshall Nedvedova, now supports LGBT+ asylum seekers through mentoring, social groups and advocacy.
• Professional Policing graduate, Gabby Shackles, began her career as a Police Constable with British Transport Police.
• Students and staff joined a Major Incident Exercise in Coventry, acting as simulated patients to gain insight into emergency response and triage.

College of Science and Engineering

• The Human Performance Unit supported the England Women’s National Futsal squad and FA Futsal Referees with bespoke testing and data analysis.
• MPhil student, Mackenzie Sargeant, won the University’s Pitch Perfect competition with a coral-reef restoration idea, earning £1,000 and professional mentoring.
• Sport and Education student, Luke Pope, delivered youth sports sessions in Fiji through the Turing Scheme.
• Rhianna Parris-Smith, a British Cycling rider, is studying BA in Sport Coaching & Coach Development part-time while training for major international competitions.
• Alumna, Rebecca Owen-Toon, progressed from student to lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science.
• Performance Analysis student, Josh Moye, secured a first-team placement with West Ham United, contributing to match analysis and tactical preparation.
• Analytics student, Will Salt, completed a placement at Southampton Academy and now works in Aston Villa’s analytics team.
• Graduate, Chloe is a first-team video analyst for Houston Dash in the NWSL, with a published dissertation.
• Computer Science student, Matthew, gained industry experience at ARM as a Physical Implementation Engineer.
• Human Biology students gained international lab experience and research recognition, including publication and the Royal Society of Biology Top Student Award.
• PhD sports scholar, Billie-Jo Smith, will make her full debut on the 2025 Ladies European Tour while continuing biomechanics research.