Headshot of Bamidele Farinre smiling looking off camera with a colourful background

Award-winning and trailblazing Biomedical Scientist

Meet Bamidele Farinre, a biomedical science graduate who has risen impressively to the top of her profession, including a “Biomedical Scientist of the Year” Award.

The Brighton Effect is that ripple of energy that starts during your time with us at Brighton, which you take with you for the rest of your life and career. There is no greater example than Bamidele, whose passion for science only grew during her time at the University of Brighton and has now gone on to the top of her field with multiple award-nominations and accolades and contributing pioneering work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continue reading “Award-winning and trailblazing Biomedical Scientist”
Town planning graduates and lecturers group shot at graduation

Town Planning MSc and Chartered Apprenticeship graduates 2024

It was a proud moment for the MSc Town Planning and MSc Town Planning (Chartered Apprenticeship) course team when its students graduated in February this year.

We were delighted that so many could attend the Graduation Ceremony at the Brighton Centre. This year the majority of graduates were from the MSc Town Planning (Chartered Apprenticeship), a growing number since the route was first offered in September 2019, following its national Trailblazer status.

Continue reading “Town Planning MSc and Chartered Apprenticeship graduates 2024”
Three males in a line smiling at the camera

Prize award for Geography student

Congratulations to final year Geography BSc student Dom Jarvis who has been awarded the inaugural Richard Reed Prize sponsored by Friends of the South Downs.

The Richard Reed prize, named after one of the co-founders of the Friends of the South Downs, is an award of £500 for the most improved performance by a BSc/BA student within our Geography, the Earth and Environment subject area. It is based on their academic results over their first and second years.

Dom (centre) was presented with the award by Paul Wilkinson (right) Membership & Marketing Committee Chair for Friends of the South Downs and Dr Matthew Brolly (left), Principal Lecturer in geography and environmental sciences courses at the University of Brighton.

RTPI awards for research excellence logo

Graduate finalist in prestigious town planning awards

Congratulations to Town Planning graduate Laura Hemsley for reaching the finals of the prestigious Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Research Excellence (Student Award).

Now in their ninth year, the awards continue to recognise and promote high quality, impactful spatial planning research. Laura was nominated for her masters dissertation, ‘The Effectiveness of Strategic Planning Arrangements in Mineral Planning’.

We caught up with her to find out more about her dissertation, the support from her lecturers and what it meant to be nominated for the award.

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Abeer Aamir

Brighton pharmacy student wins prestigious national award

Thanks to her exceptional work in advancing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at the University of Brighton, Pharmacy MPharm student Abeer Aamir has won this year’s David Kearney Award from the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA).

Abeer, who has just finished her third year, described herself as “incredibly grateful and humbled” to receive the prestigious national award, which recognises outstanding contribution to pharmacy over the past 12 months. 

The nomination calls Abeer’s commitment to promoting inclusivity and diversity within the pharmacy profession “a testament to her dedication to advancing the field, keeping patients safe, and making it more equitable and accessible for all individuals”.

“As a first-generation immigrant and a pharmacy student, I’ve seen both sides of the coin,” Abeer said. “I’ve seen the ways in which medical racism penetrates the healthcare profession, and it really does disproportionately affect people of colour and women. So, using all that lived experience, I really hope to shine a light on unconscious bias and unconscious medical racism, so that the curriculum is a lot more reflective of the population that our graduates are serving.”

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bournemouth pier

Our first science conference experience

We attended  the UK Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference, our first-ever conference, and it was a great yet somewhat scary experience!

After our abstract applications were accepted in February, we started the daunting task of preparing our posters, learning the best way to display the data, and making summaries with enough information but without being overwhelming. This was a learning curve, but the outcome of our posters was great, and we were all very proud of what we produced.

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Graduate Ashlie at work in a hospital

Graduate stories: Physician Associate in Emergency Medicine

My name is Ashlie and I’m a Physician Associate in Emergency Medicine at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals. I did Biological Sciences at University of Brighton, and I then completed my master’s degree in Physician Associate Studies at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in 2021. In between these two courses, I worked full time as a Healthcare Assistant, to save for my master’s course and to gain more experience in the field.

What do you do as a PA in hospital?
I love working in a hospital as there are lots of opportunities to undertake practical skills such as blood tests and suturing to name a couple of examples! Continue reading “Graduate stories: Physician Associate in Emergency Medicine”

Kieran Tang

My tips for success

Kieran Tang graduated from Geography BA(Hons) in 2018 – here’s what he has to say about his time here:

Studying Geography BA(Hons) at the University of Brighton opened my eyes to a plethora of course content, numerous routes for future career opportunities, the wonderful area of Brighton, and the occasional field trip.

The best aspect of the course is the wealth of different modules you can study, and how you can start to specialise in certain areas. During the course of my degree, I began to shape my learning on planning, the environment, and sustainable development.

Continue reading “My tips for success”

photo of Mark Walker, Town Planning MSc graduate

Mark’s route into town planning

Graduating from our Town Planning MSc has led Mark Walker to embark on a brand new career. He tells us more about his route into a town planning career.

  • What were you doing before your postgraduate studies at Brighton?

I was the News Editor and Director of Communications at Latest TV, a terrestrial television station based in Brighton and covering the South Coast of the UK. Before then, I worked for a local newspaper and I have also previously worked in the House of Commons for a Member of Parliament, in the European Parliament for two Members of the Parliament and was then a Director of Policy and Advocacy for a major Healthcare Public Affairs Consultancy. I am now working as a Planning Officer at Adur and Worthing Councils, having gained employment in the planning sector very quickly after finishing my course.

  • What made you choose the University of Brighton and this course?

Firstly, the City of Brighton and Hove is a great location for a University and for a place of study. I was born in Brighton and love the area and already knew that the University of Brighton was the perfect place for the MSc. Furthermore, the MSc Town Planning course is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has an excellent record in regards to employment opportunities after graduating from the course.

  • Can you describe your course and experience of studying here?

The course was a mixture of learning about the theory behind town planning, exploring contemporary planning issues, such as the impact of climate change on development, and also gaining practical experience through the Environment Placement module. I found the course very rewarding, even though it was conducted largely online via Microsoft Teams, and the Course Leader, Georgia Wrighton, as well as Dr Helen Walker and Andrew Coleman, adapted very well to the changing circumstances which we all found ourselves in. The support staff were also very good and it was clear from the start of the course that help was always available if needed.

  • Was it what you expected, can you explain?

Yes, the course was conducted as I expected given I had heard good things about the course from previous graduates and I had already been given excellent customer service from University of Brighton staff in my communication leading up to the start of the course. Also, given the difficulties with studying for the course during the Covid-19 pandemic, it ran very smoothly on the whole and the course staff adapted very well to the changing circumstances.

  • What were the highlights of your course?

The highlights of the course were the Environment Placement module, where I was lucky enough to gain work experience as a Planning Assistant at Adur and Worthing Councils, as well as the Planning Theory module, where it was fascinating to learn about the theoretical concepts behind the Town Planning academic discipline. Another highlight was the Dissertation module, given I focused on a local topic close to my heart; rethinking utopia in urban coastal communities. The chance to influence planning policy at Peacehaven Town Council was also very memorable and to work as a team with fellow students.

  • What are you doing now you have graduated?

I am currently working as a Planning Officer at Adur and Worthing Councils, starting in March, 2022. I am enjoying it a lot, particularly working on the Adur Local Plan.

  • What was it about this industry that first interested you?

One of my passions and interests is politics, particularly British and European politics, and, arguably, planning does involve a certain degree of political involvement in order for it to function at a local government level. With my former work for Latest TV as a News Editor, I also became aware of a lot of planning related issues which I wanted to explore further. With the Covid-19 pandemic I also decided I wanted a career change which incorporated the skills I gained during my previous work experience in politics and the news media.

  • What do you recommend about it?

The structure of the course blends theory and contemporary planning issues with the chance to gain valuable practical work experience also, so that is a big bonus. The fact that the course was accredited by the RTPI and RICS was also very important for me.

  • What would you recommend about your course?

The tutoring is excellent, the structure of the course well designed and it all happens at a great local in the City of Brighton and Hove.

  • How important are the knowledge and skills gained on your course to your job and why?

The skills I gained were very important, particularly the analytical skills in sifting through the different sources of knowledge and statistical information relating to planning applications whilst at Adur and Worthing Councils and the modules relating the Sustainable Urbanism in Coastal Communities and Comparative Practice in Property and Planning are essential to my current job as Planning Officer also.

  • What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying for this course / this university?

I would definitely go ahead and get a place on the course! It is well worth it!

  • How do you feel now you have graduated?

I feel very happy and think that undertaking the course was a very good career move, given that I was lucky enough to find a full time job in the planning sector very quickly so soon afterwards.

  • What are your plans for the future?

I am now working as a Planning Officer for Adur and Worthing Councils and I plan to work there to learn as much as I can at a local authority level, including with sustainability appraisals, day to day planning applications, the development of local plans and changes in national planning policy.

  • Did your course help you to decide on or plan your career / decide to apply for your job? If yes, how did it help?

Yes, the fact that I gained valuable work experience at Adur and Worthing Councils during the course was a key factor in me applying for the Planning Officer position at the same employer after I completed the course. It helped because I already knew people who worked at Adur and Worthing LPA and, perhaps more importantly, I already understood many of the key planning policies.

Watch this vide of course leader Georgia Wrighton chatting to Mark about the course on Latest TV.

Graduation photo of Jen Wyatt

Bringing regeneration plans to life

Find out how gaining her Geography BA(Hons) in 2018 led Jen to planning and delivering regeneration programmes in town centres, and what advice she has about life as a Brighton student.

Things that helped me to choose Geography at the University of Brighton were the enthusiastic lecturers, diverse course content, unique field trips, and location of the Uni itself. Continue reading “Bringing regeneration plans to life”