Category: Employability

Sustainable campus in Falmer

Brighton jumps into top 30 in new university sustainability league table

The University of Brighton has climbed an impressive 16 places to secure a spot in the top 30 of the latest People & Planet University League, a prestigious ranking of 165 UK universities based on their environmental and ethical performance.

Brighton’s achievement also places it as the fourth most sustainable university in the South East, showcasing its leadership in sustainability within the region.

Recognized for Excellence in Sustainability

The People & Planet League evaluates universities across 14 categories, including environmental policy and strategy, water use, waste and recycling, carbon management and reduction, as well as education on sustainable development.

Brighton was awarded:

  • 100% for its sustainability strategy and policies.
  • 90% for staff and student engagement.
  • 85% for education on sustainable development.
  • 83% for carbon management.

The improvement on last year’s league table position means Brighton has risen by 41 places in the last two years having placed 71st in 2022 and 46th in 2023.

University of Brighton People and Planet award

A Mission-Aligned Approach

Ollie Swan, Head of Sustainability at the University of Brighton, emphasized the institution’s dual focus on academic and operational excellence:
“Our academic mission is deeply connected to addressing today’s environmental and ethical challenges. By aligning our teaching and research with real-world issues, we prepare students to contribute to a sustainable society. At the same time, we’re committed to ‘walking the talk’ through our own environmental performance. While these results are encouraging, we remain focused on consistent improvements within our emerging university strategy.”

A Track Record of Sustainable Action

The latest performance in the national sustainability league table comes after the university was awarded platinum status through the EcoCampus university sector environmental management certification (EMS) scheme.

This is a result of implementing strategic policies to cut carbon emissions, move towards cleaner energy, protect biodiversity, and reduce waste.

So far, the University of Brighton has:

  • Generated 630,000 kWh of solar power in 2023/24—equivalent to powering 230 homes for a year.
  • Diverted 4.7 tonnes of waste from landfills through a reuse campaign, which collected 592 bags of unwanted items from student halls and raised £8,880 for charity in 2024.
Commitment to a Sustainable Future

This recognition reflects Brighton’s dedication to fostering a culture of sustainability. The university’s staff and students play an active role in driving positive environmental change, setting a strong example for the wider community.

Christina CammLeave a comment
Polyxeni Tsea profile photo

Making the leap to study in Brighton from Greece gave me tools for life

International Pharmacy alum Polyxeni Tsea tells us how her university experience as a whole, not just her degree, set her up for a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.

As an international student coming to the UK, Polyxeni tells us how the University of Brighton equipped her both personally and professionally for life and career beyond graduation.

She tells us about learning independence in a new country, the experience of meeting people from all around the world working as a Student Residential Advisor and how her degree has directly linked to her career working for DEMO S.A.

Continue reading “Making the leap to study in Brighton from Greece gave me tools for life” →

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Shirin Alwash-standing in front of a canal

Pharmacist committed to providing opportunities for the next generation

Pharmacy graduate Shirin Alwash shares the importance of supporting new pharmacists and the positive impact of diversity at Brighton.

Shirin, who works as a Training and Development Manager for Paydens Pharmacies, is inspiring the next generation of pharmacists.

Reflecting on her own journey and experience to create work-based training programmes to help prepare and upskill new graduates for a career in the pharmacy industry; Shirin is a true example of the Brighton Effect. She is taking that energy and using it to help others embarking on a similar career path.

Shirin also tells us about how meeting people from different backgrounds during her time at Brighton was important for the communication and relationship-building skills she has carried with her into her career.

Continue reading “Pharmacist committed to providing opportunities for the next generation” →

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Students standing in a group facing the camera

From lecture theatres to pathology labs

The impact Brighton and Worthing hospital lab tours had on our Biomedical Science students. 

Simonne Weeks along with students Marianna Valouma and Roma Sujith, share insights from a recent pathology lab tour. 

The combination of manual work and advanced diagnostic technology paints a vivid picture of the clinical setting. The trio discusses their ‘aha’ moments, where theoretical concepts merge with real-world applications, establishing a connection between lectures and the practical learning in the lab. They outline how their biomedical science modules correlate between seemingly disparate topics. 

Continue reading “From lecture theatres to pathology labs” →

Simonne WeeksLeave a comment
Ruth Smith profile photo

Graduate stories: Ruth Smith

Ruth graduated from Geography BA(Hons) in 2018. Read about her time studying here and how her career is progressing.

Why I chose the University of Brighton and this course

I love Brighton as a city, the sea, the vibrancy and all the good things happening there so it was an obvious choice! Combined with this, I noticed that the course had the choice to opt in and out of a range of topics to adapt the course to my preferences and interests! I chose to go down the more social geography route rather than environmental but loved the choice of both.

Continue reading “Graduate stories: Ruth Smith” →

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Jacques Burrowes in graduation gown and hat smiling at camera, Brighton beach in the background

I chose Geography mainly because of its employability

Jacques Burrowes recently graduated from our Geography BA(Hons) and is doing a job he loves all thanks to his degree. We caught up with Jacques to find out more.

I chose Geography mainly because of its employability – it’s one of the best degrees out there for job prospects. I was an Auto-Electrician before I came to University and I wasn’t really being developed by my employer, so I came to university to develop myself and have a shot somewhere where I could progress

Geography BA is a diverse course that gets you experienced in a multitude of geographical disciplines. It’s great that the course gets you experienced in a variety of geographic studies from digital geographies, feminist geographies and social and cultural geographies. It opened my eyes up to what was considered geography. It’s literally everything by the way!

Continue reading “I chose Geography mainly because of its employability” →

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
Amy testing samples in the lab

Amy’s summer internship success

Amy Austrin secured a five-week internship as part of the Interreg REDPOL (reduction of pollution by endocrine disrupting compounds at source) project this summer, and helped Dr Wulan Koagouw in the lab. Read what Amy has to say about the skills learned during her internship.

280L of artificial seawater, 300 cleaned mussels and 120 tissue samples later…Over the last 5 weeks, I have spent some fantastic days in the laboratory with the Redpol team at the University of Brighton. It has truly been an invaluable experience.

Amy working in the lab

From day one my supervisor Wulan made me feel comfortable within the lab and talked me through the programme to make sure we could fit in two rounds of exposures within my time there. As a student who feels very comfortable doing fieldwork, I was nervous about being within the lab. Although there was a lot to learn to ensure each step was performed correctly, Wulan talked me through each process I would be performing clearly, which allowed me to feel confident to undertake the tasks correctly. Some of my responsibilities was creating the artificial seawater, pipetting tissue preservatives, setting up the cold room and the final task of dissecting the mussels for molecular and histology analysis.

Throughout the weeks, my confidence and abilities have grown in all these areas, showing that this opportunity has provided me with transferable skills for future lab experience and experimental design. Some of the essential skills gained are being aware of potential cross-contamination and learning the anatomy of mussels to identify the correct tissues for dissection.

Also, the importance of asking questions as you learn so much! I got to discuss the rationale for concentrations of each contaminant, how collaborations with other universities and researchers help inspire experimental design and the hopes for the future impacts of the research.

This internship has definitely inspired me on what I would like my future career to be. Thank you to Interreg RedPol for the opportunity!!

Take a look at our ecology degrees
Find out more about REDPOL

Laura RubyLeave a comment
View of people on Brighton Beach with the pier in the background

A BA Geographer’s summer 2022

My summer began with a job hunt. National contexts that affected everyone, not least students in, meant that travelling, seeing the world, all that studenty dreamy stuff was put on hold for a summer (or 3).

First, my CV. I had little experience in retail, only teaching really, which as it goes isn’t actually that helpful in the summer. Therefore, I felt that my CV had to really stand out. Using workshops and careers advice given to us at the University of Brighton, I managed to do just that and snagged a job at Brighton Palace Pier working as an Arcade Engineer. Continue reading “A BA Geographer’s summer 2022” →

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment

My Summer Experience: Volunteering at Bog Meadows Nature Reserve, Belfast

After a whirlwind second year I was ready for a relaxing summer at home, but with the start of third year looming in just three months’ time, I wanted to make the most of my break. Reflecting on my second-year modules, words like “networking” and “volunteering” stuck out in my mind, especially from my Job Study assignment for Professional Practice for which I interviewed the Nature, Climate and Environment Officer for the Ulster Wildlife Trust. Continue reading “My Summer Experience: Volunteering at Bog Meadows Nature Reserve, Belfast” →

Lucy DonaldsonLeave a comment
Shantel looking into microscope

My placement experience at University Hospitals Sussex Pathology East

How I felt starting my placement and the advice I would give to others

My placement was in the Cellular Pathology department at University Hospitals Sussex Pathology East. When I started I felt excited to have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained from the first two years of studying Biomedical Science BSc(Hons) in a professional clinical setting. I was keen to delve into the variety of different diagnostic tests carried out in the hospital to gain a better understanding of what a practicing biomedical scientist does. However, I felt nervous about the step up in responsibility and autonomy that comes with working in the healthcare setting. I was also worried about the amount of work that would be required to complete the registration training portfolio whilst working full time.

Continue reading “My placement experience at University Hospitals Sussex Pathology East” →

Shantel CarringtonLeave a comment