Professor Patel headshot

Brighton professor draws on the lessons of The Apprentice to win national teaching award

The TV show was an unlikely source of inspiration for Bhavik Patel when he was considering how to boost his students’ employability skills 10 years ago.

Yet the lessons he took from the format have this week contributed to him being announced as a National Teaching Fellow by Advance HE in recognition of his innovative educational practice as Professor of Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry in the University of Brighton’s School of Applied Sciences.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme celebrates those in UK higher education who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession.

In awarding the fellowship to Professor Patel, Advance HE said: “He is renowned for his work on developing novel educational practices for the delivery of analytical chemistry, and… passionate about enhancing employability skills and understanding the barriers faced by minority ethnic students in higher education.”

Continue reading “Brighton professor draws on the lessons of The Apprentice to win national teaching award”
Views of Cuckmere and Seaford montage

My favourite nature spots in Brighton!

Pharmacy student Eva Martin tells us about her favourite places for walking, biking and hiking near Brighton.

One of my favourite things about living in Brighton is that we get to have it all – city, coast, and nature all in one place. Brighton is surrounded by beautiful places to go walking, biking and hiking, but I’ve selected my top two for this article so you can visit the same spots I love. Continue reading “My favourite nature spots in Brighton!”

Dr Lorna Linch head shot

Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781 – 2022

Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781-2022 is a major exhibition spanning four centuries of artwork, at the Royal West of England Academy’s (RWA) newly refurbished galleries this summer. The final instalment of the RWA’s elements series, Earth tackles the most expansive and urgent of subject matters, bringing together important modern, historical and contemporary artworks. Continue reading “Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781 – 2022”

Students wearing organ donor hoodies

Funding boost for student-led drive on minority ethnic organ donation

University of Brighton students are playing a key role in encouraging people from minority ethnic backgrounds to consider organ and blood donation.

The University of Brighton’s Donor Research Team has been awarded new funding as part of this year’s Community Investment Scheme led by NHS Blood and Transplant, which will receive £440,000 funding as part of the Government’s effort to tackle health inequalities in minority ethnic communities.

Continue reading “Funding boost for student-led drive on minority ethnic organ donation”
Selfie of Eva a pharmacy student

What I’ve found

Eva who is studying Pharmacy MPharm (with integrated foundation year), tells us about her first year here.

A foundation year prepares you for degree study

If you’ve got your heart set on a subject but don’t think you’ll meet the entry requirements, look into doing a foundation year. It’s very different to sixth form, much more targeted towards the course you want to study, and they do say ‘university days are the best days of your life’, so why not add an extra year? 

Continue reading “What I’ve found”

People walking along Brighton prom

International Insight: One Student’s Experience with Studying Abroad

Hi, my name is Rachael and I am an international student studying at the University of Brighton and I am going to share a bit about my experience as an international student in hopes that I can help you decide if studying abroad is the right choice for you.

I am from Colorado, right in the middle of the United States of America, and as I am writing this I am at the end of my first year doing Biological Sciences BSc(Hons). Continue reading “International Insight: One Student’s Experience with Studying Abroad”

Northern Ireland coastline across the water

Winners of our Northern Ireland field trip photo contest

As international travel was restricted this year due to COVID, in April our second year Geography and Environment students travelled to Northern Ireland for a week-long field trip. The aim of these longer residential field trips is to let students practice the field skills they’ve been learning under real-world conditions, and to support them in developing and undertaking their own research projects. But we also know that students spend field trips taking lots of photos to share with friends, family and social media – so this year we decided run a photo contest too!

There were three categories for the contest, each with a prize of a £50 National Book Token. Here are this year’s winning photos, plus some background info from the students who took them: Continue reading “Winners of our Northern Ireland field trip photo contest”

Brighton pier and beach in the sunshine

From Setúbal to Brighton

My name is Carla, I am from Setúbal, Portugal, and I am a final year Biomedical Sciences BSc(Hons) student at the University of Brighton.

I moved to the UK when I was 16 years old, and I’ve been living here for eight years. I did most of my education in Portugal. I studied in Portugal until 10th grade, but when I moved to the UK, I enrolled in college, and I did GCSEs, A-levels, and an access course before I started university in 2018. Continue reading “From Setúbal to Brighton”

Sandra walking in a green field with blue skies

A few things about what it’s like to be a Polish student in Brighton

Hi! My name is Sandra and I originally come from Warsaw, Poland. I’m currently a final year Biological Sciences BSc(Hons) student and for my pre-university education, I obtained International Baccalaureate in a bilingual school in Warsaw.

How did you hear about the University of Brighton?
The high school I attended had a Brighton University prospectus, which I was able to have a look at. Additionally, I attended a small-scale university educational event happening in my city where I found a bit more in-depth information about the university. Continue reading “A few things about what it’s like to be a Polish student in Brighton”