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Brighton announces honorary degrees for pioneers and change makers

Leading contributors to the worlds of healthcare, sport, human rights, medicine and the arts will receive honorary awards from the University of Brighton.

22 July 2022

The honorary graduates will share the stage with nearly 3,000 graduates at the award ceremonies taking place at the Brighton Centre 26–29 July – the first time the university has been able to bestow honorary degrees since before the pandemic.

Among those being honoured are Brighton & Hove Albion Women head coach Hope Powell OBE, record-breaking paratriathlete Joe Townsend and sustainable plastics entrepreneur Anna Bullus.

The university will also present its Alumna of the Year award to former Brighton student Jessica Starns, who drew on her own experience of living with dyspraxia to found the acclaimed life-changing charity Dyspraxic Me for dyspraxic young people.

Hope Powell

Hope Powell

Joe Townsend

Joe Townsend

Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton, said: “Graduation is a time for celebration, and this year more than ever we celebrate the achievement of our amazing students after what has been a challenging time for them and for us all.

“I’m delighted that we can also recognise and honour some truly incredible individuals for the mark they have made on our students, on people and businesses here in Brighton and all around the world.

“This year’s honorary graduates have not only pushed the boundaries of their field for the benefit of society, but also reflect the values that are so important to us at Brighton – creativity, sustainability, partnership and inclusivity.”   

Special award recipients are:

  • Tuesday 26 July (pm): Siobhan Melia, Doctor of Science
  • Wednesday 27 July (am): Anna Bullus, Doctor of Arts
  • Wednesday 27 July (am): Jessica Starns, Alumni of the Year
  • Wednesday 27 July (pm): Joe Townsend, Doctor of Science
  • Thursday 28 July (am): Hope Powell CBE, Doctor of Science
  • Friday 29 July (am): Gillian Cavell, Doctor of Science
  • Friday 29 July (pm): Helen Cammock, Doctor of Arts

You can watch the award ceremonies on our livestream.

Jessica Starns - University of Brighton Alumni of the Year 2022

Jessica Starns - University of Brighton Alumni of the Year 2022

Siobhan Melia, Doctor of Science

Siobhan is chief executive of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. Across a broad and varied career in healthcare, Brighton graduate Siobhan has consistently put patients first, never more so than during the Covid pandemic when she led the creation of five large-scale vaccination centres across Sussex, including at the Brighton Centre.

Anna Bullus, Doctor of Arts

Anna is the founder of Gumdrop Ltd – a company dedicated to finding new and innovative ways to tackle the global problem of chewing gum litter. Gumdrop is the first company in the world to recycle and process chewing gum into a range of new compounds that can be used in the rubber and plastics industry to manufacture innovative and sustainable products. Her striking pink gum bins were pioneered on Brighton’s streets before spreading across the UK and Europe, bringing her acclaim in the worlds of both sustainability and design.

Jessica Starns, Alumni of the Year

Inspired by her own experience of living with dyspraxia, in 2013 Jess founded Dyspraxic Me – a volunteer-led charity which offers dyspraxic young people the chance to take part in practical workshops and social events that help them develop useful skills for adulthood. Jess relentlessly secures the best speakers, trainers and guests, benefitting the huge number of young people who subscribe to them.

Joe Townsend, Doctor of Science

Eastbourne-based Joe is a record-breaking international paratriathlete and motivational speaker. The former Royal Marine lost both his legs after stepping on a landmine during his first tour of Afghanistan as a 19-year-old. He was the first – and still to this day the only – wheelchair athlete to complete the gruelling Ironman UK. He currently collaborates with researchers at the University of Brighton working on physical endurance as well as wheelchair design.

Hope Powell CBE, Doctor of Science

Hope is manager of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League and one of the most recognisable names and faces in women’s football. In 1998, aged just 31, Hope became the youngest person – as well as the first woman and the first black person – to manage an England national team when she was appointed Women’s head coach, leading the Lionesses to two World Cup quarter finals and a European Championships final. 

Gillian Cavell, Doctor of Science

Gillian is an international leader in the field of medication safety. Through her research, education and clinical practice she continues to inspire students and pharmacists to practice pharmacy with patient safety at the centre of everything they do. Her work to develop metrics and benchmarks for hospitals and integrated care systems is helping the World Health Organization deliver improvements to medication safety around the world.

Helen Cammock, Doctor of Arts

Helen Cammock is a Turner Prize-winning visual poet, performer, photographer, musician and filmmaker. After discovering a love for photography at evening classes at the University of Brighton she went on to study for a degree before being invited to run Brighton Photo Fringe. Prior to her artistic career she was for many years a social worker in Brighton and social justice has been at the forefront of her energetic and multifaceted working life.

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