2024 in Review: Celebrating a year of innovation, creativity and impact

January

• Our pioneering Environmental Extremes Lab secured a £325,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation to expand their research into the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups.
• The university rolled out a new free library membership scheme for 16 to 19-year-olds in the city, giving them year-round access to study spaces and specialist reading materials.
• Brighton was selected to lead a project to boost diversity among scientists with nearly £100,000 of funding from the Royal Chemistry Society.

Environmental Extremes Lab

Jesse Mugambi

February

• Sustainable Design student Jesse Mugambi won a €50,000 prize for his project to build a music studio that transitions into a nightclub from decommissioned shipping containers in his native Kenya.
• We celebrated the achievements of over 2,000 students from 78 countries who received their awards at our winter graduation ceremonies.
• And we welcomed England’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, David Webb, to our Moulsecoomb campus where he spoke to our pharmacy students about the increasingly key role they will play in primary healthcare delivery.

March

• Caroline Mukebezi, a Brighton graduate who lost both parents to AIDS, was awarded $50,000 from the Elton John Aids Foundation to improve access to HIV care and education for youth in Uganda.
• The university signed a three-year partnership with the Brighton Marathon Weekend to provide exciting opportunities for students to put their learning into practice as part of the UK’s third-largest marathon event.
• A team of researchers from across the university were commissioned by Brighton & Hove City Council to lead on the Health Counts Survey 2024, providing valuable insight to inform decisions about local health and wellbeing services.

Caroline Mukebezi

Teacher sitting on desk with students

April

• Brighton was one of eight universities in England picked to deliver a new teacher degree apprenticeship scheme as part of a Department for Education pilot.
• Our Design Archives, which are among the most important in the country, received a £315,000 grant from Research England to support their work over the next five year.
• Following an intensive 12-month internship at global sports broadcaster ESPN, Sports Journalism student Leon Imber was named Student Sports Journalist of the year at the National Council for the Training of Journalists Awards.

May

• Brighton researchers helped test the world’s first hydrogen-powered crematorium as part of a groundbreaking trial in Worthing, West Sussex.
• The university unveiled the ‘Brighton Boost’ – a package of funding, support and other services worth up to £1,750 to new students – reinforcing our commitment to make education accessible to as many students as possible regardless of background.
• Brighton researchers were awarded £500,000 to investigate improvements to the environmental sustainability of manufacturing processes

Worthing Crematorium

June

• Teacher training programmes at the University of Brighton were marked ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted following an inspection.
• Brighton researchers led the New Living Lab project designed to explore how technology can enhance the wellbeing of older residents in East Sussex.
• Our annual Summer Shows kicked off on campus, presenting a summer spectacle of amazing projects from final year students across art, design, media, architecture and humanities.

July

• Premier League manager Russell Martin was among our honorary degree recipients as our summer graduation ceremonies united students and staff in celebration.
• University of Brighton researchers united with other top cancer specialists from our city and beyond to launch the new Sussex Cancer Research Centre.
• Brighton rose to 14 in Stonewall’s 2024 Top 100 Employers List 2024 for leading LGBTQ+ inclusive employers.

Professor Debra Humphris and Russell Martin

Dr Lorna Linch sampling for cosmo dating

August

• Researcher Dr Lorna Linch led an Arctic expedition to study impact of climate change and how it is causing the break-up of ice sheets on Greenland’s ice caps.
• Brighton academic Dr Channine Clarke received a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of her work supporting sport and health students on practice placements across the region.
• We launched new funded scholarships for healthcare professionals in the south-east to inspire research.

September

• Brighton rose by a further 16 places in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 and ranked among the top institutions delivering economic and social benefits in latest Knowledge Exchange Framework results.
• We secured funding from the Office for Students to boost teacher recruitment from underrepresented groups across Sussex.
• Midwifery student, Ruby Jackson, created an award-winning health app to improve maternal and neonatal care for black and brown people.

Group of Students in Library

Professor Donna Whitehead

October

• We announced the appointment of Professor Donna Whitehead as the next University of Brighton Vice-Chancellor following the retirement of Professor Debra Humphris CBE.
• Professor Alison Bruce became the first sole female recipient of the prestigious Ernest Rutherford Medal awarded by the Institute of Physics for her pioneering work in nuclear physics.
• We marked the completion of work to improve and expand the Falmer campus, offering new and returning students access to ultramodern facilities and world-class experiences at our three campuses across Brighton.

November

• Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle MP joined staff, students and partners from across the healthcare sector to launch our pioneering new Health Innovation Hub.
• Our School of Business and Law was awarded the prestigious Small Business Charter in recognition of its exceptional work supporting local businesses and student enterprise.
• Dr Poorang Piroozfar led a tech-inspired art exhibition exploring how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in architecture can transform the gaming industry.

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Interim Vice-Chancellor, Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP and Professor Rusi Jaspal, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Exchange)

Leg wound and dressing

December

• A ground-breaking project by University of Brighton researchers to transform how chronic wounds are treated revealed how materials used for wound dressing can fast-track healing.
• Professor Melanie Flint explored how chronic stress impacts quality of life and its link to cancer as part of our public lecture series.