Read about the remarkable projects at UEA from the past year and the people behind their success.
Inside this issue:
Exploring Dare to Do Different
A legacy of creativity
Global alumni voices
Enterprise: Feeling Güd
Special feature: progress on prostate cancer tests
DAME JENNY ABRAMSKY GBE (ENG65) CHANCELLOR, UEA
Ihope you look forward to reading this magazine each year as much as I do. It is one of the ways in which the University celebrates the support from alumni and donors that helps UEA shine, and brings our wonderful community of supporters up to date on a busy 12 months for UEA’s research and development programmes.
In 2025 the world faces serious challenges. The UK’s universities do, too, as costs increase and inflation continues to outpace a modest rise in student fees. But UEA has always been the home of bold thinkers. In difficult times we are doubling down on our commitment to ‘do different’ and we have been thinking big about how we can contribute to making the world a better, fairer place. So this edition of Pioneer also touches on our ambitions for the coming years.
As you will see, we are making some fast progress. This pace is made possible by philanthropic giving and I can’t thank our donors enough.
At the end of last year we launched our most ambitious ever institutional fundraising campaign.
It is an essential strand in UEA Strategy 2030 –the plan to take our vision and mission forward while securing the university’s long-term economic sustainability.
Dare to Do Different is a multi-year campaign rooted in the certain belief that high-quality education and research can change lives. It aims to raise £100m to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges while providing world-class learning and life experiences for every UEA student.
I am Chair of this new campaign – and so, while I thank you wholeheartedly for your past support, I also ask you to stay in our corner in the exciting months and years ahead.
Dare To Do Different is focused on four pillars. In each of these areas UEA has what it takes to re-shape the world, for the benefit of all.
Our researchers will continue to explore further and deeper to unlock the secrets of climate change and find ways to tackle them.
UEA’s ongoing research into some of the biggest health challenges of our time promises to improve lives globally. Dare to Do Different is bringing long-term projects to fruition.
The University’s longstanding commitment to nurturing creativity has fostered many careers (including mine) and enriched lives around the world. Future projects will bring unheard voices to the fore.
On our unique Norwich campus, learning and exploration come to life and friendships and collaborations flourish. We are creating innovative, sustainable infrastructure that supports new ways of learning, teaching and exploring the world.
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Special feature: An update on research into prostate cancer and the development of PUR and Tiger Tests from Professor Colin Cooper and his team.
06 Honours and distinctions
24 UEA alumni and honorary graduates have received honours in 2024-2025.
08
Climate: This must be the decade of action
The world has just ten years to limit global temperature rise to 2°C.
12 Health: Donors driving discovery
Treatment showing remarkable promise in preclinical trials.
16 Creative: Collaborations
A decidedly different approach to creativity.
20 Campus: A new hub for scientific discovery
UEA’s Centre of Advanced Environmental Microbiology.
24
Campus: Backing brilliance worldwide
Through strategic scholarships, UEA is investing in exceptional talent across the globe.
26 A legacy of creativity
The David and Jo Spinks scholarship programme.
28 Voices of the global alumni community Interviews with our alumni.
32 The UEA Enterprise Fund: Feeling Güd Alumnus Jack Richards (NBS14) on the support he has received from UEA.
34
38
Prostate cancer: It’s not one disease – it’s two A UEA discovery that affects everything the world knows about prostate cancer.
Together we can achieve more
A message from Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor David Maguire.
24 UEA ALUMNI AND HONORARY GRADUATES HAVE RECEIVED HONOURS IN 2024-2025
COMPANION OF HONOUR (CH)
SIR KAZUO ISHIGURO (EAS79) (HONORARY GRADUATE)
KNIGHT BACHELOR
SIR STEPHEN FRY (HONORARY GRADUATE)
SIR SANDY MCCALL SMITH (HONORARY GRADUATE)
SIR ROGER WRIGHT (HONORARY GRADUATE)
DAME GRAND CROSS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (GBE)
DAME JENNY ABRAMSKY (EAS65) (HONORARY GRADUATE)
COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)
MARK DOWIE (EAS79) DR PAUL THOMPSON (EUR83)
OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)
WAYNE BARNES (LAW97) (HONORARY GRADUATE) MARTIN BRUNDLE (HONORARY GRADUATE)
ANTHONY BUTLER (ART95) DR BELINDA CLARKE (BIO95) JAMES DARKINS (DEV74)
AMY PERRIN (AHP01) DAVID TIBBLE (SOC70) (HONORARY GRADUATE)
MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)
ROSE AIDIN (AHM87) DR MARY BEEK (SOC91) NEVILLE BEISCHER (ARE80)
MYLEENE KLASS (HONORARY GRADUATE) DR ROBERT LYMAN (HIS10) STEVEN MILLER (NBS19)
BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL (BEM)
ALBERT CADMORE (EDU91) PAUL HEITZMAN (EAS73) MATTHEW WILLER (HIS07)
KING’S AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL (KAM)
LISA WARD (EAS87)
THE WORLD HAS JUST TEN YEARS TO LIMIT GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE TO 2°C
No one is immune to climate change. Already this year we’ve seen drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, wildfires in the US, storms and flooding in Australia, Europe and the UK – and ongoing sea-level rise threatening communities in Asia. And with glaciers melting faster than ever the UN has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
UEA is an acknowledged leader in climate research. Our researchers are driving ambitious projects to scope and mitigate the risks. Years ago, they helped prove the world is warming. Today, they continue to uncover its secrets, developing bold, practical solutions that can combat adverse effects and working hands-on with communities to help them live safer, healthier, happier lives.
“So many themes to work on” Collaboration and interdisciplinarity are at the heart of the way we do things at UEA.
In the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD) some of our brightest researchers in the natural and social sciences are working with partner organisations on the Norwich Research Park on ways to help farming communities in the developing world feed themselves and live sustainable, healthy lives.
As the climate changes and population pressures increase these challenges evolve and multiply, but Professor Nitya Rao, Director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD), says UEA’s approach is delivering real benefits:
“There are so many themes to work on. But we have created a unique collaborative environment, with
organisations and teams working on nutrition, plant genetics and diversity, soil health, and the Business School working on value chains… I think we have the capacity to really pull this all together over the next five years.”
A key research focus is food systems, from production to consumption. In many places in the world, even if people can grow sustainable, nutritious crops that support biodiversity they must sell them to survive. They eat nutrient-poor, cheap wheat and rice products instead.
UEA’s research focuses on ways to make nutritious, climate resistant, under-used crops attractive and viable for farmers in areas where they grow naturally. For example, in parts of India millet grows well, but because processing it takes time and requires expensive infrastructure, hard-pressed growers often send it to market.
To change this picture we take a multi-layered approach. In India, NISD researchers and their partners are working to influence policy and secure investment in milling facilities. They’re producing accessible tools that promote knowledge sharing, including digital apps so people can spread information about effective indigenous growing practices, soil conditions, plant diseases, pests and more.
In other parts of the world the crops and the barriers to use are different and we tailor our approach. In Uganda, we’ve developed a project training young, unemployed people to work as village agents so farmers can handle issues like crop insurance and seed buying collectively.
PROFESSOR NITYA RAO (DEV93)
Professor of Gender and Development,
School of Global Development. Director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD).
“The focus of my research is on people, especially the poor. Which things matter in their everyday lives? What are they experiencing? What do they need?”
Professor Rao started her career as an activist committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment. For more than 30 years her research has explored gendered changes in land and migration patterns among marginalised, rural communities, and how these people can achieve livelihood, food and nutrition security, especially when they’re faced with climate variability. It has taken her into communities throughout India, South Asia, East Africa and West Africa.
Her work recognises that climate events have a disproportionately large impact on women in vulnerable communities because of unequal access to land and capital, and social norms that restrict women’s choices while burdening them with the lion’s share of childcare and domestic duties.
Recent projects have focused on strengthening local and indigenous food systems to improve diet and resilience to climate change. This involves documenting, assessing and promoting local foods and sharing insights with communities. She has been legitimising local knowledge about agriculture that has been vanishing, co-produced with the support of local young people, and enabling people to make healthy choices about what to grow and eat, even when ‘junk food’ is ubiquitous, cheap and increasingly fashionable.
She serves on several high-level science advisory panels on food security and she has taken senior roles in many multi-agency research projects including:
• Adaptation to climate change in semi-arid contexts
• Sustainable food systems
Coastal transformations and fisher wellbeing
• Urban and peri-urban agriculture as green infrastructure
Migration as adaptation
Professor Rao has supervised more than 30 PhD students from around the world and says their lived experiences and research interests have informed her own thinking.
We need to take new challenges on board and push for new solutions.
Thirty years ago Professor Rao’s activism focused on women but she says work on gender must now be more nuanced, and she wrote on this in the 2024 Global Hunger Index. She has highlighted a situation in the drought-stricken parts of northern semi-arid Kenya, where some microfunding and loans are now available for female enterprises; there is little support, however, for young men. They’re finding themselves drawn into gangs and ethnic warfare in their search for a future.
UEAclimate researchers are leading a new fiveyear project, ‘Forecasting Tipping Points in Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Responses (TiMBER)’ to answer some fundamental questions about marine ecosystems.
What are the climate tipping points? Why are they so dangerous? What impact could they have on UK marine ecosystems and industries? What challenges – and perhaps, opportunities – do they present for the UK’s industries? Working with a £4.25m research grant from the UK Government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), and a host of partners and collaborators, we will find out. We’re exploring the oceans to find the earliest signs of climate tipping points: the thresholds that lead to large, accelerating and potentially irreversible changes such as flooding and food insecurity. The collapse of cod stocks in the North-West Atlantic in the 1980s, because of overfishing, was one of these changes.
“Work on gender and intersectionality, that is, recognising the particular needs of different genders across ethnicities and other forms of difference is coming to the fore now,” she says.
“More advocacy is needed for gender to be integrated into movements for climate and food justice. This is where UEA’s new campaign resonates. It’s so important, I think, to dare to do different. When I talk about the young men in Kenya being vulnerable people laugh but we need to say it. What was true 30 years ago isn’t always true now.”
The“Tackling the challenges of climate change requires novel approaches and thinking differently about what might be possible. This is what we aim to do through TiMBER.”
Professor Corinne Le Quéré CBE FRS, Royal Society. Research Professor of Climate Change Science, UEA.
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, hosted at UEA, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It is a partnership that brings together researchers from UEA, the Universities of Manchester and Southampton, Newcastle University, The Centre for Social Climate Change and Social Transformations, Fudan University, Shanghai and the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) to develop sustainable responses to climate change.
Originally funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council, it is now financed by project funding from public and private enterprises who consult on sustainability issues along with core support from UEA.
TREATMENT SHOWING REMARKABLE
PROMISE IN PRECLINICAL TRIALS
Thanks to your support, philanthropy is steadily driving progress towards new and gentler treatments for young people with sarcomas such as bone and muscle cancers.
Acrossthe world, treatments for sarcomas haven’t advanced substantially since the 1970s. Dr Darrell Green (BIO06) and his team are working tirelessly to transform treatment of bone cancer in children, adolescents and young adults. Their research is developing kinder, more effective treatments –and it’s being powered by the generosity of donors, including The Sir William Coxen Trust Fund.
For Dr Green, this work is deeply personal. “My best friend, Ben, died of primary bone cancer just before
his 14th birthday,” he recalls. “I’ve dedicated my life to ensuring that there are gentler and more effective treatments available for young people in the future.”
His research has led to the development of a promising new drug called Bensofib (also known as CADD522). It is a treatment designed to target cancer cells without harming healthy tissue – and therefore not causing the aggressive side effects that current chemotherapy treatments often cause.
Since we reported on Bensofib in Pioneer more than two years ago, the drug has shown remarkable promise in preclinical trials, significantly reducing tumour size and preventing cancer spread with no visible side effects.
Philanthropy driving progress
Development and testing take years – and is incredibly expensive. The Sir William Coxen Trust Fund has been a steadfast supporter of this vital work.
“The Trust’s willingness to back high-risk, highreward research has been game-changing,” says Dr Green. “Without their funding, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Tumours always fight back. If one treatment beats their plan A, they will switch to plan B. We need to learn how these tumours work at a molecular level and then design targeted therapies to knock out their plans A, B, C and D.”
Founded by Sir William Coxen, a past Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Trust’s original mission was to support orthopaedic hospitals but over the years its focus has expanded to include cutting-edge research like Dr Green’s. The Trust’s commitment to funding research in areas like paediatric orthopaedics and cancer treatment is driven by the belief that impactful breakthroughs often require courage to fund innovative, early-stage research.
Alderman Masojada, Chair of The Sir William Coxen Trust Fund, told Pioneer, “Philanthropy plays a key
role in funding research that might not be suitable for traditional funding sources. We are incredibly proud to be supporting the research of Dr Green and his team.”
Recently, the Trust’s generosity has also provided year one funding for Emma Bull, a PhD student at UEA transitioning to become a postdoctoral researcher working alongside Dr Green.
With funding secured, Emma is now exploring how a gene known as LNC441, which she identified in her PhD studies, may hold the key to stopping sarcoma’s spread. Early results show that circulating tumour cells (CTCs) – the cells that spread cancer around the body – struggle to survive without this gene, making it a highly promising target for future treatments.
“These cells are notoriously difficult to isolate,” Emma explains. “For every billion normal blood cells, there’s typically only one circulating tumour cell – yet understanding how these cells spread cancer is crucial.”
The success of any project can be measured by the people who are driving it. When we heard there was an opportunity to retain Emma for her postdoctoral research, we wanted to ensure continuity of key staff.
Alderman Masojada Chair of The Sir William Coxen Trust Fund
Photograph by Mark Witter
£1.18m
Funds raised through philanthropy to date.
£110k
Funding required for Emma Bull to complete her research.
£60k
To purchase a new circulating tumour cell (CTC) extraction machine for the lab.
£500k
Funding required to complete toxicity testing for Bensofib.
£180k
To fund a bioinformatician to help with all projects for 3 years.
Community of support
Groundbreaking research is a community effort. Our researchers wish to thank every generous donor, as well as the wider community of supporters including alumni and families.
Find out more about supporting Dr Green’s research.
uea.ac.uk/about/giving-touea/our-causes/childhoodadolescent-and-youngadult-cancer-research
Building momentum for the future
Our researchers are working on numerous avenues for research and this multi-layered approach is vital.
Dr Green and his team have already shown that Bensofib can treat cancer effectively without the harmful side effects of chemotherapy. The next critical step is to ensure the drug’s safety. This means rigorous toxicity testing - not just to confirm that it won’t cause harm in patients, but to understand how the drug behaves inside the body.
How is it absorbed? Does it remain in the system too long, or break down into other substances? Would it be more effective taken as a pill or injection? These are the key questions the team must answer before moving forward with human trials. If the drug passes these tests, the team hopes to be one step closer to delivering a life-changing treatment for young patients facing this aggressive disease.
Re-imagining treatment options
So what’s next? Alongside continuing testing for Bensofib, researchers are making exciting discoveries that could yield powerful treatments:
Their new findings about the genetics of cancer cells have opened up research into whether targeting LNC441 in cells could stop osteosarcomas and Ewing sarcomas from spreading through the body.
Research on small RNA and microRNA molecules in CTCs is helping the team to understand the cells’ make-up and how to disrupt them.
Findings that the shape of cancer genes can vary and affect how well patients respond to treatment offers hope for treatments for young people’s sarcomas and potentially other types of cancer too.
“Without creativity there would be no progress.”
So said Edward de Bono, lifelong proponent of creative thinking. Here at UEA we believe creativity is central to human existence and that it can deliver new areas of interdisciplinary research, innovation, knowledge exchange and impact. Having spaces to explore different perspectives together teaches us to see through fresh eyes and invites us to walk in one another’s shoes.
Today UEA is internationally excellent in creative fields. The University established the first Masters and PhD programmes in creative writing, and these attract gifted students from around the world. We have built on this expertise to establish an International Chair of Creative Writing (ICCW), bringing underrepresented voices to the fore to challenge entrenched attitudes and redefine the world for everyone.
Through a series of interdisciplinary Project Catalyst workshops UEA has been exploring ideas for projects that will bring together two of our areas of expertise and focus – Creativity and Climate.
These intensive workshops are our first actions under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the University and Arts Council England (ACE) within ACE’s Let’s Create strategic framework. The MoU allows the University to work with teams from ACE more effectively on issues that resonate with us both, maximising
efforts to develop projects that enrich cultural life, support diversity and inclusion, promote health and wellbeing and enhance equity and social cohesion.
New way of working
Kicking off the first workshop, in November ’24, academics from the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the School of Global Development came together with ACE representatives to discuss research interests and spark ideas around climate change and adaptation.
This is an exciting new way of working for ACE. And in the next two years UEA will work on creative projects and bids for funding – this is where the hard work starts. Now, we need to build innovative, inspiring projects and then apply for funding support. Success will depend on the quality and vision of each application.
Ideas already on the starting blocks include a celebration of the work and impacts of the Tyndall Centre over the last quarter century and a series of ‘public provocations’ under development with cultural and environmental groups in Norfolk. We’re excited to see how the bids will shape up.
UEA is a creative campus that welcomes the world, where we explore and create the new ideas that the world needs.
Anow-completed project that chimes with many of the aims of the new MoU is The Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project.
Led by Dr Andy Hutcheson from UEA’s Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, it had multiple ambitions from exploring how to manage long-term changes associated with climate and agriculture to community-building, and from stimulating creative expression to improving mental health and wellbeing. A tall order, perhaps. But it was fulfilled over several years spent exploring two sites – the Neolithic Arminghall Timber Circle and Henge and Warham Iron Age Fort: a rare example of a Norfolk hillfort. Despite being set firmly in a local context it attracted international interest. Researchers from Japan, the Maldives and Nigeria joined in, with volunteers from local heritage societies, schools and colleges (including young people with a variety of additional needs), adult volunteers with poor mental health and members of the wider public.
Deep impact
“I saw how to identify and clean the rare finds and hear how the archaeological history had an impact on local ecosystems and rare species. The whole experience was very fulfilling.”
Volunteer
“We got to draw out the land, find treasure and find out new things. It was also amazing on my mental health to get out in the fresh air.”
Volunteer
Natural synergies
Archaeology is a natural bridge between science and the arts. Today archaeologists use science to uncover what lies beneath the soil and their creativity to imagine the lives of the people who left their mark in the ground.
Data and reports from both digs have yielded insights into changes in land use over time. They also show some hugely positive benefits for participants. Many reported enhanced feelings of wellbeing, purpose and positivity and this shines through in the many artworks they produced in response –drawings, paintings, photographs, poems and prose.
These expressions of what they learned, how they felt and what they will remember have been gathered into two books as a permanent record. They have also been shared with wider audiences via an exhibition at the Forum in Norwich in May 2024 and at Lowestoft’s First Light Festival the following month.
Part of what this project was trying to examine was the potential effects of being in a landscape and deeply and mindfully thinking and learning about its human past.
Dr Andy Hutcheson
Research Fellow, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
Many thanks to our fellow funders:
• Cambridge Archaeological Unit, University of Cambridge
National Lottery Heritage Fund
• Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society
• Restoration Trust
Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
• Society of Antiquaries of London
Executive Director Professor Jago Cooper calls the Sainsbury Centre “one of the most iconic museum buildings in the world”. We’d have to agree, and so we’re delighted to report that this cultural gem has been awarded a £1.276m grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).
The grant will fund work taking place next year, installing the latest environmental management systems in galleries, collections stores and the learning studio where increasing numbers of schools and community groups enjoy events and workshops. It will also refurbish the current goods lift so staff can continue to move priceless artworks safely. The enhancements mean the Centre can continue to host major international exhibitions and protect its own collections and loaned items from around the globe.
This funding supports our commitment to a radical approach to arts and culture – and to helping UEA students and local communities explore how different cultures address fundamental human questions.
Professor Catherine Richardson Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts and Humanities
CAMPUS
UEA’S CENTRE OF ADVANCED ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
From soil to sea, UEA’s new centre is putting microorganisms at the heart of global efforts to fight climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity.
Microorganisms are the unseen controllers of our planet. Even though many of the greatest challenges facing our world – including climate change, loss of biodiversity and food security – are driven by humans, they are mediated by microorganisms. They shape our climate, sustain biodiversity and underpin global food production –but we barely notice them. Microorganisms make up 60% of the planet’s biomass and sustain the critical processes that keep ecosystems alive. From the air we breathe to the food we eat; these invisible forces sustain life on Earth. But they are under threat.
>1m
Plant and animal species are at risk of extinction according to the United Nations (UN), threatening microbial ecosystems essential for biodiversity.
Building on research excellence
To uncover how microorganisms exert their influence, and work on strategies to meet the planet’s existential challenges head on, UEA is establishing the new Centre of Advanced Environmental Microbiology (CAEM). It is a worldclass research hub housed within the iconic Lasdun Wall and supported by philanthropic donations, including grants from The Wolfson Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation, and The R.C. Snelling Charitable Trust, to provide state-of-the-art laboratories, technologies and research facilities.
>$2tn
The cost of climate-related disasters has exceeded $2 trillion in the past decade, as reported by the Guardian newspaper. Damages have reached $451 billion in the last two years alone.
Stellar philanthropic support:
“UEA’s environmental science expertise gives us full confidence in their ability to lead groundbreaking research. CAEM will drive vital progress in understanding how microorganisms shape the environment and impact human health, tackling global challenges such as antimicrobial resistance and climate change.”
The Garfield Weston Foundation
“We are proud to support CAEM because of UEA’s strong track record in high-quality research and its potential to strengthen the University’s global leadership in climate science. Modernising the Lasdun Wall also supports UEA’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions and tackling the climate crisis.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of The Wolfson Foundation
70%
By 2050, global food production must increase by 70%, yet soil degradation threatens future harvests.
CAEM is a major investment in the study of environmental microbiology, and it aligns with the ‘Campus’ pillar of our Dare to Do Different campaign. The £22m centre is set to lead groundbreaking studies in environmental microbiology, focusing on climate change, biodiversity and sustainability. The centre brings together a wealth of expertise under the leadership of highly cited, prize-winning researchers in environmental microbiology.
From the school of Biological Sciences: Professor Julea Butt, Dr Andrew Gates, Dr Marcela Hernández, Dr Laura Lehtovirta-Morley and Professor Jonathan Todd.
From the School of Environmental Sciences: Professor Thomas Mock.
“Life on Earth depends on the movement of nutrients through ecosystems, and microorganisms are crucial to this process. UEA is a global leader in this field, driving forward critical research in environmental microbiology,” says Professor Jonathan Todd. “We have a fantastic opportunity to work with cutting-edge equipment and train the next generation of environmental microbiologists.”
Collaborative approaches and global reach
Located on the second floor of UEA’s new Science Research Laboratories building, CAEM is part of a £150 million transformation of the University’s research infrastructure. This six-storey facility will house laboratories, collaborative workspaces and teaching areas to support research across Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and Pharmacy.
Philanthropic funding allows us the flexibility to address the pressing global challenges we face. It’s what makes the creation of centres like CAEM possible, enabling us to make significant strides in climate change and sustainability research.
Julea Butt, Professor of Biophysical Chemistry
C AEM will bring together top scientists and the latest technologies, strengthening partnerships across the Norwich Research Park, including with the Quadram Institute. It will also boost the work of the Centre for Microbial Interactions (CMI), a virtual network of research groups at the Norwich Research Park, creating an environment that encourages collaboration, fosters knowledge exchange and accelerates discoveries that will have real-world applications – from environmental restoration strategies to innovations in sustainable biotechnology. These collaborations will strengthen UEA’s position as a global leader in environmental research and their impact will be felt far beyond UEA and the local area.
“ It’s a particularly exciting time to be a microbiologist in Norwich. With more than 100 microbiology research groups on the Norwich Research Park, collaborative working across the partners is embedded in all we do.”
Jonathan Todd,
Professor
of Environmental Biology
By working closely with national and international research bodies, including the hugely influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), CAEM will provide critical data to shape climate policies and environmental regulations worldwide. UEA has long been a pioneer in climate science, from creating the first global temperature record in the 1970s to leading groundbreaking research on carbon budgets. The CAEM is opening the next chapter in this story, strengthening UEA’s ability to attract toptier research talent and make discoveries that can change the world.
C AEM will tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, including:
Climate change and biogeochemical cycles
How do microbes influence the carbon and nitrogen cycles, and how can they help us predict climate patterns and mitigate environmental damage? Researchers are uncovering new ways microbes can absorb greenhouse gases and regulate Earth’s climate.
Soil and food security
Soil microbes are essential for crop health and agricultural sustainability. More than 50% of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser applied to fields is lost, leading to inefficiencies in food production and environmental harm. CAEM researchers are developing solutions to improve soil health and ensure longterm global food security.
Ocean sustainability and clean water
The world’s oceans absorb 25% of global CO₂ emissions. Marine microbes play a crucial role in this process, but pollution and rising temperatures are threatening their function. By studying microbial interactions in marine ecosystems, CAEM aims to safeguard ocean sustainability and access to clean water.
Biodiversity and ecosystem resilience
Microbes are fundamental to ecosystem stability. From rainforests to deep-sea trenches, CAEM researchers are mapping microbial diversity and its role in sustaining life on Earth. Their discoveries will help shape conservation efforts and strategies to combat biodiversity loss.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
One of the greatest threats to global health, AMR is linked to microbial evolution and environmental factors. By studying the spread of resistant bacteria in soil and water, CAEM is contributing to solutions that will protect future generations from the rise of untreatable infections.
Our supporters are also enabling the redevelopment of the Clinical Anatomy Suite at UEA – an essential component of medical education that will train the next generation of healthcare professionals. By the summer of 2026, this suite will relocate from its present site in the Queen’s Building, to the Edith Cavell Building, adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).
This £8.5m investment will provide stateof-the-art facilities for all our medical students, for whom anatomical training is a vital part of their course.
To find out more about these projects and how you can support this initiative, please visit our website or get in touch.
uea.ac.uk/about/givingto-uea/our-causes
Through strategic scholarships, UEA is investing in exceptional talent across the globe.
Every student, regardless of background, should have the opportunity to thrive, learn, and build a future filled with promise. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are making this vision a reality. From scholarships that provide lifechanging opportunities, to student hardship funds that remove barriers to study, to the sanctuary we offer to those fleeing conflict - philanthropy is the driving force behind a university where talent, not circumstance, determines success.
Ensuring no student is left behind
When the unexpected happens, philanthropy becomes a lifeline. Rising costs, emergencies, and financial instability can threaten a student’s ability to continue their education. Donor gifts make up an important part of UEA’s Student Hardship Fund, which helps ensure that students aren’t forced to abandon their studies due to financial pressures. In 2023/2024, the fund provided more than 300 hardship payments, totalling over £250k, helping students cover essentials like rent, food, and travel to placements. Among these payments, £35k were given as part of a new Travel and Tech Fund, launched this year, which helps students facing transport costs or the sudden loss of vital study equipment.
For many, this support has been transformative: “Since being granted help, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I now have enough money to buy food, cover my bills, and also go out with my friends from time to time. I feel that this will also improve my mental health as I no longer have to constantly worry about money.”
Every contribution ensures that students facing financial hardship can focus on their education without the fear of financial instability forcing them to leave university.
The Difference Scholarship was established in 2019 to pool together donations from our supporters, aiming to prevent financial hardship from being a barrier to a UEA education. Open to students across all disciplines, these scholarships are lifechanging for those who might otherwise struggle to afford university life.
Since 2020, 16 undergraduate and 16 postgraduate students have received a Difference Scholarship, each worth £5,000 per year. To date, this means £320,000 has been awarded, with a further £40,000 secured to support students starting in 2025/26.
For Kash Hinds (BIO19), a postgraduate Difference Scholar in Clinical Science, the scholarship meant freedom: “I’m so grateful to have the freedom to focus entirely on my research project. Thanks to my donor’s generosity, I was able to complete my studies. It’s been truly life changing.”
For Freddie Marlowe, an undergraduate studying Biomedicine, the scholarship made it possible to fully dedicate himself to his studies and secure a placement in a cancer genetics lab: “My scholarship has transformed my UEA experience. It significantly eased my financial pressures, allowing me to focus on my studies instead of working to cover living costs.”
By relieving financial stress, the Difference Scholarship helps students achieve academic success while gaining skills and experiences that shape their future.
A University of Sanctuary
Education should be a place of safety, hope, and possibility. Since 2018, UEA has been recognised as a University of Sanctuary, offering scholarships to those from backgrounds of forced displacement. Over 30 students have received full scholarships, with many more benefiting from donor-funded sanctuary hardship funds, helping them rebuild their futures with dignity and purpose.
A Ukrainian student, forced to flee Kyiv, described the scholarship as “a beacon of hope”: “Without this initiative, my education would have been completely derailed. The support network I found at UEA changed everything.”
Bahara, a Sanctuary Scholar from Afghanistan, shared: “The Sanctuary Scholarship gave me a purpose in life and let me fight for my existence.”
These stories show how philanthropy can profoundly reshape lives, providing opportunities that have a lasting impact on those who need them most.
Philanthropic support doesn’t just help the institution - it fosters future talent and transforms lives.
Geoffrey Pelham-Lane (EAS82), long-time supporter.
The power of collective giving
The Dare to Do Different campaign is built on a bold idea: that together, we can create a university where the brightest minds flourish, no matter where they come from or where they are on their educational journey. Whether supporting scholarships, funding student enterprise, enhancing our library, or investing in cutting-edge facilities, philanthropy fuels progress at UEA.
Together, we are shaping a campus that empowers, supports, and inspires. A university where no one is left behind. A place where students from all backgrounds can dare to dream, dare to achieve, and dare to do different.
THE DAVID AND JO SPINKS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
My parents believed deeply that theatre can connect, inspire, and transform lives. They were always passionate about helping others find their voice, and nothing would have meant more to them than knowing their support will help unlock new opportunities for students at UEA. It’s a wonderful legacy, and I know they would be so proud to see the creativity and confidence their gift will nurture.
Elisabeth Spinks, daughter of David and Jo Spinks
A newly established legacy scholarship is set to support and inspire future generations of Drama students, ensuring theatre remains a lasting part of life at UEA.
For David and Jo Spinks, theatre was more than an art form – it was a space for creativity, connection, and growth. Their lifelong passion for the arts, coupled with a desire to give back, has inspired a philanthropic legacy that will enrich the experience of UEA Drama students for years to come.
David Spinks, a passionate theatre educator and Professor Emeritus, first visited UEA’s Drama Studio with a quiet curiosity, eager to understand the vibrant creative community that thrived there.
As Robert Little, UEA’s Theatre Technical Manager, recalled, “David took me aside and asked about the students - how they got involved, how they learned. It was clear he wanted to make a meaningful difference.” That conversation marked the beginning of a partnership that would leave a lasting imprint on the Drama department.
The Spinks’ generosity has already provided vital support for students studying drama and theatre. One of their first contributions was funding a new PA system for the Drama Studio - an investment that allowed students to build professional skills in sound design, enhancing both their creativity and employability. “David believed drama had given him so much,” Robert shared. “He simply wanted to give something back.”
But David and Jo’s generosity didn’t stop there. Driven by their belief that theatre can change lives for the better, the David and Jo Spinks Scholarship was established in their memory. This scholarship has the potential to be a lifeline for talented students, ensuring financial hardship doesn’t prevent them from pursuing their creative ambitions.
“Scholarships like this open doors,” explains Professor Richard Hand, Head of UEA’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. “They allow students to focus fully on their craft, building skills that will shape their futures.”
For those who knew David and Jo, their warmth and generosity extended far beyond financial support. “They had a remarkable energy for kindness and creativity,” Robert remembers. “They were always interested in the studentswhat they were doing, how they were developing. They cared deeply about people.”
UEA has long been at the forefront of creative writing and drama, providing an environment where creativity can flourish. With the establishment of the David and Jo Spinks Scholarship, their philanthropic legacy will continue to empower the next generation of artists, writers, and performers.
Find out more about leaving a gift in memory or in your will. uea.ac.uk/about/giving-to-uea/ gifts-in-wills
INTERVIEWS WITH
From near and far, UEA alumni remain proud to be part of the University, strengthening their ties and celebrating the bonds that have shaped them.
Kelly-Anne Frendo (SYS95)
Kelly-Anne hosted a gathering in the Bahamas – home to just a handful of UEA alumni! We asked Kelly-Anne what motivated her to host and to let us know more about her connection to UEA.
What inspired you to host this event and bring together fellow UEA alumni in your region?
Living abroad can be lonely at times, so I recognise the importance of meeting new people and making friends. Therefore, I love the opportunity that hosting a UEA Global Gathering brings to introduce and meet fellow UEA alumni that live in the same area/region (this year it was Nassau, the Bahamas). That’s what inspires me to host - the chance to get people together! Even though last year’s gathering consisted of just two of us, we have since met a third UEA alumnus in Nassau!
What does being a part of UEA’s alumni community mean to you?
I think back on my time at UEA with fond memories and cherish the friendships I made there (several of which still exist with strong bonds even today, over 25 years since graduating). And since I no longer live in the UK, the online magazine, website and social media help me stay connected with my UEA community.
UEA’s founding motto is “Do Different” and we still Dare to Do Different now. How have you identified with this expression in your life?
My version of “do different” is my lifestyle, by being open to new experiences around the world. Having lived in five different countries across three continents to date, there is a lot that is different from one place to another - people, language, culture, environment, food, employment. Embracing them all, I feel like I can certainly identify with the expression of UEA’s founding motto!
Yixian has been very active in attending events in China, including giving his time to offer holders who are due to come to study at UEA. Yixian attended an event in Guangzhou and reflected on ‘Dare to Do Different’.
What does being part of UEA’s community mean to you?
The UEA campus is not merely a physical space but a spiritual community. This trust and support between mentors and students made me truly understand the essence of community.
During my studies, I engaged directly with UEA Career Central and deeply discussed the appropriate career destination for me in China. I also benefited from cross-border collaboration opportunities recommended by the alumni network. At that moment, I realized that the UEA community isn’t just limited to the campus or current students. It’s a real international family.
Now, as an alumnus, I continue to share my personal career experience through the alumni and offerholders reception event.
UEA’s motto is ‘Do Different.’ How have you experienced this in your life?
As a financial practitioner and a professional investor, my main job is to detect potential investment opportunities. However, it’s not an easy job for the reason that people would be inundated with the enormous amount of information or even noise in the real market. Especially, the herd effect could be very powerful in the securities market where billions of individual investors take part.
The education at UEA always highlights the importance of critical thinking. The UEA’s motto, ‘Do Different,’ concentrates the essence of critical thinking.
Yixian Yan (ECO15)
Our motto, ‘Do Different’, always reminds me to keep rational with critical thinking. The credit for most of my successful trading behaviour should go to the way I ‘do different’. From my perspective, UEA’s motto matches the idea of the famous quote by Warren Buffett, ‘Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.’ This should be remembered by all of us.
Maria and Andreas attended an event in Cyprus last year where the UEA community is well established and very active.
Andreas says, “Being part of UEA’s community gives us all a sense of belonging; we all feel that we’re part of an extended family, where each member has something to offer… Such a feeling, being able to give and take to/from each other, gives rise to a purpose, especially bearing in mind that this is the family that helped us become who we are today.”
Maria adds that, “Do Different is a made-tomeasure UEA motto. Historic buildings such as Earlham Hall, the LCR, the Sainsbury Centre, the Medical School, the Elizabeth Fry Building, the Sportspark, along with its unique teaching techniques and competent professors, not to mention the social activities and various research carried out by the various schools, have all contributed in ranking UEA among the most prestigious and reputable unis in the UK. UEA has proved that indulging in new fields of studies along the years, thus daring to do different every time, has undoubtedly led to successful academic and reputation paths.”
As you can see, our alumni support their current communities, and they invest in our current campus community. We are very lucky to have so many amazing group leaders and volunteers all around the world.
Whether you’re looking to host a reunion, volunteer your time, or simply visit campus again, there are plenty of ways to get involved and stay part of UEA’s story.
Events and reunions
• Attend alumni events on campus or around the world – including Global Gatherings
• Organise your own reunion and get help from the UEA team
• Revisit campus with a self-guided tour or explore the Sainsbury Centre and Sculpture Park
• Enjoy campus facilities like the Sportspark and SU Bar (alumni card required)
• Catch a gig or join a Lasdun Lecture to hear about the latest UEA research
Make sure you’re in the loop
Update your contact details to receive the latest news, opportunities, and invites. Sign up to our alumni newsletter e-Ziggurat.
uea.ac.uk/about/alumniand-supporters
Volunteer your time
• Mentor a student – in the UK or internationally
• Share your career story as a case study or guest speaker
• Host a Global Gathering in your city
• Help us build connections by introducing your organisation to UEA
• Offer subject-specific expertise to support student learning
Alumnus Jack Richards (NBS14) on how support from UEA has propelled his business to new heights.
The support from the UEA Enterprise Fund has allowed me to grow a brand to a level impossible without funding. It’s been life-changing, and I wouldn’t be here without it.
Jack Richards has taken his wellness brand, Feel Güd, from the garage to the global stage. Specialising in natural, lab-tested, and deliciously flavoured gummies, Feel Güd is revolutionising the world of wellness supplements - and was recently featured by The Independent as their top pick for mushroom gummies in 2025. But Jack’s journey to success hasn’t been without its challenges – and he credits much of his business’s growth to the support of UEA’s Enterprise Fund. This fund is the UK’s most generous student enterprise fund, made possible entirely by philanthropy, thanks to UEA’s generous alumni and donor community.
In 2022, Jack received a £7,500 ‘Grow It’ Grant from the Enterprise Fund, which was followed by a £50,000 ‘Scale It’ Investment in 2023. These grants have played a pivotal role in the development and expansion of Feel Güd.
Jack’s story is just one example of how the Enterprise Fund at UEA is helping student entrepreneurs turn their dreams into thriving businesses. Thanks to the generosity of alumni and supporters, the Enterprise Fund has provided 80 grants and investments of over £1.4m, helping businesses like Feel Güd grow and reach their full potential.
We caught up with Jack to hear about his journey, the challenges he’s faced, and how the Enterprise Fund’s support has made all the difference.
Feel Güd has made a name for itself by reinventing supplements. What sparked the idea to focus on taste and experience as a key selling point? It all started with my own experience using supplements. I was taking things like ashwagandha, a medicinal herb, and felt amazing, but I just wasn’t sticking to it. Then I read a study that found 46% of people stop using supplements because they don’t like the taste. That’s when it hit me – if people enjoyed the experience, they’d be more likely to keep using them. So, I made flavour a priority. But even more important than taste, I wanted our gummies to work. We teamed up with nutritionists to ensure the doses were optimal. Even now, we’re constantly reformulating – science is always evolving, and so are we!
Launching the UK’s first mushroom gummy is a big milestone. What drove that decision, and how did you know there was a market for it?
Launching the UK’s first mushroom gummy was a proud moment for us. The idea came from trying a mushroom coffee during a job interview. The benefits were clear, but the taste was awful. I thought, ‘If we could make this more enjoyable, it could really take off.’ It’s been amazing to see the market for mushroom supplements grow, and we’re proud to be one of the pioneers in that space.
Looking back on your journey from packing orders in your garage to shipping in bulk, what moment made you realise the business was really taking off? We’ve had over 13,000 customers now, and we’ve been featured in magazines like The Sun, Vogue, and Tatler. But there’s one moment that really made me realise we were onto something big. We went from delivering orders in my mum’s Fiat 500 to having a huge lorry show up at my parents’ house to ship out pallets. That’s when I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve really made it.’
What’s one challenge you didn’t expect when launching Feel Güd, and how did you tackle it?
One of the biggest challenges I didn’t expect was time management. Starting a business takes over your work, your personal life, everything. You have to love what you’re doing because there are tough
moments. One thing I learned quickly is that you can’t work on everything at once. Prioritising what’s going to make the biggest impact has been key. And having a mentor, especially from UEA’s network, has been invaluable. They’ve helped us avoid potential pitfalls and guided us through tricky situations.
You’ve had support from UEA’s Enterprise Team. A side from funding, what’s been the most gamechanging piece of advice you’ve received?
The funding from UEA’s Enterprise Fund has been crucial, but it’s the mentorship that really made a difference. The advice we’ve received helped us scale in the best way possible – it’s about networking, learning from others, and knowing when to ask for help. We’ve been lucky to have that guidance, and we’re excited to continue working with our mentors in the coming year.
What would you say to donors who are considering supporting the Enterprise Fund, and how has it helped your business?
I’d say a big thank you! Without that funding, our growth would have been much slower. The Enterprise Fund allowed me to grow Feel Güd without giving away too much equity. It’s been the difference between staying small and scaling up. Your support has been life-changing for us.
What do you find most rewarding about your journey with Feel Güd so far?
For me, the most rewarding part of this journey is the customer feedback. Hearing how our products have helped people achieve their wellness goals is the best part. Knowing that we’ve created something that genuinely makes a difference is incredible.
What’s next for Feel Güd? Where do you see the business in five years, and what’s your ultimate goal? We’re starting 2025 with our best growth yet, and we’re planning to release a third product soon. Our ultimate goal is to become the go-to gummy brand for nutritionists and dietitians. We’re also working to increase the scientific backing for our products, and in the future, I’d love to collaborate with UEA’s science department on clinical studies to prove our products’ efficacy.
SPECIAL FEATURE: PROGRESS ON PROSTATE CANCER
It’s not
A UEA discovery that affects everything the world knows about prostate cancer.
Every year, across the world, more than four million people receive a new prostate cancer diagnosis. For some, the news comes too late. For the ‘lucky’ others surgery and radiotherapy can halt the cancer but leave survivors with life-changing side effects including impotence and incontinence.
For all these individuals and their families, UEA’s research into what causes prostate cancer, how to prevent it, and how to treat it better, is vital.
Innovative, meticulous work by the University’s researchers is bringing groundbreaking discoveries. They include the recent finding that bacteria are implicated in the development of some prostate cancers, and an essential breakthrough announced early in 2024: prostate cancer is two different diseases – one more aggressive than the other – with different developmental pathways and prognoses. This transforms everything the scientific community understands about prostate cancer.
We are tantalisingly close to being able to offer patients new tests , and we couldn’t have got to this point without philanthropic support.
Most cases of prostate cancer are harmless. Only 10-15% of those diagnosed with prostate cancer each year have a type that needs treatment. But because the current PSA blood test can’t distinguish who they are, almost everyone who tests positive is offered life-altering surgery and radiotherapy.
As with any cancer, early diagnosis improves outcomes. That’s why we were grateful when Olympic medal-winning cyclist Sir Chris Hoy added his voice to calls for testing at a younger age; his own diagnosis at just 48 has sadly come too late.
UEA’s researchers advocate better testing that is easier on patients, and we have two new methods almost ready to roll out to patients.
If used for screening the current standard test, the PSA, would only save 17 lives for every 315 ultimately harmless cancers it diagnosed.
The Prostate Urine Risk (PUR) Test, developed by Professor Cooper and his team, will be sent to patients’ homes so they can simply provide a urine sample and return it for analysis. It can pick up cancers early, and indicate whether a cancer is lowrisk, intermediate-risk or aggressive.
If patients do need a biopsy our new Tiger Test will analyse samples looking for specific biomarkers, including one known as DESNT. DESNT in the sample suggests an aggressive ‘tiger’ type of cancer is developing. Crucially, the Tiger Test can tell how much of the marker is present; missing a small amount could be highly significant.
The researchers’ work is painstaking. In the early stages they analysed every sample 1,000 times across three different machine set-ups, and that has helped them develop a framework that now allows them to run testing at scale.
The opportunity to transform diagnosis only exists because donors back us through every stage of test development.
Colin Cooper, Professor of Cancer Genetics, Norwich Medical School
We are so close now to changing the face of prostate cancer testing.
Final push
Soon, we will be ready to submit our tests for national accreditation. That process takes about a year and then they can be licensed to the NHS and other healthcare providers here and around the world.
Philanthropy is vital in helping us get there. While big research funders support big ideas and initial research it’s harder to find support for things like consumables and for late-stage necessities such as lab improvements that see projects over the last hurdles. So we’re indebted to our donors, including The Bob Willis Fund, set up in memory of the late, great fast bowler. Bob died of prostate cancer aged just 70 after more than three years of gruelling treatment. His memorial fund has supported UEA to set up the diagnostic lab to take the PUR and Tiger Tests through to accreditation.
As well as research, The Bob Willis Fund works to raise awareness, which is essential. That’s why we’ve taken to digital, press and broadcast media to keep the public aware of the huge changes that are afoot in our fight against this killer disease.
A few months ago BBC TV’s Look East magazine programme explored the work we’re doing and what it means for improving healthcare.
The three-minute segment celebrated the progress being made in the research labs and the fact that philanthropy is making it possible. Final word goes to reporter Alex Dunlop:
“What happens here could resonate worldwide.”
In the early days, when some of the biomarkers seemed to be working Colin always said, ‘check that five more times!’
Dr Rachel Hurst, Senior Research Associate at Norwich Medical School
Reshaping the future of patient care
In the next year or so, we need help to fund:
Lab consumables
Accreditation submission costs
Ongoing machine servicing
PhD studentships
This work would not have been possible without the generous support of our funders, collaborators, and partners, whose contributions have been crucial throughout every phase of our research.
I wonder what the University’s founders would think if they could see how their vision is shared now by so many around the world. I am certain they’d be proud of everything that has been achieved in the last six decades.
Just look how the motto ‘Do Different’ is helping to remake the world into a fairer, more equitable place. How it is enabling scientists to unlock the planet’s mysteries and advance healthcare for its people. And how it is enriching cultural life and fostering deeper human connections and understanding.
In these challenging times UEA is doubling down on its commitment to doing different, building on the things it is renowned for and thinking even more boldly.
The Vision 2030 strategy spells out how we will work and what we will achieve in the next five years. And our Dare to Do Different fundraising campaign focuses on four strands of work that will help us succeed. It is off to a strong start but there is so much more to do.
If you haven’t read the Vision 2030 strategy or the Dare to Do Different literature I hope you will spare a few minutes to do so. Both are on the UEA website – and our team in the Development, Alumni and Campaigns Office will always welcome conversations about them.
We are so grateful for the support you have given to UEA. I hope you will continue to give it, in whatever way you can, in the challenging but exciting times ahead.
PROFESSOR DAVID MAGUIRE VICE-CHANCELLOR & PRESIDENT
Now more than ever, we dare to do different.
Your support is driving success across our four key areas of excellence: Climate, Health, Creative and Campus. Together we can make sure there’s a home for progressive, bold thinking about the things that society needs most.
Contact us or visit our website to find out more about the people and projects your generosity is helping to support.
+44 (0)7990 438106
giving@uea.ac.uk
uea.ac.uk/dare-to-do-different
Development, Alumni and Campaigns Office
University of East Anglia Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ
UEA is an exempt charity: HMRC reference number XN423.