School of Social Sciences staff scoop four prizes at Cardiff University’s Celebrating Excellence Awards 2022

Three School of Social Sciences academic staff and a research centre collected prizes at Cardiff University’s Celebrating Excellence Awards 2022.

Dr Sofia Vougioukalou, Dr Sophie Hallet, Abyd Quinn-Aziz and Y Lab were recognised for their respective achievements with the university.

We chatted with each of them to find out more.

Dr Sofia Vougioukalou
Research Fellow, Y Lab
🏆 Excellence in Civic Mission

1. Why were you nominated?

I was nominated for my contribution to Cardiff University’s civic mission strategy and engaging with external organisations, people living with dementia, and carers and activists producing seven digital stories and three films to raise awareness of health inequalities in dementia care.

2. Tell us about some notable work of yours…

I’ve recently produced six research briefings on arts and health to inform the development of the All Wales Framework on Social Prescribing policy.

3. What’s next for you in terms of research/work?

I am working on my new British Academy Innovation Fellowship titled Creative ageing and social prescribing: Bridging the gap between diverse service users, service providers and policy makers in Wales, that is carried out partnership with The Arts Council for Wales and 13 collaborating organisations.

I’ll soon be embarking on my £1M National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded study.

4. How can we find out more about you and your work?

You can find out more about my work via Y Lab.

Dr Sophie HallettSenior Lecturer, Social Policy
🏆 Rising Star – Early Career Academic

1. Why were you nominated?

Jamie Lewis in SOCSI nominated me for the ‘rising star - early career’ award because of the changes and influence my work has had on policy and professional practice in Wales and in News South Wales in Australia.

2. Tell us about some notable work of yours…

My research has specifically explored the issue of child sexual exploitation, and more broadly addresses the issue of young people, care and safeguarding systems.

Previously, my PhD explored child sexual exploitation from the perspectives of young people experiencing this abuse and a range of different professionals supporting them.

My later work, namely a large multi-stranded mixed method study, built on those findings and challenges conceptions of risk that centre on young people and their behaviours, as well as challenging risk-averse practice that advocates ‘protection’ at the expense of understanding and addressing young people’s care and support needs and the things that matter to them.

This short film tries to explain that:  https://www.checkyourthinking.org/materials/

3. What’s next for you in terms of research/work?

I’m currently on study leave, focussing on writing and publishing my research. I am also, hopefully, about to begin a 6-month secondment as a Reader with the Connect Centre for Interpersonal Violence at UCLAN, managing a Home Office funded project, doing some mentoring for their ECR’s, particularly around publishing and creative ways of sharing research findings, and working with the Centre to establish their survivors stakeholder advisory group.

4. How can we find out more about you and your work?

Katie Bodinger in the central comms team very kindly produced a webpage about my work on child sexual exploitation as an example of research impact in the university.

The Welsh Government commissioned me to translate my research findings and some of the resources I developed from that work into an online hub of resources for practitioners, professionals, foster carers and parents supporting children and young people.

Abyd Quinn-Aziz
Senior Lecturer and programme director for Social Work (MA)
🏆 Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

1. Why were you nominated?

I think my school has seen the impact of my work on equality over the years and felt it was time to nominate me.

2. Tell us about some notable work of yours…

I helped set up the MASW coproduction group which involves people using services being involved with student selection, teaching and research on the programme as well as being partners in our programme management.

3. What’s next for you in terms of your research/work?

I’ve jointly edited a book on social work in Wales and co-authored a chapter on anti-racist social work practice, due for publication ready for the 2023 academic year. I’m also working on the Race Equality Wales Steering Group.

4. How can we find out more about you and your work?

You can follow me on my personal Twitter account.

Congratulations to all of our winners, we’re so proud of you.