Geology at Leicester

🏆 We are excited to announce our 2026 prize winners for the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment. Congratulations! 🎉🌍

BNOC-CONOCO-GULF Prize
Awarded to the student in Geology producing the most outstanding map and thesis.
Jacob Oliver

Dennis Field Award
Awarded to the final-year student who throughout a course offered by Geology has displayed qualities of scholarship, enthusiasm, determination and integrity.
Ray Nagami

Mineralogical Society Award
Awarded to the second year student in Geology achieving the highest mark in the Mineralogy and Petrology examination, or an equivalent examination.
Rebekah Liddicott and Lucy Jecock

Palaeontological Association Prize
Awarded to the student achieving the highest mark in palaeontology in the penultimate year of a degree course in Geology.
Alexandra Zammit

Rhoda Bennett Prize
Awarded to the student receiving an outstanding mark in the assessment of an overseas field course in their third or fourth year of either BSc or MGeol degrees.
Charlie Racine-Godfrey

Geology Alumni Society Prize
Awarded for academic excellence in the final year of an undergraduate programme in Geology.
Christopher Jones

Micropalaeontological Society Student Award
Awarded for distinguished performance by a student in Advanced Micropalaeontology in Geology.
Nathan Donnelly-Shorrock

MICROMINE Exploration Award
Awarded to the undergraduate student who submits the best Micromine project in third year module 'Mineral Exploration and Evaluation' (GL3109).
Ishaan Modi

The East Midlands Geological Society Beryl Whittaker Prize ,
Awarded to the undergraduate student who achieves the highest mark for the fourth year Masters Research Project.
Christopher Jones

The Dick Aldridge Award
Awarded to the final year student who throughout their degree has promoted interest in the field of Palaeobiology and has displayed qualities of scholarship and enthusiasm.
Christopher Jones

Geology Best First Year Student Prize
Awarded for the best performance in the first year.
Lana Phillips

Institute of Quarrying Award
Awarded to the current second year student who achieved the highest marks in the first year module GL1104 Natural Resources and the Environment.
Brandon Hothersall

College of Science and Engineering Prize (Geology)
Awarded for outstanding performance by a second year undergraduate student in the College of Science and Engineering.
Rebekah Liddicott

School of Geography, Geology and the Environment Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Prize
Awarded to the student or student group who has shown exceptional commitment to EDI issues during their University career.
Jacob Oliver and Erin Vaites

Bruce May Dissertation Prize
Awarded for the best Physical Geography dissertation submitted by a final-year student.
Erin Vaites and Sophia Bruce

William Kirk Prize
Awarded for the best Human Geography dissertation submitted by a final-year student.
Kareece Stone-Small and Louise Osei-Biney

Norman Pye Prize
Awarded to the final-year student of merit in Geography.
Sophia Bruce

Head of School Prize for Geography
Awarded to the third year student who has made the greatest contribution to Geography over the course of their studies.
Poppy Boreham

David Turnock Memorial Prize
Awarded to the BA Geography student exhibiting the best overall performance in the final year examinations.
Millie Fallows

John H Paterson Prize
Awarded to the second year student achieving the highest mark for their dissertation proposal.
Rebecca Flewitt

The Roy Millward Dissertation Prize
Awarded to the undergraduate Geography student producing the best dissertation in the field of historical geography or containing a significant historical element.
Mia Pountney

College of Science and Engineering Prize (Geography)
Awarded for outstanding performance by a second year undergraduate student in the College of Science and Engineering.
Dharmendrakumar Yani

Take a look back at the celebrations and achievements from Tuesday’s graduation ceremony! 🎓

🎓 Watch our Graduation Ceremony from Tuesday 14 July at 10am.

A huge congratulations to all our incredible graduates and everything you’ve accomplished. 🎉

📺 Watch the full ceremony here: https://le.ac.uk/graduation/livestreaming/videos/july-2026

🎓👏 Good luck and congratulations to all our students graduating on Tuesday 14 July 2026 at 10am!

Celebrations continue afterwards with prize giving in the Council Suite, Fielding Johnson Building, followed by reception and refreshments in the outdoor marquee on Centenary Square. 🥂

🎥 Watch the live stream of the ceremony: https://le.ac.uk/graduation/livestreaming

🎓👏 Good luck and congratulations to all our 2026 School of Geography, Geology and the Environment students graduating on Tuesday 14 July. We hope you have a fabulous time at your graduation ceremony and reception. 🥂 🎉
👉 le.ac.uk/graduation

🕷️ Where did a spider's bite begin?

Meet Urokodia – a tiny sea creature that lived 518 million years ago during the Cambrian Period.

New research from the University of Leicester, Yunnan University and collaborators has revealed the earliest evidence of the evolutionary precursors to spider fangs, helping scientists trace the origins of one of nature's most successful groups of predators.

Using cutting-edge X-ray imaging, researchers uncovered remarkable soft tissues hidden inside the fossil for over half a billion years, revealing a missing link between early arthropods and modern spiders, scorpions and horseshoe crabs.

It's amazing what a 2–3 cm fossil can tell us about life's biggest evolutionary stories.

Read more via https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10713-2

UROKODIA! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider’s bite | News | University of Leicester Scientists at University of Leicester and Yunnan University identified an ancient member of the Chelicerate family and X-ray analysis revealed pincer-like limbs that are the beginnings of what would become spiders’ fangs

🌄 Remembering Dr Trevor Ford OBE

On this anniversary, we remember with great respect and affection Dr Trevor Ford OBE, esteemed colleague, lecturer, and pioneer in the field of geology.

Stunning geology in Arran. 🌄

Some final images from our students’ visit this year.

🌍 This Earth Day, we're sharing how our research is changing the world.

The Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester turns research funding into real-world outcomes across borders, disciplines, and policy frameworks. Here's the evidence of some of our activities, but there is much, much more:

🛰️ FORESTS PROTECTED AT SCALE
A satellite-based forest alert system, co-developed with the Kenya Forest Service, is actively reducing illegal logging and poaching across East African counties. Recognised with a Special Achievement in GIS Award by ESRI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbLMSuWYtE

🤖 AI FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT
The AI4NetZero project, led by Professor Heiko Balzter as a cross-university collaboration with Loughborough and Bristol, developed Self-Learning Digital Twins to model emission reduction strategies for farmers and policymakers, targeting the 12% of UK greenhouse gas emissions linked to ruminant and peatland farming. https://digitaltwinhub.co.uk/self-learning-digital-twin-for-sustainable-land-management/

🌿 PEATLAND SCIENCE INFORMING GLOBAL POLICY
The first comprehensive assessment of human impacts on tropical peatland biogeochemistry was led by Professor Susan Page. It shaped international conservation frameworks and carbon accounting standards. https://borneonaturefoundation.org/news/bnf-trustee-receives-mbe-for-services-to-tropical-peatland-conservation/

🌍 DEFINING THE ANTHROPOCENE
Led by Professor Mark Williams, we contributed to a landmark paper in the journal Earth Science Reviews that shows how human activity has permanently altered the geological record. This is science that underpins climate accountability worldwide. https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Palaeontological_signatures_of_the_Anthropocene_are_distinct_from_those_of_previous_epochs/26169709?file=47414323

🌐 GLOBALLY RECOGNISED
In 2026, the University of Leicester ranked 125th globally and 34th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, a 32-place rise in a single year. And our researchers showcased their research at the COP30 climate summit.

Every breakthrough here begins with a partnership that believes in rigorous interdisciplinary science being able to change the world.

📩 Contact us: [email protected]

🕶 View our institute web site here ➡️ https://le.ac.uk/research/institutes/environmental-futures

📧 Subscribe to our quarterly institute newsletter here ➡️ https://le.ac.uk/research/institutes/environmental-futures/newsletter



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