Dr Niki Vermeulen, Senior Lecturer in the History and Sociology of Science at the School of Social and Political Science, has been awarded the 2018 Outstanding Mentor Award by The University of Edinburgh Graduate School. This award recognises the quality of the support and guidance she has provided to her research students.
Earlier this year she also received the University’s Tam Dalyell Prize for excellence in engaging the public with science during the 2018 Edinburgh International Science Festival. This is the first time that a social scientist has won the award.
Working with partners across the University and cultural organisations, including the National Museum of Scotland, Surgeons Hall Museum and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Dr Vermeulen developed “Curious Edinburgh” an app that provides virtual walking tours of Edinburgh that explore the city’s rich scientific heritage of the city.
“I am of course very honoured to receive these two prizes. The Tam Dalyell Prize is a wonderful recognition for Curious Edinburgh and is helping to find ways to maintain the resource which is a collaboration of university staff, students and Edinburgh citizens. We have used the prize money to work with granton:hub on a tour that will go live very soon. The Mentor Award is very special, as it is given by the students. I am really impressed by the lively international PhD community at STIS and it is always inspiring to work with them. The University of Edinburgh is lucky to have such brilliant PhD researchers, and so am I! ”.
Dr Niki Vermeulen, School of Social and Political Science
You can watch Dr Vermeulen delivering the Tam Dalyell Prize Lecture as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/events/lecture-series/dalyell-prize