Professor Felix Driver, from the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London has won a Times Higher Education Award (THE), widely known as the ‘Oscars of higher education’ in the category of Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year.
Professor Felix Driver
This high accolade award recognises an individual who has created the most supportive, stimulating and inspirational research environment for doctoral students.
Professor Driver has supervised PhDs from the UK and abroad and has an enviable success rate, with his students moving on to incredible career journeys: from the British Library and Kew Gardens to professorships at universities, with three former students becoming postgraduate research managers at Oxford, Bristol and a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership.
Felix has also made a notable commitment to Collaborative Doctoral Projects by devising and co-supervising collections-based doctoral research projects with external partners, including Kew Gardens, the Royal Geographical Society, Science Museum, National Maritime Museum and the British Library.
He has, to date, won funding for 18 AHRC and ESRC Collaborative Doctoral studentships, 12 as lead applicant, including two new AHRC awards with Kew and the RGS starting in September 2024.
Professor Felix Driver said: “Of the many things that universities do, the PhD is the most special.
“That is why museums, libraries, galleries and botanical gardens are keen to collaborate with Royal Holloway to co-design and co-supervise doctoral research projects across the humanities and sciences.
“The collaborative PhD is one of the great success stories of UK higher education and we can never celebrate it enough.
“I am honoured to receive this award and would like to pay tribute to my colleagues who have made the geography department such a friendly and supportive place in which to work.”
The THE judges praised Professor Driver’s dedication to his students, including those from diverse backgrounds in the UK and overseas.
They also noted that many had secured research council funding or gained placements and fellowships at international institutions in the US, India, Austria, Australia and elsewhere.
They also noted that many had secured research council funding or gained placements and fellowships at international institutions in the US, India, Australia and elsewhere.
“His students testify to his meticulous and enthusiastic mentoring, his support at times of difficulty, and his encouragement as they advanced in their careers,” they said.
John Gill, THE’s editor, added: “For some, anniversaries are nothing more than another number, but on the 20th birthday of the THE Awards, it seems appropriate to reflect on the incredible roller coaster that UK higher education has ridden over the past two decades.
“Throughout that time, as tracked and highlighted by the THE Awards, higher education has managed the balancing act of both sticking to its core principles to deliver for individuals and the country, while also demonstrating its ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
“It is a privilege for THE to have the role it does in celebrating the sector's successes, and on the occasion of our 20th anniversary we thank everyone who entered, and look forward to championing you for years to come.”
