Academics who are pioneers in their fields have won University of Kent Innovation in Academia Awards which will be presented at events in Los Angeles and Athens.
Created to celebrate academic creativity and innovation, the Awards recognise those who have studied in Europe and whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact in the field of higher education in North America or Europe.
The winner of the USA Award is Dr Philip Kotler of Northwestern University, who is an American marketing author, consultant, and professor. He helped create the field of social marketing that focuses on helping individuals and groups modify their behaviours toward healthier and safer living styles.
In Europe, the winner is Professor Dimitris Christopoulos of Panteion University, Athens, whose work on refugees has been crucial in raising awareness among the public and policymakers. A Greek academic, author and human rights advocate, he is a supporter of social justice issues in Greece, in Europe and internationally. He is currently the President of the International Federation of Human Rights (Federation internationale des droits de l’homme).
The Awards were presented in Los Angeles (for academics working in North America) on 28 April 2017 and (for academics working in Europe) the event will be held in Kent’s postgraduate centre in Athens on Friday, 12 May 2017.
Runners-up for the Award in the USA were:
- Dr Ian Hodder – Stanford University, USA. Dr Hodder, considered to be ‘one of the top archaeologists alive’, has been Director of the Stanford Archaeology Center since 2006. He teaches and writes about archaeological method and theory and his research has always been concerned with the relationships between human society and material culture
- Dr David Warburton – Professor of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, USA. Dr Warburton is a distinguished innovator and global scientific thought leader in the new field of regenerative medicine. He is also a leading pioneer in global maternal and child health. He innovated and leads a new research field termed ‘molecular embryology of the lung’, having published many foundational discoveries in this field
Runners up for the Award in Europe were:
- Professor Helen Drake – Professor of French and European Studies at the University of Loughborough, UK. She has an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching and research. Her first degree was in Linguistic and International Studies, her MSc was in European Management and her PhD is in political science. This academic background has led her to conduct teaching and research from a multi-disciplinary perspective
- Professor Andreas Pinkwart – Dean of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany and holder of the Stiftungsfonds Deutsche Bank Chair of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. His nomination described him as ‘at the top of his field’ and his visibility and leadership as ‘peerless’