Dr Paul Thompson from the University of Southern California named overall winner by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow.
The inaugural awards ceremony, which took place at the Skirball Cultural Centre on 30 April, preceded the University’s 50th Anniversary alumni celebrations in Los Angeles 1 – 3 May.
The other winners were:
- Professor Adrian Johns, University of Chicago – Innovation in Academia for Arts and Culture
- Dr Helen Tempest, Florida International University – Innovation in Academia for Science and Technology
- Dr David Garman, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee – Innovation in Academia for Business and Entrepreneurship:
Professor Johns and Dr Tempest are former staff members at Kent.
The Innovation in Academia awards were established by the University of Kent in partnership with BritWeek . They honour individuals whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact in the field of higher education and whose work and character have earned the respect and admiration of their professional colleagues. Nominations were open to those who are from or who have studied in Europe and are currently working, or have worked, in American higher education.
Kent is the first UK university to partner with BritWeek for a higher education award. Formed as a non-profit organisation in Los Angeles in 2007, BritWeek celebrates creativity and innovation between the UK and the USA and now holds events in Los Angeles, Miami, Orange County (California), Orlando and San Francisco. Alongside its weekly events, it also hosts and publicly supports a number of events open to the general public that focus on the British contribution to film, fashion, music, the automotive industry and science.
Other BritWeek sponsors include UK Trade & Investment, Virgin Atlantic, Jaguar, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Marks and Spencer, Microsoft, McLaren Beverley Hills, Spotify and Brands of Britain.