undergraduate of the year awards

2023

Winners

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The
AI and Robotics
undergraduate
of
The
year
Alex Callens
General engineering
|
Durham University
Alex is a third-year mechanical engineering student at Durham University, having also spent a year abroad studying at Queen’s University in Canada. This year, he gained a scholarship with UKNEST by proposing new methods that the Royal Navy could explore to achieve carbon neutrality. He is particularly interested in the role AI and robotics will play in the biomedical and biomechanical fields in the future. Outside of studies, Alex works as an online maths and physics tutor and helps students to find their route into engineering. Being half French, half Peruvian, he loves languages and learning about other cultures
finalists

Aarushi Borkar | University of Southampton| Aerospace Electronic Engineering

Alex Callens | Durham University | General Engineering

Alexander Daniel | University of Sheffield | General Engineering

Dean Rowlett | Heriot-Watt University| Robotics, Autonomous and interactive systems

Dimitrios Koumousidis | University of Stirling| Computing Science

Heenal Vyas | King’s College London | Computer Science

Ismail Hendryx | University of Kent| Artificial Intelligence

Miguel Braganca | Imperial College London| Electronic and Information Engineering

Ted Hubbard | Anglia Ruskin University| Artificial Intelligence

Yusuf Salim | Imperial College London | Electronic and information engineering

The
Construction, Engineering and Environment
undergraduate
of
The
year
Anna Musial
Civil Engineering
|
University College London
Anna is a third-year civil engineering student at University College London and has a long-held passion for sustainability in construction. Last summer, she completed a facade engineering internship at Buro Happold and became a part of its sustainability working group. Anna is also a Royal Academy of Engineering scholar, which has allowed her to travel and discover civil engineering practices in different parts of the world. Her biggest interest right now lies in the area of biomimicry, therefore emulating nature in engineering design, which she recently wrote her university dissertation on.
finalists

Anna Musial | University College London | Civil Engineering

Anna Pawinska | University of Sheffield| Civil and Structural Engineering

Florence Towersey | University of Nottingham | Civil Engineering

Hassan Eltoum | University of Bristol | Civil Engineering

Hongyuan Du | University of Sheffield | Civil and Structural Engineering

Kobicka Harriam | Loughborough University | Mechanical Engineering

Millicent Wenlock | University of Stirling | Environmental Science

Peter McKillop | Liverpool John Moores University| Quantity Surveying

Ronnie Langerman | University College London | Civil, Geomatic and Environmental Engineering

Travis Fenn | Aston University | Mechanical Engineering

The
Celebrating Neurodiverse Talent
undergraduate
of
The
year
Charlie-Jade Rossi
Politics, Philosophy and Economics
|
University of Oxford
Charlie is a second-year politics, philosophy and economics student at the University of Oxford. Alongside her degree, she is dedicated to supporting care leavers. In her first year, she sat as the chair of Milton Keynes’ Children in Care Council and took on the role of care leavers’ officer for Oxford Student Union’s Class Act campaign. Committed to personal development, Charlie recently graduated from Circl’s Future Leaders programme, having attained its ‘accredited leadership and coaching qualification. She has recently founded a society for estranged, care experienced and adopted students at Oxford.
finalists

Alexander Vickers | University of Birmingham| Mechanical Engineering

Charlie-Jade Rossi | University of Oxford | Politics, Philosophy and Economics

Emily Cassidy | University of Southampton | Chemistry

Jack Gallimore | Queen Mary University of London | Theoretical Physics

Luis Atkinson | Cardiff University | Media, Journalism and Culture

Michaela Mensah | University of Cambridge| Land Economy

Millicent Jones |University of Manchester| Chemistry

Rhianna Schoemaecker | Harper Adams University | Automotive Engineering

Samuel Jackson | University of Sheffield | Materials Sciences and Engineering

Simrit Sekhon | Imperial College London | Mechanical Engineering

‍

The
Future Lawyer
undergraduate
of
The
year
Christina Lawrence
Natural Science
|
University of Cambridge
Christina’s first exposure to law came from a mock trial competition involving a stolen Xbox, a witness with poor eyesight and a feud among former best friends as motive for the theft. Work experience at a local solicitor’s office soon followed, where she developed her knowledge of family, probate and real estate law – and gained an interest in clinical negligence and personal injury. However, it was at a SynBioUK Catalyse competition, where Christina’s team pitched their own biotech start-up idea, that her interest in business grew. She found herself delving into commercial law and is now focused on pursuing a legal career, where she can expand her global perspective by working on international transactions.
finalists

Alex Virdi | University of Birmingham| Law

Betsy Board | Cardiff University| Law

Christina Lawrence | University of Cambridge | Natural Science

Gulsum Qane | London South Bank University| Law

Hamza Afzal | University of Aberdeen| Law with English

Joshua Gibson | Cardiff University| Law

Maja Raczkowska | University of Exeter | Law and Business

Oscar Calvete Al-Khalidi | University of Birmingham| Ancient History

Rochelle Inbakumar | City, University of London | Law

Saja Ali | University of Law | Law

The
Maths, Physics and Economics
undergraduate
of
The
year
Hardik Surana
Economics
|
University of Cambridge
Hardik is a penultimate-year economics student at the University of Cambridge, where he is an analyst for the Cambridge Student Investment Fund and the treasurer for his college’s economics society. He spent the summer of 2022 undertaking internships in India at an algorithmic trading start-up and a securities firm. During 2022, he also completed multiple spring and summer insight programmes. Hardik is a keen sportsman and is involved in cricket, football, badminton, rowing and pool. In his own time, he has pursued his interest in technology by learning to code, worked as a tutor for local school children, and volunteered for his local Hindu and Indian associations.
finalists

Aviral Agarwal | University of Exeter| Economics and Finance

Chin Aaron | Lancaster University| Mechatronic Engineering

Geena Barthipan | The University of Warwick | Morse

Hardik Surana | University of Cambridge| Economics

Keyi Xong | University College London| Mathematics with economics

Lucy Wang | University of Oxford| Mathematics and Statistics

Neeraj Rughoo | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)| Mathematics and Economics

Pontus Soderhall | Queen Mary University of London| Mathematics, Statistics and Financial Economics

Tom Mosely | University of Sheffield| Accounting and Financial Management

Vinesh Vinod | The University of Warwick| Physics

‍

The
Software Engineering
undergraduate
of
The
year
Jack Waller
Computer Science
|
University of St Andrews
Jack is studying for a master’s degree in computer science at the University of St Andrews, where his academic achievements are frequently recognised on the Dean’s List. He discovered his passion for computer science during his first year of study at St Andrews, where he was originally studying chemistry. After one computer science module, it became obvious to him what he wanted to do in the future. Outside of university, Jack enjoys playing puzzle games such as chess, sudoku and poker, as well as getting lost in a good book.
finalists

Ben Sanders | University of St Andrews| Computer Science

Catherine Dickens | Lancaster University | Computer Science

Hannah Falk | University of St Andrews| Computer Science

Harry Drew | University of Hull | Software Engineering

Jack Waller | University of St Andrews| Computer Science

Petros Vasileiadis | Imperial College London | Computing

Ruby Graham | University of Glasgow | Computing Science

Sean Otto | University of Brighton| Computer Science for Games

Sethu Pastula | Cardiff University | Computer Science

William Eddy | Cardiff University | Applied Software Engineering

‍

The
Celebrating Resilience
undergraduate
of
The
year
Leila Pooriakia
Chemistry
|
Queen Mary University of London
Leila Pooriakia is a second-year chemistry student at Queen Mary University of London. She has a creative approach to science and enjoys making leaps of thought to solve problems and find new patterns. One thing that never ceases to impress Leila about the living world is its diversity – and what this means is that different problems or topics often need different tools. As Abraham Maslow nicely said: ‘To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail’. the world is full of differences and, as a human, it is important to accept this. It is ok if you are different to others, it is ok if you are not the person who likes routines and traditional ways, but it is not ok If you don’t have the unique skill to challenge these diversities.
finalists

Christina Butt | University of Edinburgh | Biochemistry

Erin Lynch | University of Manchester | Politics and Modern History

Ethan Edmunds | University of Sheffield | Aerospace Engineering

Leila Pooriakia | Queen Mary University of London | Chemistry

Luce Biscardi | Queen Mary University of London | International Relations with Business Management

Mahrus Jalil | University of Bristol | Chemistry

Tigerlily Williams | King’s College London | Computer Science

Yasmin Greer | Loughborough University | Accounting and Financial Management

Yulia Getachew | Brunel University of London | Aerospace Engineering

Zainab Adeleye | University of Dundee | Law

Zoe Thomas | Queen Mary University of London | Law

The
Black Heritage
undergraduate
of
The
year
Masharah Powell
Philosophy
|
University of Warwick
Masharah is a first-year philosophy student at the University of Warwick. She is also an aspiring solicitor. As an active social impact advocate, Masharah has worked on a range of social impact projects with the likes of BBC Children In Need, Birmingham 2022 Festival, the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, We Don’t Settle and Beatfreeks. As a panel member for the ‘We Move Fund’ for BBC Children In Need, Masharah was able to help the team achieve the result of funding 66 organisations across the UK for their black youth, social action projects.
finalists

Adedoyin Adeyanju | The University of Warwick | Systems Engineering

Ann-Marie Namugenyi | Nottingham Trent University| Biomedical Science

Esther Akinlosotu | University of Manchester | Modern History with Economics

Kwabena Osei | University of Oxford | History and Politics

Laila Kakande | Nottingham Trent University | Biomedical Science

Masharah Powell | The University of Warwick | Historical and Philosophical Studies

Melissa Gentles | University of Cambridge | Psychological and Behavioural Sciences

Nana Yaw Antiedu | The University of Warwick | Economics

Samuel Ajakaiye | University of Oxford| History and French

Stephanie Wamunuko | University of Sheffield | Biochemistry and genetics

‍

The
First Generation
undergraduate
of
The
year
Monzur Chowdhury
Economics and Finance
|
Queen Mary University of London
Monzur is currently an undergraduate at Queen Mary University of London, studying economics and finance. He aspires to pursue a career in fintech and has gained experience at Schroders and Barclays, as well as volunteering with Teach For India. He is a proactive learner, adaptable communicator and values diversity. Monzur is also a dedicated reader, currently engrossed in the discourses of Epictetus. As a first-generation university student, he believes that opportunities are all around us, but it's up to us to seek them out and maximise them.
finalists

Aldrie Chandradinata | University College London| Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Aleesha Bruce | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)| Economics and Politics

Aleksandr Kozachuk | Nottingham Trent University | Business Management, Accounting and Finance

Alton Fernandes | Lancaster University| Accounting and Finance

Hazal Turunc | Queen Mary University of London| Medicine

Linge Guo | University College London | Sociology

Liqiong Francesca Hu | The University of Warwick | Business Management and Administrative Studies

Monzur Chowdhury | Queen Mary University of London | Economics and Finance

Nishorgo Mostofa | Kings College London| Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Raminta Kacinskaite | Queen Mary University of London| History

The
Future Actuary
undergraduate
of
The
year
Moyosola Oyebanji
Mathematics and Actuarial Science
|
University of Leicester
Moyosola is a penultimate-year maths and actuarial science student at the University of Leicester. She was born in Nigeria and grew up in London and has always been determined to make the most of every opportunity. Moyosola was inspired to pursue a career as an actuary due to her love of maths and learning the impact actuaries have on future development. She would really like to travel the world and immerse herself in different cultures – so a backpacking trip is definitely on her agenda.
finalists

Aditi Nayak | The University of Warwick | Economics

Andre Soares | University of Strathclyde | Accounting and Finance

Anvita Maurya | University of Nottingham| Chemistry

Jonny Seagrave | University of St Andrews | Mathematics and Statistics

Leo Wass | Imperial College London| Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics

Liam Gettins | Imperial College London | Mathematics

Magdalena Georgieva | University of Bristol | Mathematics

Moyosola Oyebanji | University of Leicester | Mathematics and Actuarial Science

Sur Agrawal | University College London | Mathematics

Theo Sibtain | University of Bristol | Physics

The
Female
undergraduate
of
The
year
Rosalind Aves
Aeronautical Engineering
|
Imperial College London
Rosalind is an aeronautical engineering student at Imperial College London. She has immersed herself in university life, both as a member of the Imperial College London Rocketry team and as Deputy President of the Fellwanderers hiking society. She is passionate about female representation in engineering, having previously volunteered for an outreach day aimed at inspiring local schoolgirls to explore STEM subjects. Last summer, Rosalind undertook an internship with Leonardo UK as well as completing the Great Glen Way solo. Outside of her degree, she is a keen adventurer, recently hiking in Madeira, Norway and Scotland.
finalists

Anvi Parikh | Royal Holloway, University of London | Economics

Catherine Turkington | University of Oxford | Chemistry

Harriet Spoor | Queen Mary University of London | Politics and International Relations

Imogen Canell | University College London | Natural Sciences: Astrophysics with Geophysics

Isabelle Mullings Wong | University of Bath | Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Isabelle Atkinson | Imperial College London| Aeronautical Engineering

Mirha Butt | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)| Geography

Rosalind Aves | Imperial College London | Aeronautical Engineering

Sharwa Molla | Imperial College London | Aeronautical Engineering

Shiuli Banerjee | University of Cambridge | Natural Sciences

Shourya Gupta | Loughborough University | Product Design Engineering

The
LGBTQ+
undergraduate
of
The
year
Rylee Spooner
Advanced Applied Psychology
|
University of Chichester
Rylee is an undergraduate student at the University of Chichester, studying advanced applied psychology. They currently work as an associate lecturer in Chichester’s psychology department. Rylee has been the LGBTQ+ officer for the University of Chichester Students’ Union for two years and proudly champions LGBTQ+ voices on campus. They were awarded National Student Pride’s Role Model of the Year 2022 Award for their cross-institutional work within the university. Rylee’s research interest lies within understanding minority stress in the LGBTQ+ community, and how to improve support for this community in clinical settings by accounting for such stressors.
finalists

Ahmed Hayat | Northumbria University | Law

Bailey Hope | University of Dundee | Geography

Jack Liepa | Lancaster University | Politics and International Relations

Kass Caldicott | University of Cambridge | Law

Lee Bowditch | University of Salford | Business and Management

Leo Tidmarch | University of Oxford | European and Middle Eastern Languages

Maria Ni | King’s College London | Pharmacology

Reuben Cornwell | Loughborough University | Mathematics and Physics

Rylee Spooner | University of Chichester | Advanced Applied Psychology

Zab Birch | Coventry University | Law

‍

The
Management
undergraduate
of
The
year
Saba Shahzad
Business Management
|
University of Birmingham
Saba is a keen student with a passion for business and continuous learning. She has worked in both start-ups and global firms, spanning industries including consulting, real estate and finance. Through these experiences, she has gained a deep understanding of the importance of teamwork, communication and a customer-centric approach. Saba believes great teams are built through a positive workplace culture and that the future of management is empathetic leadership. With her skills, she looks forward to making a sustainable impact on businesses and, importantly, their values and culture. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and is a proud member of her university’s calligraphy society.
finalists

Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone | University of Buckingham| Medicine and Surgery

Isobel Finch | Oxford Brookes University| Business and Management

Jeanne Volschenk | Arden University | Business

Paul Wilson | University of Strathclyde | Business

Paulina Zdieblowska | University of Greenwich| Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Saba Shahzad | University of Birmingham| Business Management

Sahrish Zeb | University of Buckingham| Law

Sana Jalal | Lancaster University| International Business Management

Svenja Shulz | University of St Andrews | Management and International Relations

Yao Siang Brendon Koh | University College London| Geography with Social Data Science

‍

About the event

On Friday 21 April 2023 the targetjobs team celebrated the fourteenth Undergraduate of the Year Awards at East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf. On the day we were joined by 132 outstanding finalists, and over 150 industry professionals and University representatives.

The targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards are an annual competition that aims to find the UK's best undergraduates. This year the awards were, once again, held in collaboration with SHL and each award was presented with the support of one of our graduate recruitment partners. Each partner provided a fantastic prize for the winner of the category they sponsored. This year the categories were more diverse than ever with 13 categories partnered with 11 of the UK's most prominent graduate employers - Aon, AECOM, BT Group, Clifford Chance, Clyde & Co, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Glencore, Ocado, Rolls-Royce, Sky and Skyscanner.

The awards were set up to celebrate UK's top undergraduates in categories related to career paths (such as Future Actuary and Software Engineering) and personal characteristics (such as LGBTQ+ and Celebrating Neurodiverse Talent).

Once a student has chosen their category, they must submit an application, which includes essay questions and online tests provided by SHL. Students who are successful past this stage will then be assessed in person by the award partner.

The 132 undergraduates that made it to the final this year, are the best of the best. Out of almost 5000 applications, these students have demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to excel in a series of online tests. The quality of this year's applicants was outstanding, and the diversity across the applications was record breaking with 64% of applicants identifying as female, 66% of applicants being from a BAME background and 12% identifying as having a disability.

"The targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards shows us that UK higher education continues to produce gifted graduates with the academic and personal skills needed to be successful in work. The final ten from each category, sitting here today, really are the proverbial cream that has risen right to the top."

Simon Rogers, Chief Customer Officer at Group GTI

‍

The awards ceremony

The day started with a drinks reception and live music before an opening address from Simon Rogers, CCO at Group GTI (parent company of targetjobs). He began by outlining just how important widening participation is to the company...

"We have always endeavoured to widen the participation from every demographic in this initiative. Over the last 6 months, undergraduate of the year has reached well over a quarter of a million undergraduates from a very diverse set of backgrounds."

He went on to add that "the social campaign has been the biggest and most engaged that we have ever seen in the history of targetjobs, and with almost 5000 having taken part and over 400 making it through to an actual Assessment Centre, it’s been our widest participation EVER, with 160 universities represented."

After lunch, Simon welcomed Sue Perkins to the stage to begin the award ceremony. Sue co-hosted The Great British Bake Off, has presented multiple travel documentaries, is the host of Radio 4’s Just a Minute and has recently been BAFTA-nominated for her Netflix show, Perfectly Legal. She graduated with a degree in English from New Hall (now Murray Edwards College) at the University of Cambridge, where she was also president of FOOTLIGHTS – the world-famous student comedy society.

After sharing her words of wisdom with this year's finalists Sue announced the winners of this year's Undergraduate of the Year Awards.

"We might all be different, but we’re all in this together. And all ways of learning are, and should be, equal."

‍

No items found.
All event photos

Other events

2025
2024
2022
2021
useful links
Contact usTerms and conditions for studentsPrivacy policyAbout our cookiesAccessibilityTerms and conditions for advertisers
other gti sites
targetjobs.co.uktargetjobsawards.co.ukgradireland.comcibyl.comgroupgti.com