A professor of pharmaceutical engineering at Bradford university has made it to the shortlists for the 2020 Times Higher Education Awards – the “Oscars of higher education.”
Professor Anant Paradkar from the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences will be in the running for the ‘Outstanding research supervisor of the year’ award. He will be competing with seven other nominees in the same category.
“His shortlisting recognises his vibrant research, open door policy to students and graduates alike and the high numbers of students who gain employment within the industry,” the university said in a press release on Friday (September 11).
Professor Paradkar (55) who is the son of an Indian Railway worker grew up in the city of Pune, known as the ‘Oxford of the East’ for its strong academic fervour, where he completed a pharmacy degree from Poona College of Pharmacy before pursuing further studies at the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, and Nagpur University.
He first came to the University of Bradford in 2005 for a Royal Society funded three-month project and again for a year in 2007 on a UK-India education and research initiative programme. He joined the university as a professor in 2008.
Commenting on his shortlisting, Professor Paradkar said: “I’m very proud to be shortlisted. It’s recognition for the support which has been provided for me and which I try to provide for my students. I have good quality students and excellent support from management. My door is always open, that’s important because international students often need more support.
“I work very closely with industry. All our students are placed with companies within three months of graduation. Some are employed before that. Research and knowledge and transfer projects support and help students’ employability.”
“Pharmaceutical engineering is important now more than ever, whether it’s in terms of creating new delivery systems or vaccines,” Professor Paradkar said while commenting on his nomination.”
In his 12 years at Bradford, he has supervised 24 PhD candidates and taught a host of Masters degree students, inspiring them to carry out research.
More than 80 institutions make the Times Higher Education shortlists across 20 categories, which celebrate the full range of university activity.
This year’s award winners will be announced during a virtual event on November 26, 2020.
