A high-achieving Law graduand and one of the UK’s top postgraduates have shared the most prestigious award given to University of Dundee students.
A high-achieving Law graduand and one of the UK’s top postgraduates have shared the most prestigious award given to University of Dundee students.
Cameron Irons and Dr Holly Keir have been named as the joint winners of this year’s Wimberley Award, given to the student or students who have made the most distinguished contribution to university life.
Cameron (22) will graduate in Law on the afternoon of Thursday 23 June while Holly (28) will cross the stage to collect her PhD in respiratory medicine the following day. Both will receive their Wimberley medals at the same time as they graduate, and both are set to extend their connection with Dundee beyond graduation.
Cameron, from Perth, has served as President of the School of Social Sciences and recently received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Student Experience from Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA).
He has helped develop a pre-matriculation awareness module covering Gender-Based Violence and Consent, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Climate Change and Academic Integrity, and has supported the University’s widening access activities. A former President of the Dundee Legal Mooting Society, he has also been involved in the planned reintroduction of a law clinic at Dundee.
“Winning the Wimberley Award is a huge honour, and it makes all the extra-curricular work totally worthwhile,” he said. “My friends often joked that I had forgotten I was trying to get a degree because I was always doing society or representation work, but this was the best possible recognition, and it came as a total surprise.
“I genuinely came here with no ambition to get involved with student activism or representation, but it became such a huge part of my student life. A few years back I adopted various leadership roles within the law community, and it was student society work that made me realise I had a strong passion for supporting students and directing initiatives that would enrich the student experience.
“Our university has a remarkable commitment to the student voice, and I found it is open and responsive to any student who wants to make a difference.”
Holly, originally from Aberdeen, has conducted outstanding research that has led to important discoveries and progress in bronchiectasis and other lung conditions. Her work now underpins multiple strands of research within the School of Medicine’s world-leading respiratory research group, as well as major industrial collaborations for the University.
Early in 2020 Holly suspended her PhD work and took on research into Covid-19 instead, helping to deliver a portfolio of studies. Her efforts led to the delivery of two large treatment trials, while her PhD research into bronchiectasis has received worldwide recognition and led to her being nominated as PhD student of the year in two national competitions.
“I’m delighted to have won this award and to have been able to assist in research undertaken at this university,” she said. “It has been extremely rewarding to contribute to progress in the field of bronchiectasis and bring benefits to patients’ lives through the work we have conducted here in Dundee.
“I have been studying and working at Dundee for the past 10 years, having started my undergraduate degree here in 2012. The things I love about Dundee are its sense of community and collaborative environment, which have allowed me to develop the skills needed as a scientist.”
Cameron will continue his studies at Dundee after graduation when he moves onto the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, with the intention of becoming a solicitor upon completion of this course.
Having successfully completed her PhD earlier this year, Holly now works as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the School of Medicine.
