Strathclyde People 2018
The Alumna/Alumnus of the Year Award celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of our alumni from around the world. It’s awarded for achievements in the arts, sciences, sports, and in business, public or academic life.
Alumna of the Year - Sarah Jardine
Our Alumna of the Year 2018 was awarded to Sarah Jardine, Senior Director of Manufacturing with Optos plc, in recognition of her achievements in manufacturing and optics.
Sarah has been with Optos since she joined as a Senior Optical Engineer in 2000 and took up her current role in 2017. She graduated from Strathclyde in 1992, with a BSc Honours degree in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics.
Professor Gian-Luca Oppo, of Strathclyde’s Department of Physics, presented Sarah with her award. He said:
Sarah is the accomplishment of all of the Strathclyde values. Through her work, Optos has developed into a world leader in medical optics devices, where physical sciences are applied for the health benefit of the greater community.
The manufacturing teams under Sarah’s leadership at Optos have realised new devices while working in a new, open, engaging and effective environment; a true success story that we can be proud of at the University of Strathclyde.
Responsible for providing leadership and direction for staff in the manufacturing facility of Optos, Sarah has a strong understanding of lean methodologies and good manufacturing practices.
As a passionate supporter of manufacturing in Scotland, she has led the Optos facility through award-winning excellence programmes and regularly receives visits from businesses from across the UK to experience the high performance environment that she has created at Optos.
Sarah has been chair of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Board since 2015. She is also a member of the strategic leadership group for the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland, of which Strathclyde is the anchor university.
Receiving the award meant a great deal to me, I was incredibly honoured and humbled. It’s a huge honour to be recognised in this way by the University, I only hope that I can live up to the expectations of being Alumna of the Year!
Alumnus of the Year - Professor Mario Stevenson
Our Alumnus of the Year 2018 was awarded to Professor Mario Stevenson, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami, in recognition of his achievements in researching disease, notably AIDS/HIV.
Professor Stevenson gained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Strathclyde in 1984. He has published more than 100 research papers and has won numerous awards for his work, which began during his time as a PhD student at Strathclyde.
Being back at Strathclyde brought home many happy memories. I had a wonderful three years there while pursuing my PhD. It was (and still is) a great place to be a student. I am amazed by the growth of the place since my student days in the 70s.
It has morphed from an Institution that was contained in two buildings (mainly the old Royal College Building) to a sprawling and beautiful campus. I really applaud the University leadership for their accomplishments in propelling the University to the forefront of academic institutions in the UK.
I really hope that I can help the University’s mission in some way – perhaps in a mentoring capacity. I will always be thankful for the education that Strathclyde gave me and I am very proud to be a University of Strathclyde alumnus.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Professor Stevenson’s work, you’ll find details in the 2017 edition of Strathclyde People.
