In my newsletter this month: Queen Elizabeth Prize presentation; a landmark partnership with Team England; the 2nd International AI Safety Report; and our new General Counsel and Director of Legal Services.

University presented with its eighth Queen Elizabeth Prize

This week I was delighted to join Professor Vicky Tolfrey (from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences) alongside our Chancellor, Chair of Council, members of Loughborough Sport and our research community, some of our Para athletes and our sports partners at St James’s Palace in London for the presentation of our 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education. Loughborough now ranks among the most highly acclaimed institutions with eight Queen Elizabeth Prizes in total – only the University of Oxford surpasses this achievement.  

Our latest award was presented in recognition of our pioneering contributions to Para and disability sport, notably in partnership with ParalympicsGB.   

Loughborough University stands at the forefront of global excellence in Para and disability sport research, led by the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. Over the last two decades, the work of Professor Tolfrey (the Centre Director) and her team has been pivotal in driving Britain’s success in Para and disability sport. They have delivered performance innovations that have helped ParalympicsGB to secure a top two world ranking at three consecutive Paralympic Games, and have prepared the next generation of Para sport leaders. By the end of 2027, 54 students will have completed doctoral studies with us. 

Together with Para sport colleagues, led by the Head of Para Sport Alasdair Donaldson, they have steered the creation of a world-class ecosystem at Loughborough that is unique in higher education. 

The work our experts carry out in this area is truly inspiring and makes a real difference, not only to sport at all levels but to wider society too. They are committed to using their knowledge to ensure real-world benefits for all, removing barriers to participation, supporting future sports leaders, and enabling disabled people to choose to be healthy and active. 

Congratulations to all those involved in helping us to achieve this incredibly prestigious honour. 

University agrees landmark partnership with Team England

This month we signed a landmark agreement to be the official University Partner of Team England for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games, which will take place in Malta. 

This partnership is an opportunity for us to further our long-standing relationship with Team England and raise Loughborough’s profile on the world stage. Our University logo will appear on the podium kit, including at the medal ceremonies. Team England staff and athletes will be welcomed to campus for ‘Kitting Out’, where they will be provided with their kit – including ceremonial wear, village, training and competition wear. 

We’ll also host many of Team England’s sports for their immersion camps ahead of the Games, facilitating team cohesion to prepare them physically and psychologically for international competition. Many athletes, coaches and practitioners are already familiar with our elite performance environment, so it seems fitting that we will be able to host them all on campus together. 

During Team England’s ‘Kitting Out’ and immersion camps at Loughborough, the team will stay at Burleigh Court Conference Centre and Hotel, and the Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel. 

This value-in-kind partnership reflects not only our strategic ambition to enhance our excellence in sport but also underlines our shared commitment with Team England to create the best possible sporting ecosystem for our athletes as they head onto the world stage. 

The Glasgow Games will be held between 23 July and 2 August, with 3,000 athletes competing for 74 nations across 10 separate sports, with a fully integrated Para sports programme. We’ll soon begin following the journeys of the Loughborough-linked athletes selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, showcasing their build up to and performance at the Games themselves. Make sure you keep an eye on our website, our newsletters and social media to keep up to date with all the latest news. 

Second International AI Safety Report published 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast becoming embedded throughout, and transforming, our society. I’ve spent nearly 40 years researching AI and can see so many benefits that it could bring to the way we live, learn and work. It’s one of the most consequential technologies of our time and will impact individuals and societies around the globe. 

It’s vital that we have an evidenced-based assessment that provides a shared understanding of how AI capabilities are evolving, identifies the risks associated with these advances, and highlights the techniques that exist to mitigate those risks. 

I was delighted, therefore, to have been involved as a Senior Advisor to the Second International AI Safety Report, which assesses what general-purpose AI systems can do, what risks they pose, and how those risks can be managed. The report, which was launched earlier this month ahead of an AI safety summit in India, is backed by more than 30 countries and international organisations, representing the largest global collaboration on AI safety to date. This year’s edition builds on the previous iteration, released last year, which was commissioned following the inaugural AI Safety Summit, hosted by the UK government at Bletchley Park in November 2023. 

The 2026 report concludes that the trajectory of AI over the coming years will be shaped by choices made by developers, governments, institutions and communities. By working together and having a shared, evidence-based understanding of the AI landscape, we can ensure that the choices we make are well-informed.  

In my December newsletter I highlighted a blog that Vipin Ahlawat, our Director of IT, and I had written about how we can make best use of AI in a responsible way. We outlined some of the actions we’re taking at the University to guide how we design, deploy and use AI tools. If we work to use AI responsibility at every level – as individuals, organisations, communities, nations and global partners – we can ensure that we harness and are well placed to manage its potential to benefit us all. 

Kate Gallagher appointed as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services 

This month we announced that Kate Gallagher will be joining the University as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services at the end of May 2026. 

Kate will lead our award-winning Legal Services team, building on their excellent reputation as a trusted and valued support service working closely with our academics, professional services teams, and key industrial partners. As General Counsel and Director of Legal Service she will provide strategic legal advice to the University’s senior management and governing body and work with colleagues to ensure that we continue to operate successfully in an increasingly regulated environment. 

Kate is currently head of the Higher Education team at Browne Jacobson LLP and previously worked as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services at the University of Nottingham, where she established and led a full-service in-house legal team. 

She has significant experience advising on the wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues affecting the Higher Education sector and has a special interest in free speech, whistleblowing and social media in the workplace, including policy writing and development. 

I’m sure you’ll join me in welcoming to Kate to Loughborough in the spring. 

Latest social policy research report 

The latest report from Loughborough’s Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) reveals that most children in the UK are now growing up without a socially acceptable standard of living.

Students work presented at Tate Britain

Two Loughborough Fine Art students have been selected to present their work as part of the gallery’s Tate Late series recognising the legacy of influential photographer Lee Miller.