Student & Graduate Milestones

United Kingdom

Durham University Success Stories

Inspiring real-life stories of students from Durham University winning top scholarships, earning degrees against the odds, and taking the next big step in their careers.

Stories Published

Durham Laureate Directory

11 Profiles Catalogued

11 Profiles

Durham Masters Graduate Siddharth Patel Wins National Thesis Award for Climate Research

Graduate Milestone

Durham Masters Graduate Siddharth Patel Wins National Thesis Award for Climate Research

Siddharth Patel• Masters Graduate

Winner of National Graduate Thesis Award in Environmental Science

Department of Media, Communications & Journalism·Class of 2025

Placement: Government Ministry of Environment & Sustainable Development

Siddharth Patel's Masters thesis on coastal erosion modeling and climate adaptation policy has won the National Graduate Thesis Award in Environmental Science.

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Zackary Kim and Durham Engineering Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Challenge

Student Milestone

Zackary Kim and Durham Engineering Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Challenge

Zackary Kim• Undergraduate Team Lead

1st Place Winner at International Aerospace Design Competition

Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering·Class of 2024

Placement: Advanced Aerospace & Robotics Consortium

Undergraduate team led by Zackary Kim takes top honours for developing an autonomous high-altitude atmospheric sampling drone.

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Durham Graduate Chukwuemeka Okonkwo Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Graduate Milestone

Durham Graduate Chukwuemeka Okonkwo Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Chukwuemeka Okonkwo• Doctoral Researcher

Selected for Prestigious International Doctoral Fellowship

Department of Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence·Class of 2022

Placement: Leading Global Research Institute

Durham University graduate Chukwuemeka Okonkwo has been named an international fellow to pursue advanced oncology diagnostics and translational gene therapy.

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Durham PhD Student Santiago Morales Publishes First-Author Paper in Nature Communications

Student Milestone

Durham PhD Student Santiago Morales Publishes First-Author Paper in Nature Communications

Santiago Morales• PhD Candidate

Published first-author paper in Nature Communications as PhD student

Faculty of Law and Public Governance·Class of 2023

Placement: International Research Consortium

Santiago Morales, a second-year PhD student at Durham University, has achieved the rare distinction of publishing as lead author in Nature Communications.

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Durham Alumna Grace MacLeod Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Breakthrough Diagnostics Work

Alumna Milestone

Durham Alumna Grace MacLeod Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Breakthrough Diagnostics Work

Grace MacLeod• Research Scientist

Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science & Healthcare

Faculty of Physics and Astronomy·Class of 2023

Placement: National Institute for Advanced Medical Research

Grace MacLeod, a Durham University science graduate, has been recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for developing a portable rapid diagnostics platform.

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Zackary Kim and Durham Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Engineering Challenge

Student Milestone

Zackary Kim and Durham Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Engineering Challenge

Zackary Kim• Undergraduate Team Lead

1st Place Winner at International Aerospace Design Competition

Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering·Class of 2022

Placement: Advanced Aerospace & Robotics Consortium

Undergraduate team led by Zackary Kim takes top honours for developing an autonomous high-altitude atmospheric sampling drone system.

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Durham Alumnus Hannah Van Der Meer Raises $12M for Clean Tech Climate Analytics Startup

Alumnus Milestone

Durham Alumnus Hannah Van Der Meer Raises $12M for Clean Tech Climate Analytics Startup

Hannah Van Der Meer• Alumnus & Co-Founder

Closed $12M Series A Financing for Environmental Sensing Startup

Faculty of Law and Public Governance·Class of 2023

Placement: CleanTech Ventures & Enterprise Incubator

Founded out of the university innovation incubator, Hannah Van Der Meer's startup is utilizing high-resolution satellite remote sensing to monitor industrial emissions.

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Durham University Researcher Thabo Mokoena Appointed to National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

Researcher Milestone

Durham University Researcher Thabo Mokoena Appointed to National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

Thabo Mokoena• Postdoctoral Fellow

Appointed to Prestigious National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

School of Business & Entrepreneurship·Class of 2024

Placement: National Academy of Sciences & Innovation

Thabo Mokoena from Durham University has been appointed to the National Academy's competitive Young Researcher Fellowship programme.

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Graduate Milestone

Durham Graduate Chukwuemeka Okonkwo Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Chukwuemeka Okonkwo• Doctoral Researcher

Selected for Prestigious International Doctoral Fellowship

Department of Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence·Class of 2024

Placement: Leading Global Research Institute

Durham University graduate Chukwuemeka Okonkwo has been named an international fellow to pursue advanced oncology diagnostics and translational genomics research.

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Durham Alumnus Hannah Van Der Meer Raises $12M for Climate Analytics Technology Startup

Alumnus Milestone

Durham Alumnus Hannah Van Der Meer Raises $12M for Climate Analytics Technology Startup

Hannah Van Der Meer• Alumnus & Co-Founder

Closed $12M Series A Financing for Environmental Sensing Startup

Faculty of Law and Public Governance·Class of 2025

Placement: CleanTech Ventures & Enterprise Incubator

Founded out of the university innovation incubator, Hannah Van Der Meer's startup uses satellite remote sensing to monitor industrial emissions.

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Durham Alumnus Clara Hoffmann Builds EdTech Platform Reaching Over 500,000 Students Worldwide

Alumnus Milestone

Durham Alumnus Clara Hoffmann Builds EdTech Platform Reaching Over 500,000 Students Worldwide

Clara Hoffmann• Social Entrepreneur & Founder

Founded award-winning EdTech platform reaching 500,000 students

Department of Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence·Class of 2022

Placement: Global EdTech Foundation & Social Enterprise Hub

Inspired by their student experience at Durham University, Clara Hoffmann has founded an educational technology platform delivering quality academic content to underserved communities.

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