The annual Unitemps University College London (UCL) Awards took place on Monday, 2nd of March 2026. The event saw the team celebrate the success and achievements throughout 2025-2026, bringing together hiring managers, candidates and stakeholders from across the university.
The ceremony began with opening remarks from Hristina Nabosnyi, Unitemps UCL Branch Manager, and Angela Clark, Director of Talent Acquisition at UCL.
Hristina reflected on the remarkable contribution Unitemps workers continue to make across the university community, highlighting the dedication and professionalism they bring to every role. Angela underscored the scale of this impact, sharing that more than £16 million has been paid in wages to Unitemps workers, and that over 700 hiring managers across UCL have placed their trust in Unitemps to source talented individuals for their teams.
James Mathers, Unitemps Franchise Relationship Manager, built on this message, reinforcing the far-reaching influence of Unitemps workers not only within the university but beyond it.
Throughout the evening, awards were presented in various categories, ranging from Research Assistant of the Year to Creative Candidate of the Year, celebrating our talented workers. Awards were also presented to the Hiring Manager of the Year and the Department of the Year, recognising the dedication and commitment of UCL’s wider community of hiring managers across departments. The winners and runners-up collected their awards, with their hard work acknowledged by applause from their colleagues and the wider HR team.
The event concluded with light refreshments, an opportunity for networking and a photobooth that gave guests a chance to capture the celebrations. The Unitemps Awards 2026 highlighted the continued impact of the Unitemps community, recognising the professionalism and commitment of its workers and the important role they play across UCL.
We’d like to thank everyone who attended and made this year’s Unitemps UCL Awards a success! We look forward to celebrating again next year.
Congratulations to our winners and runners-up!
Intern of the Year
Runner Up: Laxshana Premkumar – Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE) Internship Programme. Nominated by Li Yuanze.
Winner: Zeyan Wang – Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE) Internship Programme. Nominated by Miraslau Barabash.
Creative Candidate of the Year
Runner Up: Mayuko Yamaguchi – Graphic Designer. Nominated by Jane Yelloly.
Winner: Solange Ortiz – Marketing Lead. Nominated by Carolyn Phelan and Shakirah Akinwale
Office Support of the Year
Runner Up: Kristin Milenova – Unitemps Administrator. Nominated by Michelle Coates.
Winner: Robert Heaney – ResLife Assistant – Nominated by Carney Battenti.
Student Ambassador of the Year
Runner Up: Mary Bowles – ResLife Assistant. Nominated by Carney Battenti.
Winner: Sope Owojaiye – UCL Illuminated Student Ambassador. Nominated by Jess Matautia.
Technical Support of the Year
Runner Up: Lucy Sladen – Fieldwork Assistant. Nominated by Murray Andrews and Stuart Brookes
Winner: Miranda Man – Digital Content Assistant. Nominated by Emma Gutteridge-Xu
Research Assistant of the Year
Runner Up: Joel Barnett – Research Assistant. Nominated by Nicola White
Runner Up: Savani Deshpande – Formulation Research Assistant. Nominated by Smita Salunke
Winner: Kayla Madison McInnis – Research Assistant in Infrastructure Systems. Nominated by Manu Sasidharan
Winner: Yoana Ahmetoglu – Research Assistant. Nominated by Anna Cox
Special Recognitions
Hyeseon Choi, Friederike Hartz, Alice Neurker – Grand Challenges Research Assistants
Rhea Srivastava – Research Assistant in Infrastructure Systems
Hiring Manager of the Year
Runner up: Smita Salunke – Senior Research Fellow. Nominated by Savani Deshpande
Winner: Roberto Gentile – Associate Professor, Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction. Nominated by Jiabin Zhang
Department of the Year
Winner: Dept of Political Science. Nominated by Cristian Baluta
Hear from Hristina Nabosnyi, Unitemps UCL Branch Manager, giving her thoughts from the day:
Last updated on 3 March 2026
Share this article