Featured – WEST | Alumni Blog

Alumni Join the Tartan Army Ranks in Boston

18Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Alumni Join the Tartan Army Ranks in Boston

With World Cup fever well underway, we reached out to some alumni that have made Boston their home to find out what the locals make of the famous Tartan Army! Modern Languages Teacher Chris Hegarty, who graduated with a PGDE in 2023 and moved to Boston in 2025, was at Scotland’s first game against Haiti and has tickets for Scotland’s next opponents Morocco on Friday 19th June. “The Tartan Army have been completely infectious here and Bostonians are falling in love with them. Here at the British International School of Boston, we had members of the SFA in this week giving an assembly to our lower and middle school students, teaching them songs like "Ye Canny Shove Yer Granny Aff A Bus" and "Yes Sir I Can Boogie". It was an incredible assembly, and it left a big mark on our young stude...

ITV Announce UWS Graduate as Reporter For World Cup

12Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

ITV Announce UWS Graduate as Reporter For World Cup

ITV Sport has included a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as part of their line-up for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Connie McLaughlin, a well-respected presenter and journalist known for her work reporting across BBC, ITV, Premier Sports and TNT Sports, will be reporting pitch-side at the tournament for ITV. A graduate from the postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism at UWS, Connie will be taking a break from her presenting duties on BBC Radio Scotland’s Mornings phone-in show to follow and report on Scotland’s men’s team as they participate in the World Cup. Connie commented on social media: “Still pinching myself…but so excited to be part of the team covering the World Cup 2026 for ITV Sport. "I’ll be following Scotland out in North Carolina, bringing you all...

Radio and TV Presenter Giving Behind the Scenes Look at the Scotland Camp

3Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Radio and TV Presenter Giving Behind the Scenes Look at the Scotland Camp

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) alumnus is working with the Scotland National Team to create exclusive content, player interviews and giving viewers a peek behind the scenes at the World Cup. Broadcast production graduate Gordon Duncan, who is well known as the host of the long running Clyde 1 Superscoreboard football phone in show and as a presenter on Sky Sports, has been working with the Scottish FA to produce content for its YouTube channel and social media channels. Gordon Duncan Gordon has been giving viewers an insight into the Scotland camp with his daily round-up series and the activities that take place in between training and games. He has also interviewed Scotland captain Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Lawrence Shankland and most recently sat down with Findlay...

Major Recognition of Tobacco Control Work for UWS Graduate

2Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Major Recognition of Tobacco Control Work for UWS Graduate

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate and Co-Director of Tobacco Control Research Group at University of Bath has been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for his decade of work to combat the tobacco epidemic. Dr Allen Gallagher BA (Hons) Social Science and MSc Drug & Alcohol Studies Dr Allen Gallagher, Co-Director of and research fellow within the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) at University of Bath, has been named as a recipient of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award. This award honours individuals who have demonstrated outstanding effort and leadership in combating the tobacco epidemic. Allen began his academic journey at UWS graduating with a BA (Hons) in social sciences in 2014 followed by a MSc in drug and alcohol studies in 2015...

Alumnus Appointed CEO of UK Semiconductor Centre

1Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Alumnus Appointed CEO of UK Semiconductor Centre

The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) has appointed a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as its first Chief Executive Officer to deliver on its vision of establishing the UK as a global leader in semiconductors by accelerating scale-up, investment and commercial growth across the sector. Andy McLean BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1986) Graduating in 1986 with a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Andy Mclean has returned to the UK after an extensive career in the US, which included senior leadership roles at Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor, to take up the role at UKSC in May 2026. Commenting on his time studying in Paisley, Andy said: "I am immensely grateful to the faculty and staff at Paisley College of Technology (n...

Research Finds VR Sign Language Used by Deaf Gamers

26May

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Research Finds VR Sign Language Used by Deaf Gamers

A graduate and current PhD student from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has led a study on the experiences of deaf people in VR social spaces as part of her postgraduate degree and revealed that members of the deaf community have created a ‘virtual sign language’ specifically for accessing VR technology. The findings, shared by BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development graduate Lara McIntyre, highlight VR headsets’ ‘incompatibility’ with BSL - a visual-spatial language used by 87,000 deaf people in the UK, which uses a mix of hand shapes, facial expressions, lip patterns and body language to convey meaning. It shows some deaf people who actively use VR as a means of socialising with other gamers are adapting by creating a new form of sign language, called virtual reality...

25May

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Featured, Profiles

Alumni Interview: David McFadden

In this alumni interview we speak to the newest member of University of the West of Scotland’s Fundraising & Alumni Team, David McFadden. Trust and Foundations Manager David, who graduated from UWS in 2011, tells us about his career in fundraising and his new role at UWS. David McFadden BA (Hons) Business Studies & International Marketing (2011) Can you tell us a bit about your time at the University - what you studied and why you chose UWS? I studied Business Studies and International Marketing at UWS and graduated in 2011. I’m local - I was born in Paisley and grew up in Erskine - so UWS always felt like a natural choice for me. It was close to home, but more importantly, it felt accessible and grounded. It felt like somewhere I could grow, build confidence, and prope...

Business Geared Towards Improving Mental Health Launched by Graduate

21May

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Business Geared Towards Improving Mental Health Launched by Graduate

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) nursing graduate is focusing on supporting wellbeing with the launch of a business that uses an immersive sound experience to put clients into a calm and meditative state. Jade Swan, who graduated from UWS Ayr Campus with a BSc in Mental Health Nursing, is offering sound frequency therapy or soundbaths to offer the brain time to rest. “Having busy lives we’re often in our fight or flight response in a high state of alert,” said Jade. “Many people struggle with busy brains and struggle to sleep, soundbath allows the brain to shift into a meditative state which many people struggle to do.” A soundbath is an immersive sound experience that uses different vibrations and frequencies via crystal sound bowls and other instruments to allow clien...

UWS Graduate Supports Independent Cinema in Scotland with Film Premiere

20May

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Alumni Stories, Featured

UWS Graduate Supports Independent Cinema in Scotland with Film Premiere

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate is set to screen his new Scottish indie drama, The Thistle in the Kiss, at the Aberdeen Art Gallery 30th May as part of the effort to revitalise independent cinema in the Northeast of Scotland. Craig Andrew Robertson, who graduated from the MA Filmmaking programme at UWS in 2019, co-wrote and produced the coming-of-age drama with fellow classmates. “What makes this project particularly special to me is that it was a real showcase of UWS talent,” commented Craig. “Several members of our crew, including my co-writer C.J. Lazaretti, my producer Reece Steel and my script supervisor Daniel Archibald, are also graduates from the same class, making this a true collaboration born out of the university’s creative community.” The Thist...

Graduate Releases New Psychological Thriller

8May

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Graduate Releases New Psychological Thriller

An Edinburgh author, and University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate, explores the risks of psychedelic healing in new psychological thriller The Medicine. Scottish author Emma Dhesi, who graduated from the then University of Paisley (now UWS) with a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Studies, returns with The Medicine, a psychological suspense novel that examines trauma, memory, and the growing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Emma is the author of five novels, including The Day She Came Home and Follow Me, and is known for writing emotionally charged stories centred on women navigating complex personal crises. Her work blends domestic suspense with psychological depth, often exploring the tension between perception and truth. The third instalment in A Scottish Sus...