International – Page 2 – WEST

UWS Graduate Named Executive Director of The Salvi Foundation

6May

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Alumni Stories, News

UWS Graduate Named Executive Director of The Salvi Foundation

The Salvi Foundation has welcomed a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as its new Executive Director. UWS alumna, Dr Greis Cifuentes, will lead a phase of national and international expansion at the Salvi Foundation, a non-profit institution operating in the cultural sector in Colombia and actively dedicated to disseminating, promoting and developing the musical culture of the country and Latin America. Greis commented: “I assume this responsibility with profound respect for the legacy we have built and with the conviction that music can continue to be a bridge between people, territories, and generations. “My goal is to strengthen musical access and training processes, connect the Salvi Foundation with national and international networks, and join forces with those...

Aspargo Labs Expands Global Leadership Team with the Appointment of a UWS Graduate

14Apr

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Profiles

Aspargo Labs Expands Global Leadership Team with the Appointment of a UWS Graduate

Specialty pharmaceutical company Aspargo Labs, Inc. has appointed a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate to its international leadership team. Alumnus Dr Pallav Shah will join as Director of Regulatory Affairs, Europe, for the pharmaceutical and MedTech company, which is focused on converting the world’s most meaningful medications into liquid oral suspensions for delivery in proprietary digitally connected devices. “The addition of Dr Shah is a deliberate expansion of our global capabilities at a critical inflection point,” said Michael Demurjian, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of Aspargo Labs. “Dr Shah’s proven regulatory expertise with complex regulatory submissions directly align with our immediate priorities: accelerating significant sales growth and commerc...

Alumni Author Winner of Prestigious Award for Fiction

31Mar

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Alumni Stories, News

Alumni Author Winner of Prestigious Award for Fiction

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate and author has been named co-recipient of the prestigious Weatherford Award for her novel No Perfect Mothers. Karen Spears Zacharias, who graduated in 2022 from UWS, was presented the 2024 Weatherford Award for Fiction for her novel, No Perfect Mothers, at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. She shares the award with Taylor Brown author of Rednecks. Karen is an American writer, a former journalist, and author of numerous books. She completed an MA in Creative Media Practice at University of the West Scotland’s Ayr Campus, and the novel was inspired, in part, from her time studying in Scotland. “I am so very grateful to win this award from the Appalachian Studies Center,” said...

Where Did You GlasGOw? Be part of Glasgow’s 850th celebrations

26Mar

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News

Where Did You GlasGOw? Be part of Glasgow’s 850th celebrations

This year, Glasgow City Council is celebrating its 850th birthday, and you can join the party! The Where did you GlasGOw? campaign is creating a special living remembrance book to commemorate Glaswegians who have taken the city’s spirit around the world. The book will feature names, memories, and images that tell the story of those who may have left Glasgow but still consider it ‘hame.’ If you would like to appear in the book and be part of history, submit your story or nominate someone here. Alongside this campaign, a yearlong programme of events is taking place, including Taste the Place, a scheme providing the chance for locals and visitors to learn more about the history of Glasgow’s hospitality scene by eating their way around the city, Clyde Chorus, a three-day music extrava...

Alumni Interview: Shaheena Salman Alwani

5Mar

By uwsalumni4 Comments

Profiles

Alumni Interview: Shaheena Salman Alwani

In this profile Shaheena Salman Alwani, who studied Maternal and Child Health at University of the West of Scotland via distance learning, tells us about her career. Tell us about your time at the University I chose the University because of its reputation for excellence in healthcare education. My passion for women and child health, particularly maternal and child health, drove me to pursue a degree that would enhance my skills and knowledge. With experience of working in women and child health areas at Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, I was eager to expand my expertise. The University of the West of Scotland provided me with the ideal platform to achieve this goal. On the course I studied areas including Leadership for effectiveness, Clinical Teaching, Case Ma...

From UWS Sports Journalism to Hollywood Producer

14Feb

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Profiles

From UWS Sports Journalism to Hollywood Producer

When Zuzana Martinková first walked through the doors of the University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) Ayr campus to study Sports Journalism, she never imagined that years later, she would be producing films for one of Hollywood’s biggest studios. Zuzana's journey from reporting on sports to creating cinematic stories is a testament to the versatility of storytelling, adaptability, and the power of ambition. The Journalism Roots That Led to Filmmaking Born with a natural curiosity and passion for storytelling, Zuzana pursued a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism at UWS, where she developed her skills in investigative reporting, media production, and documentary filmmaking. It was during her time at UWS that she realised journalism wasn’t just about reporting facts - it was about craf...

Nondas Pitticas Retires from the University

19Dec

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News

Nondas Pitticas Retires from the University

This month we bid a fond farewell to University of the West of Scotland (UWS) lecturer Nondas Pitticas who will retire from UWS on 31 December, almost 41 years to the day when he joined, what was then, Paisley College of Technology. Nondas started at the Microelectronics Educational & Development Centre (MEDC) at the Paisley Campus on a trial basis in January 1984, taking on the challenge to programme the resident robot ‘HERO’ to talk, which he achieved before going on to install and operate the College’s first weather station, receiving images from the NOAA orbital satellites. In 1986 he moved to the Department of Land Economics to install the local area network (LAN) of BBC computers and once the LAN was up and running, he turned his attention to the Department’s Resources La...

Slam Dunk For Basketball Star at Graduation Ceremony

22Nov

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Alumni Stories, News

Slam Dunk For Basketball Star at Graduation Ceremony

A top basketball player has told of his joy at landing his university degree - after two years of juggling studies, playing professional sport and becoming a father for the first time. Texas-born Prince Onwas, 31, who was studying for a Master’s in Business Administration, has praised University of the West of Scotland for providing the flexibility that allowed him to gain a degree while continuing to fulfil his dream of playing “ball” for Scotland’s professional team. He said: “To say that it’s an amazing feeling to be graduating is an understatement.” After joining the basketball franchise in 2022, Prince was given the chance to study with the University through a Caledonia Gladiators programme. Prince stars for the club in the Super League Basketball championships, competing...

8Nov

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Profiles

Alumni interview: Andrew Harrild

“I didn’t know anyone in Canada, and leaving home wasn’t easy—but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made”. In this alumni profile we hear from Land Economics and Real Estate Management graduate (2002) Andrew Harrild. Andrew now lives in Toronto, Canada and is Co-Founder, Broker at Condos.ca, Property.ca. Tell us about your time at the University I began my first year at university in 1998, choosing to study land economics mainly because my father was involved in property, and the programme seemed promising. Our first week included an ice-breaking field trip to Durham, which was a fantastic way to meet everyone. Our class was close-knit, and we all got along well. Mr. Mowbray was one of our professors who stood out with his dry sense of humour, and...

22Oct

By uwsalumni1 Comment

Alumni Stories, News

Toronto Alumni Event Success

University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) long standing Canadian partner, Harris Institute, played host recently to an alumni event at its base in Toronto. Dr Eric Baumgartner, Dean of School of Education & Social Sciences at UWS and John Harris, President of Harris Institute, welcomed alumni, staff and current students to the event to enjoy an evening of reminiscing, sharing experiences and networking. In Canada as part of a UWS recruitment event, Dr Baumgartner said: “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting our graduates in Canada and was impressed by their career journeys so far and I can’t wait to see what they do next! “At UWS we do everything we can to ensure our graduates are work-ready and feel prepared to contribute both locally and globally, and this was evident in the graduat...