Our recognitions and awards
Our awards and recognitions reflect our commitment to excellence and impactful research in urban ageing.
The Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG) is proud of the numerous accolades our team has received, highlighting our dedication to social justice, diversity, and inclusivity. These recognitions underscore our innovative work towards improving the lives of older people in urban environments.
We remain committed to pushing the boundaries of research, policy and practice, continually striving for excellence and further recognition in our field.
Patty Doran - Winner, Best Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact
Research Staff Excellence Awards 2025
MUARG Deputy Director Patty Doran has been awarded Best Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact by the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester. Celebrated during Postdoc Appreciation Week, the award recognises her work translating postdoctoral research into practical collaborations, co-creating outreach tools and mentoring early-career researchers in knowledge exchange.
Patty Doran, Tine Buffel, and MUARG – Winners, Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize (Staff)
Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize 2025
MUARG Deputy Director Patty Doran, MUARG Director Tine Buffel, and the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group have won the 2025 Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize in the staff category for leading the Age-Friendly Futures Summit in Manchester, which brought together over 300 age-friendly leaders from 20 countries. In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Centre for Ageing Better (CfAB), and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), they developed shared international priorities and contributed to the WHO European Healthy Ageing Strategy.
Joana Salles – Winner, Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize (Student)
Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize 2025
MUARG Member Joana Salles has won the 2025 Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize in the PhD student category for co-producing a documentary film with social housing tenants in Brussels’ Molenbeek area. She organised nine community screenings, each followed by public debates on housing issues with elected representatives, tenants, community workers and researchers.
Pippa Winship – Highly commended, Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize (Student)
Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize 2025
MUARG Member Pippa Winship was highly commended in the 2025 Sociology Impact and Engagement Prize’s PhD student category for the Manchester Urban Film Series project. This series of short films aimed to spark conversations on social justice and urban life. Screened at community centres, local cinemas, and online, it engaged broad audiences in discussions about equity and urban policy.
Tine Buffel - Recognised by Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA)
Annual List of Innovative Women, 2025
MUARG Director Tine Buffel has been recognised by the Northern Health Science Alliance’s (NHSA) annual list of innovative women for International Women’s Day 2025. Her ground-breaking work in social gerontology, dedication to addressing social and environmental issues affecting older people, and commitment to equity and social justice have made a significant impact on policy and practice to improve the lives of older people.
Luciana Lang - Winner, Outstanding contribution to research impact
Research Staff Excellence Awards, 2024
MUARG Member Luciana Lang has won the Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact award for her work on the Faith Spaces and Older People Project.
This research examined how faith spaces in Greater Manchester support different groups of older people within their communities. Her findings highlighted the crucial role faith spaces play for first- and second-generation migrants, and as a self-sustaining form of social infrastructure in the wider community.
James Fletcher - Winner, Outstanding research output
Research Staff Excellence Awards, 2024
MUARG Affiliated Member James Fletcher has won the Outstanding Research Output award for his research, which led to the publication of his book, The Biopolitics of Dementia: A Neurocritical Perspective.
His work explores the relationship between dementia studies, its growing public profile, and the corresponding research economy. He argues that a neuropsychiatric biopolitics of dementia positions dementia as a syndrome of cognitive decline caused by discrete brain diseases, distinct from ageing, and widely misunderstood by the public. This research addresses several issues, including the failure of drug discovery, the spread of stigma, and the perpetuation of social inequalities.
Tess Hartland - Winner, Outstanding Public Engagement Initiative
Making a Difference Awards, 2024
MUARG Member Tess Hartland has won the Outstanding Public Engagement Initiative award for her co-produced project “Echoes of Displacement”. This captivating comic book narrates the collective story of people growing older while seeking sanctuary in the UK. Created collaboratively with participants and refugee charities, the comic is widely used by organisations to raise awareness about refugee experiences.
MaoHui Deng - Runner-Up, Best First Monograph Award
British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS), 2024
MUARG Member MaoHui Deng has been awarded Runner-Up for the Best First Monograph award by the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) for his book, Ageing, Dementia and Time in Film: Temporal Performances. The judges praised the book for its ability to balance complexity with accessibility, raising profound questions about cinema and dementia.
Read the full results on the Edinburgh University Press website.
Tine Buffel - Winner, Researcher of the Year
Distinguished Achievement Awards, 2023
MUARG Director Tine Buffel has won the Researcher of the Year award at the Distinguished Achievement Awards 2023. Her pioneering research on urban ageing is driving action to enable cities to create supportive environments for older people. Tine’s creation and leadership of MUARG has brought about international recognition of the University’s work in this area and supported a new generation of researchers.
Tine Buffel, Chris Phillipson, and MUARG colleagues - Winner, Outstanding Benefit to Society Through Research
Making a Difference Awards, 2022
MUARG Director Tine Buffel, MUARG Member Christopher Phillipson, and other MUARG colleagues were recognised for their project “COVID-19, Inequality and Older People,” which highlights the impact of COVID-19 on older people across the region. The research identified gaps in service provision for older people arising from the pandemic, particularly among minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people, and those at risk of social isolation due to low incomes or poor health.
Sophie Yarker - Winner, Research Staff of the Year
Research Staff Excellence Awards, 2022
MUARG Affiliated Member and former Deputy Director Sophie Yarker has won the Research Staff of the Year award in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester’s Research Staff Excellence Awards.
Sophie’s outstanding publication record - including her book, Creating Spaces for an Ageing Population: The Role of Critical Social Infrastructure -and her contributions to impactful research have been widely recognised.
Read Sophie's research biography,
Paul McGarry - Recognised by UN Decade of Health Ageing
Health Ageing 50 Initiative, 2022
MUARG Member Paul McGarry, Head of Greater Manchester Ageing Hub, has been recognised by the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing as one of 50 leaders in the field of Healthy Ageing.
His exemplary work in improving the lives of older people in Greater Manchester, especially those ageing in the context of lifelong deprivation and poverty, has been influential in developing pioneering approaches to increasing the power and influence of older people within local government and related institutions.