Wolfson GBF awarded Teaching Excellence Award

Last week, the Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division announced the five recipients of this year’s Teaching Awards, recognising their significant contributions to student learning and academic innovation. Among these winners was Wolfson’s very own Professor Jesus Lizana, Associate Professor in Engineering Science and member of the leadership team at the ZERO Institute. 

Jesus’s nomination highlights his work on the ZERO Teaching and Internship Programme, launched in 2024, which won the CIBSE Award 2025 for Learning and Development and the ASHRAE Award 2025 for Zero Carbon Education. The judges noted the programme’s potential for significant impact on Oxford and observed that the model could be scaled up to operate across more cities and communities.

The programme received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students highlighting its effectiveness and relevance. Jesus has also introduced innovative courses in Building Services Engineering as part of the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree as well as different lectures for MSc programmes at Oxford. He also created the Oxford Student Branch for the ASHRAE University Competition on net-zero design. These courses and initiatives equip future Oxford engineers with the expertise to drive innovation and implement zero-carbon energy solutions for buildings.

The annual MPLS Teaching Awards recognise excellence and innovation in education across the Division, welcoming nominations from all those involved in teaching activities, from graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to faculty and learning support staff.