Receiving the Young Climate Leader Award is an incredible honour. I’m deeply grateful to King’s Climate & Sustainability for their support and for creating spaces where students like me can turn learning into real-world impact. This recognition reflects the collective effort behind our work and it also motivates me to keep pushing for climate action that is inclusive, research-informed and grounded in community.
Adithi Sathiyan
02 February 2026
King's wins two local community sustainability awards
Winners were celebrated for their contributions to sustainability and community at the ‘Great Place to Work’ 2026 awards
King’s has been recognised at Team London Bridge’s annual awards for its work on sustainability. King's student Adithi Sathiyan won the Sustainability Young Climate Leader award, while the University’s 100% Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) accreditation was also commended.
The ‘Great Place to Work’ awards celebrate projects, milestones, commitments and personal successes that help the local community enjoy and thrive in the London Bridge area.
Adithi, who works as Sustainability Education Assistant with King’s Climate & Sustainability, won the ‘Young Climate Leader’ award for her work as a dedicated and exceptional student and leader, and a passionate, determined and inspirational advocate for sustainability education both at King’s and beyond.
She has worked on several key areas, including leading a team of student volunteers to redevelop the KEATS Sustainability & Climate online module, as well as increasing engagement in climate education activities through creative communications and events. She has also played a key role on KCLSU's Fossil Free Careers campaign, and volunteers with Thriving Youth Farmers Uganda.
Adithi, who is a third-year undergraduate International Relations student, said:
King’s also won a Sector Specific award for innovations in minimising the environmental impact of our research. This recognises King's becoming one of the first UK universities to achieve laboratory sustainability accreditation across 100% of its wet labs in summer 2025.
To realise this, all 64 wet lab teams - spanning 44 departments - achieved gold, silver or bronze in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF). LEAF enables researchers and technical staff to undertake research in an environmentally sustainable way, offering targeted actions and guidance. Examples of good practice at King’s include replacing nearly 100 inefficient Ultra Low Temperature freezers and piloting zero-waste research techniques.
Dr Marcelo Salierno, Sustainability Innovation Lead (Research), Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID), said:
Achieving 100% LEAF accreditation across our wet labs was a significant milestone for King’s. It reflects the exceptional commitment of our researchers, technicians and colleagues, and the strength of a community of sustainability champions that is embedding sustainability at the heart of our institution. We are proud to see this work recognised through this award.
Dr Marcelo Salierno
Read more about the ‘A Great Place to Work’ awards
Find out more about sustainable research at King’s