Heather, who is studying for an MSc in housing studies, was awarded the Malcolm Smith Memorial Award by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland. The accolade, judged anonymously, is given for the best piece of work, with a focus on housing law and policy, during the last academic year by a student in Scotland.

Commenting on the award, Heather said: “Thank you to CIH Scotland for considering my work, I am really grateful for this recognition.”

“I would also like to thank all of my lecturers for their guidance on the programme. I am especially grateful to Craig Gurney for putting my work forward for selection and to Kenn Gibb for delivering such an engaging course.”

“I would also like to thank my colleagues at the Housing Ombudsman Service for their support and my managers for allowing me the flexibility to pursue my studies alongside my career.”

“The private rented sector in Scotland has doubled in size over the past 20 years. Despite its significance, the sector remains poorly understood due to fragmented data. This poses challenges for policy development and implementation. Evidence gaps could frustrate efforts to tackle poverty and alleviate homelessness. My assignment explored how addressing these challenges requires a coordinated evidence strategy to inform meaningful interventions such as rent controls.”

Dr Craig Gurney, programme director for the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc Housing Studies Programme and lecturer in housing studies at the School of Social & Political Sciences (Urban Studies) University of Glasgow, added: “This is really fantastic news for Heather and for our Housing Studies Programme at the University of Glasgow. Before congratulating Heather, I’d like to thank the judges for so diligently evaluating ‘best of the best’ examples of work produced by housing students across Scotland which would have been a challenging task.

“We’re proud of Heather’s achievement and delighted that her enthusiasm and engagement on the programme has been recognised. The work for which Heather has won the prize was a briefing paper which provided a reasoned and evidenced case for a data collection and analysis strategy in the Scottish Private Rented Sector. This type of “authentic assessment” enables our students to really get to grips with contemporary issues and debates and offers vital transferable skills which will help them in their future careers.”

“We will watch Heather’s career with interest as she follows in the footsteps of previous winners who have made contributions to housing in Scotland and beyond.”

Heather will receive a £100 award which she will be donating to the Simon Community, alongside the coveted trophy.