Press Release: West Dean awards 2025 Honorary Fellowships to distinguished conservation and design professionals
West Dean are delighted to announce the award of two Honorary Fellowships for 2025. These awards are made each year to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fields that are central to West Dean’s purpose. This year’s Fellows, Dean Sully and Oliver Heath, are active supporters of West Dean and its Schools, and distinguished in their fields of expertise.
Dean Sully is Associate Professor in Conservation at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology, where he coordinates the MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums programme. He is a coordinator of the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies (CCHS) and the Curating the City Research Cluster, National Trust’s Conservation Advisor for Archaeological Artefacts, Emeritus Scientist-in-Residence at the UCL Slade School of Fine Art, Conservator-in-Residence at the Material Museum, and Director of the Illegal Museum of Beyond.
In addition to his extensive career in conservation, Dean has in recent years been a guest lecturer on the MA and Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies programmes at West Dean, and became Conservator in Residence in 2024. As part of the residency, Dean led a creative and thought-provoking project with students, titled ‘Fossils from Another World’; offering a unique opportunity to test speculative conservation practices in a collaborative setting, and giving students a space to reflect on how their emerging practice can shape the world.
Dean Sully says ‘What an amazing surprise! I received news of my Fellowship soon after spending a creative week with Conservation Graduate Diploma students in March this year. I have always enjoyed my time at West Dean, and now look forward to having a role with the students for many years to come.’
Oliver Heath is one of the best-known designers working in the field of biophilic and sustainable design, working within the built environment. From houses to schools, he has pioneered approaches to bringing wellbeing into design through natural features, materials, colours and space. As a passionate advocate for biophilic design, enhancing nature connections in our built environment, Oliver is at the forefront of exploring the ways that design can support and promote the wellbeing of both people and planet.
Oliver was the first speaker at the School of Design’s Sustainable Designer Series in Autumn 2024, and is a pivotal source of inspiration for School of Design students; particularly in their research on sustainability, biophilic design and in relation to design for neurodiversity.
Oliver Heath says ‘I'm honoured to be appointed a Fellow at West Dean College, recognising my evidence-based, regenerative approach to biophilic design — one that delivers measurable benefits for people and the planet. I look forward to working with the college to inspire the next generation of designers to create spaces where both people and nature can flourish.’
From online courses to postgraduate degrees, West Dean has an international reputation for excellence and is a full partner of the University of Sussex. With campuses in Sussex and London, students benefit from fully equipped workshops, expert tutors, and lecturers as well as access to visiting artists, makers, conservators and writers as part of the Artists-in-Residence programme. Find out more about study options at www.westdean.ac.uk
Note to editors
Instagram: @westdeancollege
Facebook: @westdeancollege
LinkedIn: @westdeancollege
TikTok: @westdeancollege
YouTube: WestDean
Contact:
Kathryn Follis
Marketing Manager, West Dean
Email: [email protected]
