Professor Sykes has appeared on a number of television series including Rough Science and also helped to create the Cheltenham Science Festival. She is passionate about engaging the public with science, encompassing medicine, maths, engineering and social sciences, and received the 2006 Royal Society Kohn Award for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science. She received the honorary doctorate at the University of Gloucestershire Court on 4 June.
Professor Patricia Broadfoot, Vice-Chancellor of the , and previously a Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bristol, said: ‘We are delighted to confer this award to Professor Sykes for her contribution in raising the public profile of science, internationally, nationally, and particular in the region.’