A university lecturer who was murdered has been awarded a posthumous PhD and had a nursing fund set up in her name.

Claire Chick was stabbed to death​ in January by her estranged husband, who was jailed for 27 years.

The University of Plymouth said many members of Ms Chick’s family and friends attended the graduation ceremony at Theatre Royal Plymouth on Tuesday.

It added “Claire’s friends in the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery have created the Claire Chick Nursing Fund which is raising funds in her memory”.

At the ceremony a photo of Claire Chick, edited to include an updated cap and gown, was shown on screen.

Her doctorate was collected by one of her daughters, Lydia Peers, and her brother, David Chick.

The university said she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy, the university’s highest accolade, in recognition of a programme of work titled “Testing an intervention to develop resilience in student nurses and embed a strategy in undergraduate curricula”.

It said Ms Chick was a dedicated nurse and a passionate advocate for student nurses and championed opportunities and supported the next generation of the profession.

It said the nursing fund would “provide travel bursaries, support for those facing financial or personal hardship, and other vital assistance to ensure that all nursing students, regardless of background or circumstance, could make the most of their education and go on to make a difference”.

“Claire believed deeply in the difference nurses make in the world, and she would be proud to see this work continue in her name,” it added.