Life Sciences » Life Sciences News (tag [Award])

SLS welcomes new MRC Career Development Fellow to explore how cells communicate with each other

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:36:22 GMT

Dr Iqbal Dulloo, currently a molecular cell biologist at the University of Oxford, has been awarded a prestigious five-year Medical Research Council (MRC) Career Development Award. He will join the University of Warwick’s School of Life Sciences in late September 2025 to launch his independent research group.

Dr Dulloo’s research explores how cells send and receive signals to maintain healthy function. When this communication breaks down, it can lead to diseases like cancer or neurodegenerative conditions. His recent discovery showed that an enzyme complex, previously thought to carry out a routine task, also plays a role in regulating gene activity by releasing a key messenger protein inside cells.

At Warwick, he will investigate how widespread this hidden signalling pathway is and how it may be exploited by viruses during infection.

Dr Dulloo said: “I am honoured to receive this award and delighted to be joining the University of Warwick. Understanding how cells communicate could unlock new ways to tackle disease. This fellowship will allow me to pursue fundamental questions in an exciting area of cell biology that remains under-explored but full of promise. I look forward to building a collaborative team and contributing to the vibrant scientific community at Warwick.”

Professor Miriam Gifford, Head of the School of Life Sciences, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Dulloo. His pioneering work will be a fantastic addition to our cell biology and host-pathogen research directions, and we are excited to support the next stage of his career.”

Warwick plant scientist honoured with Royal Horticultural Society Veitch Memorial Medal

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:10:00 GMT

Dr. Charlotte Allender, Head of the UK Vegetable Genebank at the School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick has been awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for her work conserving vegetable crop genetic diversity.

On her nomination, Charlotte said: "I am very grateful to the RHS for this award; to have such a prestigious organisation recognise the value of your work is wonderful.”

This award recognises Dr. Allender’s research into conserving genetic variation of crop species and for her almost two decades-long service to the UK Vegetable Genebank. This work has been vital for food security by preserving these sources of genetic variation that are needed to develop new and robust crop varieties.

Charlotte added: “The conservation of plant genetic resources is vital and underpins the research and breeding activity necessary to develop the new crop varieties needed for a food secure future. I would like to acknowledge that the work of the UK Vegetable Genebank is only possible with a team of skilled and dedicated staff and the support of the University of Warwick and Defra.”

The UK Vegetable Genebank celebrates its 45th anniversary later this year. It currently stores around 14,000 vegetable seed samples, sourced from 128 different countries, making it a globally significant resource.

Press release

Professor Rosemary Collier recognised in New Year's Honours List 2025

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 14:47:00 GMT

Professor Rosemary Collier, an entomologist and applied ecologist, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year's Honours List for her pioneering work in horticultural science.

The New Year’s Honours list recognises individuals across the UK for their exceptional contributions to society. The honours celebrate those who have made a significant impact in various fields, acknowledging their outstanding service.

Based at Warwick Crop Centre, Professor Collier's research focuses on sustainable pest management in horticultural crops, using methods that minimise ecological impact. This includes biological and physical strategies, host plant resistance, and novel technologies for pest monitoring, offering valuable insights to farmers, growers, and gardeners.

Professor Collier said, “I’m extremely pleased and proud to be awarded this honour. I consider myself very fortunate to work in an area that combines my personal and professional passions for animals, plants, the natural environment, and food.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to work with exceptional colleagues and engage with the UK’s fresh produce industry, which contributes significantly to national health and happiness”.

High Performing Postgraduate receives NFU Mutual’s National Agricultural Award

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:56:01 GMT

Master's student Ellie Cameron is one of four individuals across the UK who were selected to receive a postgraduate agricultural bursary for NFU Mutual’s 2024 Centenary Award. The award will support Ellie in her MSc in Food Security.

The Centenary Award was launched by rural insurer NFU Mutual to celebrate its 100^th anniversary in 2010; to support agricultural leaders of the future, and champion research and innovation within the industry. It provides annual bursaries to pay up to 75% of course fees for selected postgraduate students in agriculture. To select the award recipients, the judging panel looked for applicants who are not only excellent academic performers, but also have a real passion for UK agriculture and demonstrate potential to become a future industry leader.

NFU Mutual Press Release (December 2024).

The enigma of embryonic development: how certain animals trim their genomes

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 11:20:00 GMT

New research by Professor Andre Pires da Silva is underway to decipher a fascinating biological puzzle—how some animals can naturally discard more than half of their genetic information during embryonic development. The new study is part of the BBSRC Pioneer Awards, which could revolutionise our understanding of the rules of life. Sixty two researchers across the UK, including Professor Pires da Silva, are to receive a share of £12 million to pursue visionary bioscience research.

Press Release (9 November 2023)

Researchers to benefit from £18 million investment in world-class frontier bioscience

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 16:17:00 GMT

Researchers at The University of Warwick are among four world-class teams receiving a share of £18 million to pursue transformational bioscience research programmes. The School of Life Sciences team will investigate the bacterial cell wall – which could help to develop new classes of antibiotics, tackling the global challenge of antibiotic resistance. The project is led by Professor David Roper in collaboration with Dr Séamus Holden, Professor Phill Stansfeld and Dr Stephen Cochrane (Queen's University Belfast).
Press Release (29 September 2023)

Weldon Prize for SPI-M-O and Zeeman modellers

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 15:20:00 GMT

Professor Matt Keeling and Dr Louise Dyson were part of the Warwick Zeeman team invited to attend the Weldon Prize giving in Oxford.

This prize is awarded annually for ‘noteworthy contributions to the development of mathematical or statistical methods applied to problems in Biology’. This year it was given to the SPI-M-O group (part of SAGE) in recognition for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find out more

Warwick iGEM success

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:45:00 GMT

iGEM is a global synthetic biology competition aimed at University and High School students.This year, 360 teams from across the world took part in iGEM, including a team from Warwick - team PyRe. The team attended the Grand Jamboree in Paris, on 26-28 October.

After delivering their presentation and attending the judging session, the team were awarded a gold medal for their project. They were also nominated for the Best Environment Project for their excellent work on the detection and degradation of pyrethroid pesticides. Read about the project.

Team PyRe members:

Aayush Patel (2nd Year Biochemistry)
Mujie Chen (2nd Year Neuroscience)
Ashmitha Srirasan (3rd Year Biomedical Science)
Yvette Lo (3rd Year Biomedical Science)
Jerry Yu (4th Year MBio Biochemistry)
Zak Fulk (3rd Year Biomedical Systems Engineering)
Ng Yi Fan (2nd Year Economics)

The team were supported by Dr Fabrizio Alberti and Dr Alexander Darlington (Engineering), and postgraduate advisors Sandie Lai, Daniel Richmond (Chemistry), Michaël Dagne Tadesse and Nathan Burton.

Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award winners

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 12:07:00 GMT

Professor Johannes Boltze and Professor Phil Young both received commendation at the inaugural Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awards. These awards recognise the outstanding contribution to the enhancement of equality, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to building more inclusive environments and experiences through everyday behaviours at the University of Warwick.
Find out more

5 questions with Johannes Boltze - find out about the work and story behind his award.

Dr Freya Harrison wins WH Pierce Prize 2021

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 11:29:00 GMT

Dr Freya Harrison has been awarded the WH Pierce Prize 2021 by the Society for Applied Microbiology for her work in translating medieval literature and medical texts to uncover ancient antimicrobial recipes.
Press release (14 October 2021)