The Faculty of Medical Sciences held its sixth annual Dean’s Research Prize Event on Thursday 1st March to celebrate students’ success in research. The Faculty has over 3500 students including 1200 Masters and 580 Research students and a flavour of their research achievements was highlighted at the event in the form of research talks and posters. Divisions were represented by PhD students who spoke about their work, and posters were on display representing 34 Masters and iBSc programmes showcasing the contribution these make to the Faculty’s research portfolio.

The event also hosted the Faculty heats of the internationally successful 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition.   The winner from the Faculty heat will be entered into the UCL-wide semi-final taking place in May/June giving them the opportunity for nomination to the Vitae 3MT National Final in September 2017.

Despite the snow, the event was attended by over 60 staff and students who engaged with both the talks and the posters.

The posters and presentations were judged by Prof Mark Emberton (Dean), Prof Vivek Mudera (Vice-Dean Education), Dr Nathan Davies (Departmental Graduate Tutor, Div of Medicine), Dr Rachel Leeson (Departmental Graduate Tutor, Eastman Dental Inst), Dr Adam Paige (Departmental Graduate Tutor, Cancer Inst) and the Faculty Representatives Ms Judith Pape and Miss Roxanna Zakeri

As expected, the standard was extremely high and all participants should be congratulated for both their presentation skills and calibre of the research undertaken. And the winners…

Postgraduate Research:
Winner:
RICHARD D BARTLETT  
(Eastman Dental Institute)          
Olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord repair – a tissue engineering approach                              

Runner Up:
GEORGE A ROBINSON                  
(Division of Medicine)
Understanding the immunopathogenesis of juvenile-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

3MT®:
Winner:
BENJAMIN SIMPSON                    
(Division of Surgery and Interventional Science)
Unlocking the therapeutic potential of SIK2 in prostate cancer

Runner Up:
ANNA -MAEVA
(Eastman Dental Institute)          
3MT®: The light bulb of eternal youth-what hides beneath

Postgraduate Taught:
Winner:
LAUREN MASTROGIACOMO                      
(MSc Human Tissue Repair)        
Satellite Cell Migratory Capability through Circulation in Dystrophic Mice

Runner Up:
DIANA CORBEN
(MSc in Physical Therapy in Musculoskeletal Healthcare and Rehabilitation)    
Do the sub-bundles within the Achilles tendon originating from distinct muscle bellies differ in structural and mechanical properties?

Undergraduate:
Winner:
HAARITH NDIAYE                           
(iBSc Clinical Sciences)  
Novel Insights into the Subcellular Localisations of the Long-chain Acyl-CoA Synthetase Enzymes Required for Fatty Acid Activation in Breast Cancer Cell

All participants will receive a certificate, in addition the winners will receive a cheque for £150.