UCL awarded 11 Fellowships in £78 million government scheme

The rising stars of UK science and trailblazing small businesses will receive significant government support to help answer some of the world’s biggest scientific challenges and help turn ideas into viable products and services.

On Friday (20 September 2019), the Government announced a £98 million investment, split across the 11 fellowships and 20 University Enterprise Zones. These will allow both UK researchers and small businesses to seize the vast opportunities in science and innovation and industries of the future.

A large portion of this funding was secured by a diverse range of UCL projects, tackling issues including violence against women, HIV in Africa, self-healing organic semiconductors, and the sociopolitics of religion.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said: “Delivering on our research and innovation ambitions means putting people first, whether they are just starting out in their career or are leading major projects in academia or industry.

“These inspirational Future Leaders Fellows will generate the ideas of the future, helping to shape science and research for the 21st century. But to realise the full potential of these discoveries, their ideas need to be taken out of the lab and turned into real products and services, where they can actually change people’s lives for the better.

“That’s why we are creating 20 new University Enterprise Zones, helping local start-ups to co-locate in universities to build the businesses of the future – all inspired by university research.”

The East London Inclusive Enterprise Zone (ELIEZ) is one of these 20 University Enterprise Zones whose funding has been allocated by Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation. These UEZs will provide vital specialist support to small businesses at the cutting-edge of pioneering industries.

The scheme will facilitate knowledge sharing between academics and entrepreneurs by opening collaborations with universities and businesses to help them take their ideas from prototype to profit. The UEZs will provide the facilities and expertise to help local SMEs to forge crucial partnerships, driving local growth and job creation.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said: “The Future Leaders Fellowships will enable the most promising researchers and innovators to become leaders in their fields, working on subjects as diverse as climate change, dementia and quantum computing.

“UKRI is committed to creating modern research and innovation careers and our Future Leaders Fellowships aim to support and retain the most talented people, including those with flexible career paths.

“These 20 University Enterprise Zones funded by Research England will be important focal points for collaboration in business-friendly environments, driving innovation and delivering benefits that will be felt across economies at the local, regional and national scale.”

The full list of UCL recipients is as follows:

• Dr Neil Oxtoby (UCL Computer Science/Centre for Medical Image Computing) - I-AIM: Individualised Artificial Intelligence for Medicine
• Anupam Das (UCL Computer Science, external candidate) - Structure vs. Invariants in Proofs (StrIP)
• Dr Bob Schroeder (UCL Chemistry) - Self-healing organic semiconductors for bionic skin
• Carla Perez-Martinez (UCL London Centre for Nanotechnology) - Ionic Liquids for Subtractive and Additive Nanomanufacturing
• Dr Timothy Carroll (UCL Anthropology) - Orthodox Christian Material Ecology and the Sociopolitics of Religion
• Dr Alice Davidson (UCL Ophthalmology) - Gene regulation, genetic mechanisms and development of potential therapies for corneal endothelial dystrophies
• Dr Pierre Maillard (UCL Infection and Immunity) - Exploring antiviral RNA interference in mammals
• Dr Peter Keating (UCL Ear Institute) - Impact of developmental experience on spatial hearing in noisy environments
• Dr Aurelia Lepine (UCL Global Health) – Protecting Women from Economic shocks to fight HIV in Africa (POWER)
• Dr Jenevieve Mannell (UCL Global Health) - Preventing violence against women in high-prevalence settings: A multidisciplinary approach from psychology, political science and global health
• Dr Jennifer Steeden (UCL Cardiovascular Science) - Towards 10-minute Magnetic Resonance Scanning in Children - Developing Accelerated Imaging Using Machine Learning

Links

• Dr Neil Oxtoby’s academic profile
• Dr Bob Schroeder’s academic profile
• Dr Timothy Carroll’s academic profile
• Dr Alice Davidson’s academic profile
• Dr Pierre Maillard’s academic profile
• Dr Peter Keating’s academic profile
• Dr Aurelia Lepine’s academic profile
• Dr Jenevieve Mannell’s academic profile
• Dr Jennifer Steeden’s academic profile
• UCL Computer Science
• UCL Engineering Science
• UCL Chemistry
• UCL Maths & Physical Sciences
• UCL Anthropology
• UCL Social & Historical Sciences
• UCL Ophthalmology
• UCL Brain Sciences
• UCL Infection & Immunity
• UCL Medical Sciences
• UCL Ear Institute
• UCL Global Health
• UCL Population Health
• UCL Cardiovascular Science

Image

• UCL Image Store

Source

• Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• UK Research and Innovation

Media contact

Jake Hawkes

Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 8581

Email: j.hawkes [at] ucl.ac.uk