Cambridge researchers collect their 2022 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK
Three Cambridge researchers have collected their Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK.
Dr Madeline Lancaster, of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, was awarded £100,000 after being named life sciences laureate for pioneering the development of the first method for generating brain organoids.
Two other Laureates were named - Dr Kim Jelfs, from Imperial College London, in the chemistry category, and Dr Matthew Brookes, of the University of Nottingham, for physical sciences and engineering.
A jury of judges also selected finalists in each of the three fields, including two Cambridge scientists, who each receive £30,000.
In chemistry, Prof Gonçalo Bernardes, of the University of Cambridge, was rewarded for his ‘bench-to-clinic’ techniques, which involves the control of tailored chemical reactions that can take place in the body without interfering with natural processes.
And in physical sciences and engineering, Dr Anja Schmidt, was rewarded for developing and applying state-of-the-art climate models that have revolutionised our understanding of the role of volcanic eruptions in climate and air quality, informing the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive assessment reports by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and impacting on policy in hazard mitigation and health.
The awards, from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, are the largest unrestricted prize for young scientists. A total prize pot of £480,000 was awarded to nine scientists this year. The ceremony was held at the V&A Museum in London.
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