This Fellowship scheme is designed to support post-doctoral researchers as they transition to a permanent position within academia. Building on the success of the pilot scheme, this round of the scheme was open to all universities and eligible research organisations in the UK, inviting them to nominate candidates to apply. These were researchers that already demonstrated both excellence and a capacity for independent work, as well as being considered future leaders in ageing-related research. Following the nomination and application process which took place in 2024/25, we would like to welcome our recently appointed Proleptic Postdoctoral Fellows – Dr Claire Hill (pictured left) and Dr Mark Burton (pictured right).
Claire’s research, based at the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, will focus on understanding how multiomic markers of ageing impact healthspan. She aims to determine their ability to predict the onset and progression of age-related diseases, such as kidney disease, to improve patient care and support better health outcomes for older adults. Furthermore, Claire’s work holds potential to identify social determinants of health that impact those who are male and female differently, providing evidence to support targeted interventions for equitable healthcare.
Based at the University of Southampton, Mark’s research will combine cutting-edge multiomic techniques to investigate the role of small non-coding RNAs in ageing muscle, with the aim of mapping the “molecular handprint” of sarcopenia for the first time. This research could uncover biological pathways in muscles that might be targeted for new nutritional and drug therapies to improve muscle health. Additionally, it may help identify blood-based biomarkers for diagnosing sarcopenia. The findings could lead to novel and effective approaches to improve the lives of older adults living with sarcopenia.
Four applications were received, and three eligible applications underwent external peer review. These were then assessed by a Panel consisting of members from our Research Grants Committee and a past award holder:
- Dr Martin Turner, Babraham Institute (Chair of the Panel, Trustee and Vice-Chair of the Research Grants Committee)
- Dr Kerri Kinghorn, University College London (former Vivensa Foundation Proleptic Fellow)
- Professor Dame Louise Robinson, Newcastle University (Research Grants Committee member), with Dr Sanjay Thakrar (Director of Research) representing Professor Robinson’s views at the interview stage.
- Dr Stuart Gray, University of Glasgow (Research Grants Committee member)
Following a shortlisting meeting, all applicants were provided with feedback and invited for interview. After the interviews, all interviewees were provided with further feedback and two awards were recommended for award, resulting in a success rate of 75% for the eligible applications in this round.
We wanted to say thank you to those who applied, as we do appreciate the time and effort that goes in to making an application. We also appreciate the large amount of time and effort that goes into assessing grant proposals, and we wouldn’t be able to keep funding high-quality research without the help of reviewers, panellists, and committee members. We’d therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to the assessment of these proposals.
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