We are delighted to introduce Dr Przemyslaw (Prez) Jarzebowski as the sixth recipient of our Joint Early Career Post-Doctoral Fellowship with RNID, the national charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
Prez (pictured) is a Research Fellow at the Experimental Psychology Department at University College London, where his research investigates how the brain integrates predictions about upcoming sounds with actual auditory input to support hearing. By examining this interaction, his work aims to understand how the brain’s internal predictions and external auditory signals work together, and how this process is altered in individuals with age-related hearing loss. This knowledge could inform the development of targeted interventions to improve hearing by enhancing the brain’s predictive processing of sound.
The joint fellowship scheme aims to support talented early career hearing researchers in transitioning from post-doctoral scientist to independent investigator. The fifth round of the scheme, through which Prez was funded, opened to applications in early 2024.
Nine eligible applications underwent external peer review and five were then shortlisted for interview by the RNID’s Future Leaders Review Panel. The panel consisted of:
- Professor Brian Moore, University of Cambridge (Chair)
- Dr Leila Abbas, University of Sheffield
- Dr Morag Lewis, King’s College London
- Dr Nicholas Rattray, University of Strathclyde (representing the Vivensa Foundation Research Grants Committee)
- Dr Victoria Bajo Lorenzana, University of Oxford
- Professor Walter Marcotti, University of Sheffield
Following interviews with the Panel and ratification by our Research Grants Committee, Prez was awarded the Fellowship. In addition to our funding of Prez, Dr James O’Sullivan (King’s College London) was also funded by RNID in this round of the scheme, equating to a success rate of 22%.
Prez joins the cohort of RNID / Vivensa Foundation Fellows, alongside Dr Jing-Yi Jeng (University of Sheffield), Dr Magdalena Zak, Dr Chris Hardy, Dr Katie Smith (University College London) and Dr Elisa Martelletti (King’s College London). You can learn more about our past awardees in our previous news post about this scheme (here and here).
Many congratulations to Prez and James on securing their fellowships. We would encourage future prospective applicants to look at the guidance provided on the RNID website. The latest round of the scheme is open for applications (you can find more details on the RNID website), and we will be announcing the outcome of this in due course.
In the meantime, feel free to explore our other funding opportunities and take a look at the stories from our award-holders. To stay informed about our future activities and funding calls, join our mailing list by adding your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page.
