Four bioscience winners were selected from 30 finalists at the annual STEM for BRITAIN competition for early career researchers, with a member of the RSB claiming the Gold Award.

Early-career research bioscientists presented their work to dozens of politicians and a panel of expert judges as part of the competition on Tuesday 11 March in Portcullis House, Westminster. Thirty finalists were chosen to present their research in poster format from over 150 applicants across Britain.

Anneliese Hodge, member of the RSB (MRSB) and PhD Researcher in Marine Ecotoxicology at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Plymouth, won the Gold prize with her research on sun creams as marine pollutants.

The Silver prize went to Magdalena Armas, PhD student at the Francis Crick Institute, for her work on enhancing T cell function for improving cellular therapeutics.

Harry Jarrett, Head of Science and Research at Heights (a vitamins and supplements company), won both the Bronze medal and the Nutrition Society Award for his work on riboflavin deficiency being an urgent global health priority affecting women and children across high and low-middle income countries worldwide.

The Physiological Society Award was presented to Jose Cabezas-Caballero, from the University of Oxford, for his research on genetically engineering T cells to reduce the risk of autoimmune cross-reactivities in cancer T cell therapies.

L-R: Jose Cabezas-Cabarello, Magdalena Armas, Anneliese Hodge MRSB, Harry Jarrett

The Viscount Stansgate, Dr Stephen Benn FRSB, gave the welcome speech to introduce the award-giving part of the ceremony. He thanked the funders, the judges for their time invested, and congratulated the researchers on all their vital work and for having made it as finalists to this auspicious annual showcase.

Dr Louise Leong FRSB, Honorary Treasurer of the RSB, also took to the podium and stressed the importance of the central role the biosciences play in society in tackling global problems, and that the RSB is here to support biologists at all stages of their careers.

Further speeches were given by the Institute of Biomedical Science’s President Elect Sarah Pitt, President of the Nutrition Society Mary Ward, and Chair of Physiological Society Mike Tipton with emphasis on shaping the future of science and healthcare.

Congratulations to all who took part. It was inspiring for all to see the hard work put in and the progress being made in research across the biological and biomedical sciences.

STEM for BRITAIN, organised by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee with support from a number of learned societies including the Royal Society of Biology, is open to early career researchers engaged in scientific, engineering, technological, or medical research.

This year’s event was funded by UK Research and Innovation, The Royal Society of Chemistry, The Council for the Mathematical Sciences, The Physiological Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Physics, the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies, The Nutrition Society, the Biochemical Society, Warwick Manufacturing Group, the Royal Society of Biology, the Institute of Biomedical Science, Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research, the Society of Chemical Industry, and the Clay Mathematics Institute.

For more information on STEM for BRITAIN, visit their website.