Celebrating our people’s successes
Two researchers from the University’s College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences have been awarded Springboard funding from the Academy of Medical Sciences as part of its largest-ever funding initiative for early-career researchers.
Dr Arianne Babina, from the School of Infection & Immunity, and Dr Jennifer Malcolm, from the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, have each been awarded £125,000 as part of investment to tackle urgent health challenges.
Dr Babina’s research will seek to understand how bacteria evolve in response to environmental changes, a critical issue given the growing threat of antibiotic resistance and the broader impact of microbial adaptation on public health. Her work will improve our ability to predict and manage bacterial adaptation, support the development of new antibiotics and aid efforts to combat emerging pathogens.
Dr Malcolm’s research seeks to develop new antigen-specific immunotherapies to prevent rheumatoid arthritis. Her work focuses on the impact of the oral bacterial pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis on immune cells. Porphyromonas gingivalis is most commonly known to be involved in infection of the gums, leading to periodontitis. Through her work, Dr Malcolm aims to identify the immunopathogenic mechanisms and MHCII neoepitopes linking Porphyromonas gingivalis infection of dendritic cells with the activation of autoreactive CD4 T cells.
Research Excellence Framework (REF) appointments
The four UK higher education funding bodies have appointed chairs and deputy chairs for the 34 expert sub-panels that will assess research in 2029.
The panel chairs and deputy chairs include four UofG academics. They will lead their units of assessment through the criteria-setting phase, beginning later this year, and on through to the final assessment.
Professor Chris Pearce, UofG's Vice Principal for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: "These appointments reflect their expertise and standing within both their disciplines and the wider UK research ecosystem. I am confident their involvement will inspire trust across the research community that REF2029 is being guided with acumen and integrity.”
The four REF appointees from UofG are
- Nasar Meer, Professor in Social & Political Sciences, School of Social & Political Sciences
- Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics, School of Humanities
- Jane Stuart-Smith, Professor of Phonetics & Sociolinguistics, School of Critical Studies
- Olivia Wu, William R Lindsay Chair of Health Economics, School of Health & Wellbeing
Anthony Chalmers, Chair of Clinical Oncology at the School of Cancer Sciences, will co-lead the new arm of GBM AGILE, an international trial for patients with glioblastoma. Focused on AstraZeneca’s new drug AZD1390, which Professor Chalmers helped to develop, the latest arm will assess the effectiveness of AZD1390 in the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.
Rebecca Madgin, Professor of Urban Studies at the School of Social & Political Sciences, has been recruited to the Department of Culture, Media & Sport College of Experts. She joins 58 external experts from across academia and industry, forming a diverse and experienced community of experts who provide external expertise and apply innovative scientific methods to support government policy.
The College of Arts & Humanities has announced the appointment of Professor Nina Parish as the new Head of the School of Modern Languages & Cultures. Professor Parish joins from the University of Stirling where she is currently Head of the Division of Literature & Languages and Professor of French & Francophone Studies and was its Director of Research for the Research Excellence Framework 2021.
Professor Rachel Sandison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) and Vice-Principal (External Relations) has been appointed the Scottish Government's Trade & Investment Envoy for International Education. As part of the International Education Envoy’s remit, she will work to promote Scotland’s academic institutions and research expertise and draw on her international connections to bridge universities with other global institutions to attract more students and staff to live, work and study in Scotland. She will also help identify opportunities for inward investment in Scotland’s higher and further education sectors, boosting Scotland’s academic and research capabilities.
Professor Emma Thomson has been appointed as the new Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR). An internationally recognised expert in emerging infectious diseases, Professor Thomson played both key public health and research roles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as carrying out research on several emerging viruses including Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Le Dantec virus, measles, hepatitis C and AAV2. She led the team of CVR researchers who discovered the association of AAV2 with acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin affecting children around the world in 2022.