CVR PhD student Emma Davies stood left of a bright blue Microbiology Society banner with her Early Career Microbiologist of the Year certificate, with Microbiology PhD student Phoebe Crossley stood right of the banner with her third place certificate.

School of Infection & Immunity (Sii) postgraduate researchers have taken top honours at the Microbiology Society’s Sir Howard Dalton Early Career Microbiologist of the Year competition.

Widely regarded as the most prestigious of its kind in the UK and Ireland, the award is presented each year at the MS Annual Conference or Irish Division meeting.

The prize recognises and rewards excellence in science communication by a member in the early stages of their career.

At the final, held at the MS Executive Committee on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, both first and third place went to Sii PGRs in what is a major achievement for our school.

MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research PhD student Emma Davies was named 2025 Early Career Microbiologist of the Year for her outstanding presentation ‘Alternative splicing diversifies the antiviral activity of OAS proteins’. 

The project showcases her cutting-edge work on antiviral immunity and gene regulation, and was supervised by Dr Adam Fletcher, who has now mentored back-to-back finalists in this highly-competitive award.

Speaking to the Microbiology Society shortly after receiving the award, Emma said: "It was a really great pleasure to present to this audience.

“It was really supportive, and I have no idea how the judges decided on the winner - the talks were absolutely fantastic, and it was great to see the research by these scientists.”

Announcing the news on X, the Microbiology Society posted: "Huge congratulations to Emma Davies, the winner of 2025's Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prize.

“We agree with Emma that all of the finalists' talks were brilliant; a massive well done to everyone involved!”

Phoebe Crossley, Microbiology PhD student at Sii, received third prize for her talk ‘Multi-omic analysis of the vaginal microenvironment: Revealing mechanisms of vulvovaginal and sexual health symptoms in women with benign gynaecological conditions’. 

Remarkably, this work was based on her undergraduate research project undertaken prior to joining Glasgow, highlighting her exceptional potential and early contribution to microbiology.

This double win not only reflects the calibre of the school’s early career researchers but also the supportive environment that enables them to thrive in national and international arenas.

Sii staff also played a key role in the broader event, with Bacteriology and Virology colleagues forming a significant portion of the senior academic contingent at this year’s Microbiology Society meeting.

First published: 23 October 2025

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