Image of awardees (Madeline Kavanagh second from left, Setu Kasera third from left) courtesy ABTA
PhD candidate Madeline Kavanagh and postdoctoral researcher Dr Setu Kasera received Honourable Mentions at the 5th ABTA (Association of British Turkish Academics) Doctoral Researcher Awards in May.
The purpose of the awards, held at University College London on 14 May, is to celebrate the achievements of young researchers in the UK and encourage them by acknowledging their contribution to the academic world.
Madeline, who is in the 3rd year of her graduate studies in the Abell research group, is investigating the biochemistry of M. tuberculosis enzymes and working towards developing new drugs to combat tuberculosis. Madeline is also a science communicator for the student-led Varsity magazine and Chem@Cam alumni magazine. She is a Commonwealth scholar and was awarded a Young Chemist Crossing Borders by the ACS and EYCN in 2015.
Setu, who completed her PhD in the Scherman group and is continuing as a research associate to commercialise the platform molecular sensing technology developed during her PhD, said, “It is very encouraging to have my research contributions recognised through this award.”
The host of the evening was another PhD candidate in the department, Derrick Roberts, who gave a superb performance on the stage, which made some think that he could consider becoming an anchorman as an alternative to being a university professor. Derrick, who was also a finalist in the 2015 awards, is a Gates Scholar in his 4th year, who is researching supramolecular chemistry with the Nitschke group. He has recently secured a prestigious Marie-Curie fellowship.
All awardees gave poster presentations to display their research, and were able to network with other finalists during a lunch reception. Awards were given in the categories of Natural & Life Sciences, Management & Social Sciences and Engineering Sciences.
The three keynote speakers gave interesting presentations on a range of topics. Professor Sir David Cox, a statistician from the University of Oxford, spoke on the significance of promoting science at the junior level. He was followed by Professor Uta Frith (UCL), who gave a particularly inspiring talk about expanding the diversity of people working in science, especially women. She reminded the audience of the unfortunate historical discrimination against female scientists, but was optimistic about the future, using encouraging statistics to demonstrate that “Pride and Prejudice” will not prevail. Professor Peter Grant (Edinburgh) then gave a talk on the scientific achievements of James Clerk Maxwell and his unique and influential place in modern physics. The ceremony ended with closing remarks by ABTA Director Dr Hasan Yardimci.
The Doctoral Researcher Awards is a competition organised by ABTA for PhD candidates and recent PhD recipients. Participants submit portfolios of their PhD research, which include a research statement, a representative publication and the applicant’s CV. The ABTA scientific committee shortlists the applications, and the shortlisted portfolios are sent to reviewers, who base awards on the overall quality of the work.