Saving pangolins, aiding global biomanufacturing and modelling Covid-19 for the NHS - University of Cambridge winners revealed
Helping to save the endangered pangolin, creating an open-source library of DNA for manufacturing enzymes and providing rapid Covid-19 modelling support for regional health systems are among the achievements recognised in University of Cambridge awards.
The Vice Chancellor’s Awards for Research Impact and Engagement, now in their seventh year, recognise outstanding achievement, innovation and creativity.
Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith, pro-vice-chancellor for research, said: “Cambridge is a global leader in interdisciplinary discovery and innovation with wide social, cultural and economic impact. These awards recognise examples of this impactful research.”
Acting vice-chancellor Dr Anthony Freeling said: “Impact is at the heart of the university’s mission. For over 800 years, we have contributed to society. Our world-leading research, recognised so strongly in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, underpins a huge range of innovations that create prosperity, improve our quality of life, protect the environment and enrich culture.
“Across the board, the nominations received were of an extremely high calibre. Moreover, they reflect the huge efforts and strong commitment of each of you to make a real difference to people’s lives locally, nationally and across the world.
“Thank you all for your efforts, and the efforts of our panel of judges, who I am sure had a fascinating but challenging time deciding the outcomes.”
Winners
Established Academic - Dr Jenny Molloy (Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology/School of Technology) for the Open Enzyme Collection: towards equitable and inclusive global biomanufacturing using synthetic biology
Dr Molloy was recognised for her work in developing the Open Enzyme Collection - an open source library of DNA for manufacturing critical reagents for biological research and molecular diagnostics.
This collection will help lower the barriers for low and middle income countries to the global bio-economy - using biology for sustainable manufacturing.
Among those barriers is the supply chain for biological reagents such as enzymes.
The Open Enzyme Collection has now been distributed to more than 500 labs in more than 50 countries, enabling synthetic biology education, diagnostics innovation and local manufacturing projects.
A non-profit spin-out, Beneficial Bio, is supporting entrepreneurs in six countries across Africa and Latin America to address reagent supply chain challenges and establish bioinnovation hubs.
The judges said: “This project shows a strong relationship between research and its subsequent ambitious application within a range of different labs and within a global context. The co-produced work with independent labs is extremely impressive and demonstrates the academic's commitment and passion. Her work with a range of end-users has ensured the impact is both measurable and sustained with new partnerships in developing countries planned.”
Early Career Researcher - Charles Agbor Emogor (Department of Zoology/School of Biological Sciences) for mobilising public and institutional support for pangolin conservation
Charles, a Nigerian zoologist, has transformed his research into tools to tackle pangolin poaching and trafficking.
The non-profit he founded, Pangolino, mobilises public and institutional support for what is the world’s most trafficked wild mammal.
Works with hunters around pangolin habitats, he probes the dynamics of pangolin threats, and he engaged with more than 200 students and 1,000 adults across six communities in south-east Nigeria who are learning how to help save pangolins from extinction.
Pangolino hosts the world’s only pangolin scale converter, which enables stakeholders to obtain estimates of the number of pangolins involved in the illegal pangolin trade.
The judges said: "The researcher is clearly passionate and actively engaged with the local communities and other stakeholders and their use of innovative tools and creative engagement activities such as screenings, posters and t-shirts is to be commended."
Collaboration Award - Professor Stefan Scholtes (The Cambridge Centre for Health Leadership and Enterprise, Judge Business School/School of Technology) for rapid Covid-19 modelling support for regional health systems in England
The CCHLE played a key role in evidence-informed healthcare decision making during the Covid-19 pandemic by working with Public Health England (PHE) and the NHS in the East of England.
It provided modelling and forecasts based on complex and rapidly developing data on regional Covid cases and hospital bed usage, helping PHE manage regional healthcare operations and make decisions to save lives.
The judges said: “An extremely timely and highly impactful collaboration with public health officials, and clinical decision-makers to help address acute challenges during the pandemic. The development of these pivotal partnerships clearly enabled vital decisions to be taken around weekly case rates and bed occupancy and the researchers responded swiftly to changing situations and demands.”
Professional Services Award - Dr Marla Fuchs (Department of Plant Sciences/School of Biological Sciences) for TIGR2ESS (Transforming India’s Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies), a UK-India collaboration driving high-level policy engagement and positive outcomes for rural communities in India
A £7.8million programme funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Grow Call to tackle key research issues and their translation, TIGR2ESS aims to bring resilience, equal opportunities and diversity to the food system in India.
Dr Fuchs has enabled collaboration between 20 independent international organisations, supported more than 30 post-doctoral researchers and co-ordinated 15 academic leads in pursuit of more sustainable agriculture in India, through academic exchanges, engagement with rural communities, female empowerment and translation into policy.
It has helped to shape policy to support smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, supporting two million farmers to access markets in Punjab, saved 58 billion litres of water through more efficient irrigation practices, and supports early career researchers. It is helping to develop heat and drought-resistant crops for harsh climates.
The judges said: “The impact of this project is truly epic in scale and importance. The project has had a huge influence on people and communities in the developing world. This was demonstrated through the exemplary and very large scale of engagement that has been managed and undertaken, working in close collaboration with partners.”
Runners-up
Established Academic
- Professor Khaled Soufani (Cambridge Judge Business School/School of Technology) - The Circular Economy: developing environmentally, economically and financially sustainable business models
- Dr Jodi Gardner (Faculty of Law/School of Humanities and Social Sciences) - Understanding Credit and the Cost-of-Living Crisis
Early Career Researcher
- Dr Ems Lord (NRICH, Faculty of Mathematics/School of Physical Sciences) - Going Deeper in the Primary Maths Classroom
- Dr Sophia Cooke (Department of Geography/Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) - Co-Galapagos: catalysing community action for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development
Collaboration Award
- Dr Lara Mani (Centre for the Study of Existential Risk/School of Arts and Humanities) -La Soufrière, St Vincent explosive volcanic eruption: Evaluation of public crisis communications
- Professor Tony Kouzarides (Milner Therapeutics Institute/School of Biological Sciences) - Impact through partnership: combining the strengths of academia and business to accelerate the path from discovery to therapy
- Dr Johannes Lenhard (Max Planck Cambridge Centre for Ethics, Economy and Social Change, Department of Social Anthropology/School of Arts and Humanities) - Cambridge Homelessness Impact and Research Network - Making research count for people experiencing homelessness
Professional Services Award
- Rebecca Leam and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Department of Politics and International Studies/School of Humanities and Social Sciences) - Levelling Up
