Sponsored award winners
The Biochemical Society and Portland Press journals are proud to support the research community through sponsorship at scientific meetings and events, particularly when we have the opportunity to highlight and promote the work of early-career researchers in the molecular biosciences. If you would like to suggest a scientific meeting or event where one of our journals could support an award, please contact the Editorial Office. |
Sponsored by Portland Press
As part of Experimental Biology held 27-30th April in 2021, and 2-5th April in 2022, Portland Press are delighted to have sponsored the Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Portland Press Predoctoral Research Recognition Award. We would like to congratulate the winners and finalists below.
Winner of the Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Portland Press Predoctoral Research Recognition Award 2021

Finalists of the Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Portland Press Predoctoral Research Recognition Award 2021
- Luke Dunaway – University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Jamarius Waller – University of Mississippi Medical Center
Winner of the Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Portland Press Predoctoral Research Recognition Award 2022

Finalists of the Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Portland Press Predoctoral Research Recognition Award 2022
- Emily Burns – Augusta University
- Nathan Campbell – University of Mississippi Medical Center
Sponsored by Biochemical Journal
As part of the Biochemical Society’s Kinases and Pseudokinases Symposium held on 26 May 2021, a Biochemical Journal sponsored prize was awarded to Florentine Rutaganira for her excellent work.
Dr. Florentine Rutaganira is an HHMI Hanna H. Gray postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in the laboratory of Professor Nicole King. She uses chemistry to generate probes to study kinases in choanoflagellates, single-celled organisms that are the closest living relatives of animals. Recent sequencing efforts with choanoflagellates have uncovered many animal genes that are present in choanoflagellates. In particular, choanoflagellates have a large number of tyrosine kinases and phosphotyrosine phosphatases, signaling proteins that regulate many aspects of animal biology including intercellular communication. Since some choanoflagellates are able to form colonies, Dr. Rutaganira is studying whether tyrosine kinase signaling regulates choanoflagellate multicellular development. By studying choanoflagellates, she hopes to uncover new insight into human biology which may lead to new approaches to treat human disease.

Sponsored by Clinical Science
As part of Experimental Biology held 27-30th April 2021, Clinical Science are delighted to have sponsored the Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award. We would like to congratulate the winner below.
Winner of the Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award
Throughout Cam’s career, attenuation of cardiovascular diseases has been a consistent theme. Initially, this purpose was fulfilled through education in physical education and exercise science; however, since 2011, Cam has pursued training in the biomedical sciences, with particular emphasis on physiology and vascular biology. Given this background, Cam’s goal is to become a principal investigator and establish an independent research program in the fields of vascular physiology and pathophysiology of hypertension.
Within the hypertension field, Cam is particularly interested in premature vascular aging. It is well established that hypertension is a condition of premature vascular aging (relative to actual chronological age). In fact, many of the factors that contribute to the deterioration of vascular function as we age are accelerated and exacerbated in hypertension. Cam is interested in the underlying mechanisms as to why arteries from hypertensive animals and patients appear older than they actually are. He hypothesizes that a toxic accumulation of damaged organelles and cellular debris, as a result of an ineffective autophagy, causes cells in the vasculature to senesce and become dysfunctional. Furthermore, Cam is interested in elucidating novel mechanisms by which systemic upregulation/reconstitution of autophagy ameliorates the vascular aging phenotype and hypertension.
As part of the 33rd Annual Meeting Of the European Diabetic Nephropathy Study Group held 21-22nd May 2021, Clinical Science are delighted to have sponsored two poster prizes. We would like to congratulate the winners below.
Poster prizes sponsored by Clinical Science at EDNSG 2021
Dr Natalie Jones is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh working on a Kidney Research UK funded project with Dr Geoff Culshaw to selectively target renal sodium transporters with the aim of restoring pressure natriuresis and circadian regulation of blood pressure in Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Natalie’s interest in renal physiology was honed during her PhD project with Professor Matthew Bailey in Edinburgh looking at the lactate receptor, GPR81, and renal haemodynamic control.
Jussi Inkeri, MD graduated from the University of Oulu in 2013. He is currently Consultant Radiologist (Abdominal Imaging) at HUS Medical Imaging Center in Helsinki University Hospital. He is also PhD student at University of Helsinki and at FinnDiane Study Group in Folkhälsan Research Center in Helsinki. His research is focused on the cerebral vasculopathy in type 1 diabetes.
Category: Best Oral Presentation in the PhD student - Hamdi Jama
Category: Best Oral Presentation in the PhD student - André Felipe Rodrigues
Category: Best Oral Presentation in the Undergraduate student - Antonia Sanad
Category: Best Oral Presentation in the Post-Doctoral - Giacomo Rossitto
Clinical Science are delighted to have sponsored the 2022 Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award as part of Experimental Biology held 2-5th April 2022. We would like to congratulate the winner below.
Winner of the Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award 2022
Dr Reem Atawia is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Belin de Chantemerle Lab at the Medical College of Georgia-Augusta University. Reem’s current research focuses on studying the role of dysregulated endothelial bioenergetics in vascular endothelial pathologies associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes and lipodystrophy. Reem’s postdoctoral work was awarded the American Physiological Society (APS) postdoctoral fellowship and currently funded by the AHA postdoctoral fellowship.
Sponsored by Bioscience Reports
Bioscience Reports sponsored two poster presentation awards at the 44th Indian Biophysical Society Meeting 2022. Second place was awarded to Simran Arora for a presentation on ‘Crowding-induced effects on stability of ubiquitin-family proteins’, and third place was awarded to Parijat Das for a presentation on ‘Structure based modification of Omega Transaminases from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for industrial use’.