The winners of the inaugural BSI Immunology Awards have been announced!
The eleven winners were revealed at a ceremony on Thursday 20 April as part of our 'Transforming the immunology landscape' event, which saw the immunology community come together in a one-of-a-kind showcase of extraordinary work that will shape the future of the field.
Scroll down to find out who won.
The BSI Immunology Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of individuals and teams shaping the future of immunology. We would like to congratulate all of the winners for this fantastic achievement.
You can find out more about the exceptional people working in our field by reading interviews with the winners of our Outstanding Ambassador for Immunology and Outstanding Contribution to the BSI awards, both of which were shortlisted by the BSI staff.
Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology, said:
We are thrilled to recognise the achievements of these extraordinary individuals. Each of them dedicates their time and expertise to shaping the future of immunology, in many cases away from the limelight. Their efforts will ensure a brighter future for our field.
Our heartfelt congratulations go to everyone who was shortlisted or nominated, and a huge thank you is due to our judges, those who nominated someone, the BSI Nominations Committee and everyone who was involved in making these awards a success. The response shows just how vibrant, supportive and talented the field of immunology is. Long may that continue.
For the BSI Outstanding Ambassador for Immunology Award and the Outstanding Contribution to the BSI Award, BSI staff drew up a shortlist of suggestions after consultation with BSI committee members. This shortlist was then reviewed by the BSI Nominations Committee. The remaining six awards were open to nominations, and a shortlist was selected after careful review and deliberation by an expert judging panel, whose recommendation was then ratified by the BSI Nominations Committee.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors who are supporting this event. The Kennedy Trust is a Principal Sponsor, Miltenyi Biotec is a Sponsor and Mabtech is a Supporter of 'Transforming the immunology landscape'.
Winners
BSI Outstanding Ambassador for Immunology Award – Professor Danny Altmann, Imperial College London, UK and Dr Victoria Male, Imperial College London, UK
Outstanding Contribution to the BSI Award – Professor Gary Entrican, University of Edinburgh, UK
BSI Research Excellence Award – Professor Lucy Walker, University College London, UK
BSI Early Career Research Excellence Award – Dr George Robinson, University College London, UK
BSI Outstanding Team Award – Northern Ireland Multiple Sclerosis Research Network, Queen's University Belfast / Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
BSI Diversity and Inclusion Award – Tomi Akingbade, University of Cambridge, UK and Dr Donald Palmer, Royal Veterinary College, UK
BSI Public Engagement Award – Professor Sheena Cruickshank, University of Manchester, UK
BSI Immunology Teaching Excellence Award – Dr Sophie Rutschmann, Imperial College London, UK and Dr Tom Wilkinson, Swansea University, UK
BSI Outstanding Leadership Award – no winner was announced for this category due to the overall lack of diverse representation in the submissions received, in particular the lack of women nominees. This decision was taken after careful consideration and thorough consultation with the BSI Nominations Committee and the judging panel. This is not a reflection of the quality or merit of individuals nominated – we greatly appreciate their outstanding leadership work, and the time and effort spent by those that nominated them.
We are committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work, and this includes the BSI Immunology Awards. We encourage all our members to take a look at our Diversity & Inclusion framework, and to get in touch with questions or comments at inclusion@immunology.org.
Judges
BSI Early Career Research Excellence Award, BSI Immunology Research Excellence Award, BSI Outstanding Leadership Award, BSI Outstanding Team Award
- Professor Deborah Dunn-Walters, University of Surrey, UK
- Emma Koppe, GSK, UK
- Dr Divya Shah, Wellcome Trust, UK
- Dr Matthew Siggins, Imperial College London, UK
- Dr Kavitha Sooriyakumar, University Hospitals Birmingham, UK
BSI Diversity and Inclusion Award
- Professor Gary Entrican, University of Edinburgh, UK
- Dr Faith Uwadiae, Wellcome Trust, UK
- Dr Anna Zecharia, British Pharmacological Society, UK
BSI Public Engagement Award
- Professor Matthias Eberl, Cardiff University, UK
- Dr Sean Elias, University of Oxford, UK
- Dr Cristina Fonseca, Science Communicator
- Dr Lana Woolford, University of Edinburgh, UK
BSI Immunology Teaching Excellence Award
- Dr Fiona Culley, Imperial College London, UK
- Dr Nigel Francis, Cardiff University, UK
- Dr Donald Palmer, Royal Veterinary College, UK