Babraham Institute hosts Newton International Fellow

A fellowship to host Dr Wim Pierson at the Babraham Institute is one of the Newton International Fellowships announced yesterday. The Newton International Fellowships are awarded jointly by two of the UK’s national research academies – the British Academy and the Royal Society.

 

Wim has joined the research group of Dr Michelle Linterman, who is a group leader in the Institute’s Lymphocyte Signalling and Development Programme. Over the next two years, Wim will investigate why the function of the immune system declines with age. This decline is responsible for why elderly people are more susceptible to infections and show decreased responsiveness to vaccination. Strategies to improve vaccine efficacy in the older population are therefore urgently required and would have a major impact on the morbidity and mortality caused by preventable diseases.
 
Babraham Institute Director, Professor Michael Wakelam said: “Wim’s research will enormously benefit from the environment here at the Institute. We welcome his contribution to our world-class research into the biological mechanisms underpinning healthy ageing and wellbeing, and invite Wim to grasp all the opportunities available to develop his knowledge, scientific skills and networks.”
 
The Newton International Fellowships provide an opportunity for some of the most talented early career post-doctoral researchers working overseas to carry out world class research in UK institutions across all disciplines of humanities, engineering, and natural and social sciences. Fellows will each receive support in the region of £100,000 for a two year placement in the UK.
 
Dr Wim Pierson, Newton International Fellow at the Babraham Institute said: “The fellowship will help me to further deepen my understanding of the many changes that occur in the aging immune system, not just on a molecular level but by being able to visualise these processes using the advanced imaging systems available at the Institute. In addition to benefiting from the interactions between the diverse research groups working on different facets of ageing at the Institute, the local commitment to knowledge exchange means that there are also regular lectures by world renowned experts in this field.”



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