Five students secured £5,000 each to further their research in the first Student Excellence Awards held by the Pandemic Institute in Liverpool, sponsored by COVID testing firm DAM Health

Liverpool’s Pandemic Institute hosted its first Student Excellence Awards, boosting the career development opportunities of PhD students who could be at the forefront of the fight against future pandemics.

Sponsored by Liverpool-based diagnostics and in-clinic COVID-19 testing company DAM Health, five students working in the areas of infection or diagnostics were presented with £5,000 each. The institute was set up last year with an initial £10m of funding.

The grants will enable the students to further their research by attending international conferences or take up world-leading training and development opportunities. Their  projects span the breadth of antimicrobial resistance, mosquito transmitted viruses, vaccines against respiratory disease and novel approaches to pathogen detection.

READ MORE: £1.3m Liverpool project to combat infections

The award recipients, who are studying at the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine or Liverpool John Moores University, were presented their awards by Professor Matt Ashton, Liverpool’s Director of Public Health.

The ceremony, which was attended by business, civic and political leaders from across the Liverpool City Region, took place at The Spine on Paddington Village, which is located in the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool Innovation District (KQ Liverpool).

Professor Matthew Baylis, director of the Pandemic Institute, said: “We often think of pandemic preparedness in terms of new vaccines, medicines or diagnostic tests, but a big part is investing in the workforce who will develop these innovations and help combat future disease outbreaks.

“I am therefore delighted that DAM Health has partnered with the Pandemic Institute and given funding to enhance the training of local PhD students. We are incredibly grateful to Frank Joseph and his team, and proud of our PhD students for their great work.

“Today’s Student Excellence Awards event will, we hope, be the first of many as the Pandemic Institute works with local, national and international organisations to help prepare the world better for future pandemics.”

Student Excellence Award winners include: Ryan Robinson, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; Helen Savage, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; Rachel Byrne, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; Valeria Carini, Liverpool John Moores University; Nicola Seechurn, University of Liverpool.