Support on the path to independence: four new researchers join the UK DRI Emerging Leader Programme

We are delighted to announce four new Emerging Leaders at the Institute: Dr Sophie Morse and Dr Johanna Jackson (both UK DRI at Imperial); Dr Emma Clayton (UK DRI at King’s) and Dr Philip Weston (UK DRI at UCL).

The Emerging Leader programme was established in 2021, to recognise and support highly achieving early career researchers on their journey towards starting an independent laboratory. The researchers are sponsored and hosted by a UK DRI Group Leader and recognised for their growing research experience and ability to secure a source of external funding.

Dr Sophie Morse joins the programme sponsored by Prof Paul Matthews, Centre Director of the UK DRI at Imperial, after becoming a European Talent Academy Fellow. Dr Morse’s research is focused on engineering ultrasound technologies to modulate activity in glial cells in the brain, with the aim to treat, prevent or delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. The Morse lab seeks to uncover the level of control this ultrasound technology can achieve, the mechanisms behind this modulation and how this technology is best applied to achieve therapeutic benefits as we age.

Find out more about Dr Sophie Morse.

Dr Jo Jackson joins the programme sponsored by Prof Paul Matthews. The Jackson lab uses multi-omics and imaging techniques to study synaptic component vulnerability in Alzheimer’s disease, with a view to identifying new targets and testing novel and repurposed therapeutics. Dr Jackson has previously led the £2 million Multi-‘omics Atlas Project at the UK DRI at Imperial; an open resource dedicated to the comprehensive, multi-‘omic mapping of the cellular pathology of AD.

Find out more about Dr Jo Jackson.

Dr Emma Clayton is sponsored by Dr Sarah Mizielinska, Group Leader at the UK DRI at King’s. She joins the programme after securing an Alzheimer’s Research UK Senior Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on synaptic dysfunction in genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr Clayton’s lab at the UK DRI will investigate presynaptic proteostasis, the process by which proteins are regulated to keep a cell in a healthy state, and the impact of dysfunctional presynaptic protein synthesis and degradation on the development and progression of FTD/ALS.

Find out more about Dr Emma Clayton.

Dr Phil Weston is an academic neurologist, and joins the Emerging Leader programme under the sponsorship of Prof Nick Fox, Group Leader at the UK DRI at UCL, after being awarded a Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust. Dr Weston’s lab aims to use cutting-edge brain imaging approaches to better characterize the nature, timing, and anatomical distribution of early changes in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, during the period before symptoms start.

Find out more about Dr Phil Weston.

Prof Siddharthan Chandran, UK DRI Director, said:

"I would like to congratulate our four new Emerging Leaders as they embark on this exciting new challenge. Starting an independent research programme is a major milestone in a scientist's career, but it can be daunting. The Emerging Leader programme provides vital support to researchers as they embark on this significant step. I look forward to following the accomplishments of these researchers as they continue to grow and develop.”

The four new Emerging Leaders join the existing cohort to make a total of 14 researchers currently in the programme. Read more about the initiative here.

Article published: 7 November 2023
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