Chancellor's Fellows 2024 - round two

Welcoming ten new fellows to the College.

We're delighted to introduce the early career researchers below, who have been awarded a Chancellor's Fellowship with the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Over the course of the next five years they will  be supported in developing their ideas and finding their future place in our thriving research community.

	Alexandra Bellows Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems Alexa uses epidemiology and systems science to study how food system transformations can promote the adoption of healthy and sustainable diets. As a Chancellor’s Fellow, she will develop new methods to advance food systems science and establish the Food Systems Monitoring and Evaluation Hub (MENU) at the University of Edinburgh.
	Stefano Comazzetto Centre for Inflamation Research, IRR During ageing our tissues accumulate cells with different mutations, leading to an increase risk of developing several morbidities including cancer. Clonal haematopoiesis an example of such a process, is commonly found in the ageing population, and increases the risk of developing haematological diseases and overall mortality. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Stefano will focus on the impact of nutrients and the diet on clonal haematopoiesis and its progression to malignancies. His ultimate goal is to translate such basic findings into novel pharmacological strategies to prevent the progression of clonal haematopoiesis to haematological malignancies.
	Giulia De Togni Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute As a social scientist working in medicine, Giulia’s research focuses on the social and ethical implications of current and future advancements in AI and robotics within the health and care sectors. For her Chancellor’s Fellowship, she will develop novel interdisciplinary cross-cultural research and knowledge exchange on responsible innovation to help ensure that AI and robotic healthcare technologies are designed, deployed, and used for social benefit.
	Mahesh Karnani Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, INCR The growing obesity epidemic and eating disorders like anorexia could be understood and addressed better if we knew how the brain controls feeding. Mahesh will study how forebrain regions are implicated in anorexia, like the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus, control feeding through synaptic communication during meals. He uses cellular resolution optical and electrophysiological recording techniques combined with pharmacogenetic and optogenetic interventions to investigate these evolutionarily ancient brain mechanisms.
	Gianfranco Matrone Centre for Cardiovascular Science My research focuses on posttranslational modifications of proteins and their role in tissue regeneration. I am especially interested to understand the role of the S-nitrosylation in the re-activation of cardiomyocytes proliferation after cardiac injury. Using zebrafish and mouse models, my work addresses the challenge of promoting repair in the human heart following myocardial infarction.
	Dr Jessica Mitchell The Roslin Institute Jess' fellowship will focus on understanding the drivers and impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildlife.  She will take a transdisciplinary approach to this challenge by engaging the conservation and wildlife veterinary sector as co-producers of knowledge and data via community engagement interventions.  Her vision is to ensure data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the wildlife and conservation sector are incorporated into One Health action planning at a global level.
	Chloe Stanton Centre for Inflamation Research, IRR Sight loss in later life has a profound impact on affected individuals, their families and, in an aging population, upon society. Chloe will investigate common and rare forms of age-related retinal degeneration to identify genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying cellular dysfunction in the retina and may be targets for future therapy. Spanning basic and translational science and with strong links to clinical research, this work will improve understanding of disease initiation and progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD) and advance novel therapeutic strategies for prevention, regeneration or repair.
	Güneş Taylor Centre for Reproductive Health, IRR Güneș’ research programme seeks to serve female health and fertility needs by deepening our understanding of the cells supporting egg growth within the ovary. The molecular mechanisms driving the specification and function of supporting pregranulosa cells within the ovary will be investigated using a combination of animal models and technical approaches.
	Rebekah Tillotson MRC Human Genetics Unit Rebekah studies a class of rare monogenic disorders resulting from mutations in chromatin factors. By investigating how biological processes are disrupted in these disorders, she will dissect how chromatin factors function and uncover therapeutic strategies. Her research programme will initially focus on ATR-X syndrome, before expanding to other “chromatinopathies” with the goal of identifying shared molecular mechanisms that can be targeted by common treatments.
	Ansgar Zoch MRC Human Genetics Unit, IGC Ansgar is researching genome defence mechanisms in the germline that ensure our genome is passed safely to the next generation. His Chancellor’s Fellowship will focus on how the piRNA pathway epigenetically silences transposable elements, so called jumping genes encoded in our genome, to ensure fertility and healthy offspring.