Bioengineering PhD student wins national award for science writing

Vanessa Drevenakova’s award-winning article on brain ageing research has reached wider audiences through national media coverage and a later reflection on how patient responses changed the way she shares science.

A Bioengineering PhD student at Imperial has won national recognition for her science writing, with her award-winning article helping bring research into brain ageing to patients, families and the wider public.

Vanessa Drevenakova, a PhD student in the Department of Bioengineering and the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial, won the writing category of the 2025 MRC Max Perutz Award for her article on brain ageing research.

Research into brain ageing

Vanessa’s article explored whether focused ultrasound could help restore the function of ageing microglia, the brain’s immune cells, which play an important role in maintaining brain health over time. Her PhD research focuses on whether non-invasive focused ultrasound can help ageing microglia behave more as they do in younger brains, with the aim of improving understanding of how cognitive decline associated with ageing might be slowed or prevented.

From award-winning article to wider public engagement

After winning the award, Vanessa’s writing reached wider audiences through publication in The Observer and television interviews in the UK and Slovakia. She later wrote about that experience in a blog post for UKRI, reflecting on how responses from patients and families affected by dementia, Parkinson’s disease and cognitive decline changed the way she thinks about communicating her work.

Vanessa said: “Winning the award gave me the opportunity to share my research far beyond academia. What stayed with me most was hearing from patients and families, and being reminded how much clear communication matters.”

A personal reflection on communication and research

In her UKRI blog post, Vanessa describes receiving emails and even a handwritten letter from patients and families asking to take part in the research. She writes that these messages made the work feel “closer, heavier, and more real”, and prompted her to think more carefully about how to discuss research that is still at a pre-clinical stage.

She said: “People want to know when research might make a difference in practice. That has made me think even more carefully about how we talk about progress in a way that is hopeful, but also honest.”

Communicating complex science clearly

Vanessa has said the experience reinforced the importance of making complex science accessible without losing rigour. In her UKRI reflection, she describes learning to balance realism with hope when speaking directly to people affected by the conditions her research aims to address.

She said: “I now think much more about being understood and making the science relatable.”

Moulded by public engagement

Vanessa’s approach to communication has been influenced by her time in the Department of Bioengineering, including opportunities to engage with the public at events such as the Great Exhibition Road Festival.

“People are genuinely curious about what we do,” she said. “Those conversations really highlight how important outreach is and shape the way you communicate.”

She hopes those who engage with her research will come away feeling hopeful about the future of brain health and curious about emerging technologies.

Vanessa also acknowledged the support of the Medical Research Council, The Observer, and the MRC Max Perutz Award for championing science communication, as well as her supervisor, Dr Sophie Morse, collaborators and funders for creating the environment that makes this work possible.