Young Investigator Award

Young Investigator Award 2024

Awards will be made to two outstanding young investigators providing the opportunity to present a 20-minute résumé of their research, its impact, and their future investigative plans.

• The award is aimed at young investigators transitioning to or having just achieved independent researcher status
• Applicants may be clinical or non-clinical
• Applicants must have a substantial record of research achievement and demonstrable ability to present in English to an international audience
• The award will cover the registration fee for the full 4-day Neonatal Update 2024 meeting (Monday 25 - Thursday 28 November 2024)
• Awards will be judged competitively; no award will be made if a satisfactory standard of application is not received.

Abstract submission will open on 13 May and close 31 July 2024. 

Application Process

Please submit the following to neonatal.update@imperial.ac.uk with ‘YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD’ in the subject line:

• one page CV
• summary of no more than 300 words of your proposed presentation which should cover what you have done and what you plan to do next to improve newborn care
• a covering letter from your Head of Department, recommending you and confirming your ability to deliver your presentation in English to an international audience.

Winners will be notified by 06 September 2024. 

The Award Committee was very impressed with the quality of submissions in 2023 and as a result decided to extend the award to four young investigators. The winners of the Young Investigator Award 2023 were Dr Emma Dunne (The National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), Dr Tim Hundscheid (Amalia Children’s Hospital, The Netherlands), Dr Ariel Salas (University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA) and Dr Wissam Shalish (McGill University, Canada).

• Dr Dunne presented her research on thermoregulation in preterm infants  
• Dr Hundscheid discussed his work on whether to treat a patent ductus arteriosus in extreme prematurity
• Dr Salas presented his work on forging a transformative path to early full enteral nutrition for preterm infants through pilot clinical trials
• Dr Wissam Shalish presented his research on reimagining apnea monitoring in the NICU future