Vaccinology specialist Dr Priscilla Tng is one of 15 promising UK researchers to have been awarded a Fellowship by UK Research and Innovation’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
A BBSRC Discovery Fellow in the African Swine Fever Vaccinology group at The Pirbright Institute, Priscilla is working on understanding porcine immune responses to African swine fever virus (ASFV) to support the development of subunit vaccines.
The Fellowship is part of a £6 million BBSRC investment in the future of biosciences. Now in its 10th year, the BBSRC Fellowship Scheme has become a cornerstone for supporting emerging bioscience leaders, offering early-career researchers a unique opportunity to pursue independent research.
Dr Tng said: “I am delighted and grateful for this amazing Fellowship award, which has the potential to make a huge impact on my career by supporting my research interests.
My focus will be on studying the complex interactions between ASFV and host cells in tissues using organ derived cultures. African swine fever is a major threat not just to pig health and welfare, but also to global food security. Hence, there is a need to develop better control strategies.
My research will provide insights into the differences in host immune responses to ASFV infection for the development of more effective disease control strategies.”
From unravelling the genomic secrets of timekeeping in mammals to nitrogen fixation in the human gut, BBSRC has selected Fellows who tackle challenges that extend the frontiers of bioscience knowledge and application.
Dr Robert Hardwick, Interim Associate Director for People, Talent and Culture at BBSRC said: “We are immensely proud to support all 15 outstanding researchers through our Fellowship scheme. Their projects not only demonstrate remarkable scientific promise, but also the potential to address pressing global challenges.”
Professor Bryan Charleston MRCVS FRS, Director of The Pirbright Institute, added: “We are delighted that BBSRC is supporting Priscilla’s work through the Fellowship award. Dr Tng has extensive experience in a broad range of disciplines that can be applied to make this fellowship a success. The Fellowship will help BBSRC, Priscilla, and the Institute pioneer the future of biosciences.”
BBSRC’s Discovery Fellowships are designed for ambitious early-career researchers aspiring to make substantial contributions to their fields.
To learn more, watch BBSRC’s video playlist and hear from Fellows past and present about what makes a standout fellowship application.
