On November 12th, Lister Institute Chair Professor Sir John Iredale and Director Dr Sally Burtles travelled to the University of Manchester to present Dr Fiona Whelan with the Lister Prize. Fiona is one of 2023’s Lister Prize winners.
Proceedings began with an introduction from Professor Simon Hubbard, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the university, who spoke briefly about Fiona and her work on medically important microorganisms.
Fiona then gave a talk on her recent research, explaining the importance of understanding how different strains of “commensal” organisms – often ignored in research into various infectious diseases – can affect the ability of key pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa to cause disease in diseases like cystic fibrosis.
John Iredale took the stage to introduce the Lister Institute to the audience before presenting Fiona with the Prize. Following the talks was a tea and coffee reception for the guests, before Sally, John and Fiona enjoyed a lunch with Simon Hubbard and Fiona’s colleagues Raymond O’Keefe, Professor of Molecular Genetics, Professor Mike Brockhurst, Chair in Evolutionary Biology.
Several familiar faces from the Lister community were also present at the event, including 2023 Lister Fellow John Knight, 2019 Prize winner Joanne Konkel, former Lister Fellow Matthew Hepburn and former Scientific Committee member Professor Judi Allen.
“It was such a fantastic and unique experience to have representatives of the Lister Institute as visitors to the University of Manchester. Obtaining a Lister Fellowship has absolutely transformed my career; being part of this unique community of biomedical scholars has opened up so many doors and allowed me to ramp up the research that we are conducting within my group,” said Fiona.
“It was excellent to see so many members of the Lister Community at Fiona’s talk – present and former Lister Fellows and a former member of the Scientific Committee. At the presentation and during the refreshments afterwards I had the impression of a very vibrant and dynamic environment and it appeared that Fiona had slotted in very well and was forging many new and successful relationships,” said Sally Burtles.
Learn more about Fiona’s research
