Our Lister Prize Winners for 2026
24 June 2026 / Lister Institute Fellows Lister News
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In conversation with Chris Hill
This year we are delighted to again award the Lister Prize to eight outstanding biomedical scientists. Each new Fellow will receive a lump sum of £300,000 of flexible funding to spend over five years to further their research. We welcome these remarkable researchers to the Lister community, and we look forward to supporting their work in the years to come.
Members of our Scientific Committee rigorously evaluate all applications to the Lister Prize and select the final winners.
Professor Anne Rosser, who chairs the committee, said:
“The standard of applications this year was exceptionally high, reflecting the strength and breadth of early-career biomedical research across the UK and Ireland. The eight scientists selected as 2026 Lister Prize Fellows stood out for the originality of their questions, the quality of their science, and the potential of their work to open up new areas of understanding. They represent an exciting cohort of future leaders in biomedical research.”
Professor Sir John Iredale, chair of the Lister Institute, commented on how the Lister Prize fulfils the charity's mission.
“The Lister Prize exists to back exceptional early-career researchers at the moment when bold ideas can have the greatest impact,” he said. “This year’s Fellows exemplify the ambition, originality and scientific excellence needed to tackle some of the most important biomedical challenges of our time. We are proud to support them as they shape the future of research in the UK and Ireland.”
Dr Chris Greene
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Chris’s group investigates the blood-brain barrier, the specialised set of properties in the central nervous system vasculature that controls what can move in and out of the brain. When this barrier breaks down, material in the blood such as serum proteins can seep into the brain leading to hyperexcitability and neurodegeneration. With this prize, Chris will investigate if differences in the patterning of the cerebral vasculature between hemispheres shapes the lateralisation of cognitive functions and if this is disrupted in schizophrenia.
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It’s a privilege to receive this prize fund that will allow my group to answer fundamental questions that could redefine how we understand the very organisation of our brain and the development of psychiatric disorders. It’s a real honour to be able to connect with a diverse group of talented scientists across Ireland and the UK that will help to establish new collaborations to drive my vision forward.”
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Dr Mark Hanson
University of Exeter
What determines the outcome of a given infection? Whether at the individual level, population level, or across species, variation in our immune response is widespread. Mark’s lab studies these questions using a fruit fly model system. His team has detailed an intuitive logic to explain why key host defence genes – known as antimicrobial peptides – have evolved to their current forms, and is now studying the varying ways animals can activate their production.
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The Lister Prize is an incredible gift and opportunity to pursue something I believe could start a revolution in my field, but also others. My group will pursue an ambitious and challenging task earnestly, but the benefits of that labour will ripple outward. We will develop genetic tools in a non-model system that rival some of the approaches of the premier genetic workhorse, Drosophila melanogaster. These tools will enable us to ask topical questions regarding the rules of immune system evolution, with implications for zoonotic disease transmission, and what forces shape our immune system’s first responders.”
Dr Anjali Hinch
University of Oxford
As women age, fertility declines and the risks of miscarriage and genetic disease in children increase sharply. Anjali studies how ageing damages the genomes of human oocytes (egg cells). Her research combines large-scale human genomics with experimental biology to uncover how the oocyte genome becomes vulnerable to DNA damage over time. By mapping DNA damage and repair across the genome, her work aims to provide a new perspective on reproductive ageing while establishing a broader framework for studying genome instability in long-lived cells.
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Winning the Lister Prize is a tremendous honour and will give my lab the freedom to pursue an ambitious and highly interdisciplinary new research direction. The flexible funding will allow us to move quickly and creatively between human genomics and experimental biology to tackle fundamental questions in reproductive ageing that have historically been very difficult to study. I’m also excited to join the Lister community of scientists pursuing bold biological research with the potential to transform our understanding of human disease.”
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Dr Janin Lautenschläger
University College London
Janin’s group focuses on the biophysical principles that govern neuronal organisation and how their breakdown contributes to neurodegeneration. In particular, she investigates how phase separation of alpha-synuclein and associated synaptic proteins encodes spatiotemporal organisation at nerve terminals. By combining quantitative biophysics, advanced imaging, cellular and neuronal models, Janin aims to define how membrane-less condensates and their dysfunction affect synaptic functioning in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.
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The Lister Prize is a significant recognition of our research and will accelerate our efforts to dissect the role of alpha-synuclein condensate dysfunction. It will enable the adoption of cutting-edge models and imaging, fostering new collaborations and strengthening our ability to translate fundamental discoveries into a deeper understanding of Parkinson’s disease. I’m incredibly grateful to the Lister Institute for supporting us.”
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Dr Girish Mali
University of Oxford
Girish’s group investigates how cells build molecular motors called dyneins that power the beating motion of motile cilia in the lungs. Ciliary beating clears airway pathogens, preventing lung infections. Defective dynein synthesis stalls cilia, causing a severe, potentially fatal incurable lung disease called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). His team combines biochemical, structural and cell biological approaches to dissect the molecular mechanisms of dynein synthesis in health and disease. These studies have significant implications for developing treatments to bolster respiratory resilience.
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It is a tremendous honour for me and my group to receive the Lister Prize this year. This award will enable us to apply cutting-edge tools to understand the mechanisms that make lung cilia move and model the related respiratory ciliopathy, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), to push the frontiers of cilia biology in health and disease. This new direction will help us tackle a long-standing challenge – finding a viable cure for PCD. I am thrilled to be joining the Lister community and look forward to forging exciting new collaborations.”
Dr Naomi Moris
The Francis Crick Institute
Naomi is a developmental biologist focused on early human embryogenesis. Her group uses stem cell-based embryo models to investigate the regulatory logic underlying how pluripotent cells lead to organised cell fates. By combining experimental embryology with stem cell biology, the lab dissects how dynamic tissue-tissue interactions drive cell fate decisions and morphogenesis. This work offers new insights into fundamental developmental processes and carries longer-term implications for understanding congenital abnormalities.
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I am delighted to have received the Lister Prize, which will allow us to explore new avenues of research into the mechanisms of early human development. It is an honour to join with the other Fellows and be part of a new community of researchers at the top of their respective fields, and I am very grateful for the recognition which is in large part due to my amazing team of researchers who continually strive to push boundaries and do excellent science.”
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Dr Aran Singanayagam
Imperial College London
Aran’s research focuses on the lung microbiome, a nascent field that was discovered just over a decade ago. His laboratory uses cutting-edge immunological and molecular microbiological techniques to elucidate functional roles of commensal microorganisms residing within the respiratory tract. Aran’s team seeks to understand how commensals within the microbiota regulate immune homeostasis in health and how perturbations that occur in chronic lung diseases, such as COPD, lead to immune dysregulation and impaired protection against pathogens.
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Receiving the Lister Prize is a huge honour and will have a profound impact upon my career trajectory. It will allow my group to embark on an exciting new avenue studying the role of resident fungal commensals within the lungs, an area where there is currently very limited knowledge. I also look forward to joining the Lister Fellows community which will undoubtedly bolster our progress through fostering new inter-disciplinary collaborations.”
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Dr Iva Tchasovnikarova
University of Cambridge
Iva’s group studies fundamental epigenetic pathways and the mechanisms through which these processes are corrupted by disease-associated mutations in chromatin regulators. Her team aims to understand the molecular mechanisms utilised by chromatin regulators to exert their function in healthy human cells, and to examine how these mechanisms are altered in human disorders on a molecular level. By exploiting and developing high-throughput genetic techniques, Iva aims to identify novel epigenetic regulators that can be exploited therapeutically.
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It is an honour to be one of the lucky recipients of the Lister Prize this year. The award will allow us to dive into an exciting new area of research and uncover new regulators of a fundamental, yet poorly understood, cellular process. I am thrilled to join a community of such impressive scientists and look forward to exchanging ideas at the annual meetings.”
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Apply for the 2027 Lister Prize Fellowship
The Lister Prize is widely regarded as one of the most transformative grants for early-career biomedical researchers in the UK. It has played a vital role in nurturing prominent research leaders, brought stability to fledgling research groups, and helped mentor cross-disciplinary visionaries.
Applications for the 2027 Lister Prize will open in July 2026. We welcome applications from early-career biomedical researchers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland who feel that the funding would make a major difference to their work. The Prize includes £300,000 (awarded as a lump sum grant) that must be spent within five years. It is completely flexible and can be used for any research costs and expenses, including the salaries of post-doctoral workers, technicians, or PhD students, but not the winner’s own salary.
Please keep an eye on the website and follow us on social media for further announcements.
