Fellowship award will allow Leicester researcher to launch genetic study of lung disease
A University of Leicester researcher has been awarded a prestigious Royal Society Career Development Fellowship to lead a groundbreaking study into the genomics of bronchiectasis.
Over the course of the four-year Fellowship, Dr Kayesha Coley will perform the first large-scale genetic studies of bronchiectasis – the third most common chronic lung disease. Her Fellowship will leverage diverse population studies and facilitate the generation of genomic datasets for the BRIDGE study, a clinical bronchiectasis cohort led by the University of Dundee.
The project aims to unravel the biological mechanisms underlying bronchiectasis and its progression, which will also offer broader insights into lung physiology and respiratory health. A key goal of the study is to identify potential therapeutic targets to support the development of much-needed treatments.
Dr Coley, a Research Associate in the Division of Public Health and Epidemiology, said: “I am delighted to begin this incredibly important research project and to join such an outstanding group of Career Development Fellows. This Fellowship is an exciting step towards research independence, and with the support from the University of Leicester and our collaborators, I look forward to advancing our understanding of bronchiectasis and drive discoveries that could have a positive impact on patients.”
The Royal Society Career Development Fellows is a pilot scheme aimed at addressing underrepresentation in UK STEM academia.
The pilot, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Royal Society, offers four years of funding and training activities to help researchers who have recently completed their PhD to establish independent research careers in UK academia. Building on the tailored support provided to the first cohort of fellows, award holders will also have access to mentoring opportunities supported by the Black British Professionals in STEM (BBSTEM) network.
The programme is currently focused on researchers from Black and Mixed Black heritage with a connection to the UK or UK academia. If successful, the pilot programme might be broadened to include researchers from other underrepresented groups.
The scheme was launched in response to long-standing disparities in academic career progression. Analysis of Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) data shows that researchers from Black heritage backgrounds leave academia at higher rates than other groups, with just 3% of Black heritage staff working at F1 Professor level compared to 13% of White STEM academics.