Leicester researchers scoop early career award

University researchers Merissa Elizabeth Hickman and Dr Mahmoud-Khairy Nouetou, have been awarded early career awards for their work.

The Dorothy Bishop Prize by the UK Reducibility Network (UKRN) celebrates the contributions of early career researchers working to promote open research and improve research culture.

They are among three winners to claim the £500 prize along with a Lego miniature of Dorothy Bishop (a Doscar).

Merissa is a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester conducting interdisciplinary research spanning genomics, medical sociology, and public policy.  

Her work examines how pre-pregnancy health is governed within policy in England and involves analysing policy documents to trace how problems are represented, responsibility allocated, and how particular reproductive subjects are produced.

Speaking about the prize, she said: “It is incredibly meaningful to be recognised by this award. As a qualitative researcher, transparency in research is particularly important to me, especially in a field where critical analysis and interpretation are not always easily shared. I am grateful to the committee for recognising my efforts in this area.” 

Mahmoud is a Research Fellow focused on language processing and neurodiversity.

Their work is rooted in the belief that “reproducibility” is not just a technical standard, but a moral obligation to be rigorous and inclusive. 

Mahmoud also advocates for a research culture that protects under-represented scholars. This includes refining analytical decision-making, optimizing coding workflows, establishing transparent frameworks for credit to address privilege, and making sure open research is an equity tool to make scientific process as robust and inclusive as populations we study, ensuring reproducibility and belonging go hand-in-hand. 

Mahmoud said: “Winning the Dorothy Bishop Prize is a huge honour, but more importantly, it is also a huge time to acknowledge the structural barriers that often render early career researchers and under-represented individuals invisible. 

“This prize highlights that our research is only as reproducible as our collaborations are strong. It serves as a reminder that we have moved forward but there is so much work to do to make sure we all walk together.”

A spokesperson for the Network said: “Congratulations to all our winners. The Dorothy Bishop Prize is a wonderful opportunity for UKRN to recognize and celebrate early career researchers working within open research and improving research culture.”

Dorothy Bishop is a British psychologist specialising in developmental disorders. She is also is active in the field of open Science and research reproducibility and was the first chair of the UK Reproducibility Network.