The Pauline Ashley Prize aims to encourage the most promising young scientists to start or continue research in hearing and deafness.
It is awarded annually to a scientist near the beginning of their career, working in deafness or a related field, and enables them to gain research experience in laboratories overseas, including extended training workshops, so that knowledge gained overseas will be brought back to the UK to the benefit of the British deafness research community.
The £5,000 Prize is awarded to the best and most appropriate project proposal that includes support for a period of foreign travel and research. The Prize will support travel and subsistence. Additional travel (e.g. to a conference or to give seminars) within the destination country will also be encouraged and supported. Full details of the travel are not required at the time of application, but it is expected that a strong case will include a focussed plan to test a clear hypothesis and the reason why a period of research (e.g. 2-6 months) in a particular lab or type of lab would benefit the candidate and the project. It will be a requirement of the Prize that normal, full financial support for the candidate is available prior to the award decision date and that support would continue throughout the time that the candidate is away.
This year, applications are being invited from UK laboratories on behalf of their postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows (up to 2 years post-doctoral experience at application). If the applicant is being submitted directly by a postgraduate student or post-doctoral fellow, a letter of support from his/her research supervisor is required. As an aid to recruitment of outstanding students and fellows, the Prize may be awarded to the institution prior to their enrolment, although graduate students will not be expected to travel until at least one year into their PhD research.
Visit our What We Fund page for more information, or contact research@deafnessresearch.org.uk.
