News

Tanmay Bharat, a group leader at the Dunn School of Pathology, has been awarded a prestigious Lister Institute Research Prize in the 2021 funding round.
He is one of only six researchers to secure the £250,000 grant award.
The institute views Tanmay’s research as cutting edge and the prize acknowledges both his current performance as an early-career biomedical scientist and the future potential of his research.
Dr Sally Burtles, Director of the Lister Institute, said: “We are delighted that Tanmay has won one of this year’s Lister Prizes. He is a very deserving winner having been selected after a very rigorous process from an initial competitive field of 145 applications. We look forward to welcoming Tanmay to the Lister community and are confident that his research will make a real impact in the understanding and treatment of bacterial infections.

Tanmay’s group study how bacteria form biofilms – multicellular, organised communities that constitute one of the primary mechanisms by which bacteria evade antibiotics. Having made significant advances in studying biofilms, the laboratory has recently utilised advanced imaging and structural biology techniques to investigate the surface layers that coat most bacteria and archaea. The prize will help support the continuation of this research.

Expressing gratitude for his nomination and award, Tanmay said: “I am so very thankful to Carol Robinson for nominating me for the Lister prize, and to Matthew Freeman and Chris Tang for their encouragement to apply. Without the outstanding research environment at the Dunn School, this would not have been possible! This award will allow us to work on research questions with exceptional biomedical importance, and my laboratory and I are excited about the years ahead. I am extremely grateful to the Lister Institute for this award.” 

Dunn School of Pathology head of department, Matthew Freeman, said: “Tanmay Bharat is a stellar young scientist already pioneering new areas of research, as well as making an international impact in more established fields.”

Tanmay hopes to give a talk and receive his award certificate in person during the Lister Annual Fellows Weekend in September at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

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The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine was founded in 1891 and is one of the UK’s oldest medical charities

To find out more about Tanmay’s research visit the Bharat group website.