Parliamentarians will be presented today with a poster on malaria research by Frances Hawkes, a PhD student at the Natural Resources Institute. The presentation is part of the prestigious "SET for Britain" competition to encourage early-career research scientists, with prizes of up to £3,000.
Frances' PhD, on medical entomology, aims to help alleviate the suffering caused by malaria, by targeting the most important malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae.
Frances' research has been entered into the Biological and Biomedical Sciences session of the competition, and her research poster will be judged against dozens of other scientists' research in the only national competition of its kind.
Shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament, she said, "SET for Britain is a unique chance to share my findings and a fantastic opportunity to engage with politicians in celebrating UK science. The exhibition is also a great place to see some of the most cutting-edge research the country has to offer."
Frances was the University of Greenwich's Student of the Year in 2012.
Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said, "This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country's best young researchers."
"These early career scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians' best opportunity to meet them and understand their work."
John Pierce, Chief Bioscientist at BP, sponsors of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Gold award, said, "BP has supported SET for Britain for several years now and we continue to be impressed by the ingenuity and dedication of the UK's young scientists."
SET for Britain is a poster competition in the House of Commons - involving approximately 180 early stage or early career researchers - judged by professional and academic experts.