Professional Activities
Scientist takes her research to Parliament
Published on 23 February 2016
Dr Carrie Duckworth in the lab
Dr Carrie Duckworth, a tenure-track fellow in the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine, will be attending Parliament next month to present her biomedical research to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of the SET for Britain initiative.
The SET for BRITAIN series of poster competitions and exhibitions in the House of Commons started in 1997 with the aim to encourage, support and promote Britain's early-stage and early-career research scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians who are an essential part of continuing progress in and development of UK research and R&D.
Dr Duckworth’s research is focused on the regulation of gastrointestinal architecture and the maintenance of gut homeostasis. Her poster on research about preventing inflammatory conditions of the gut will be judged against dozens of other scientists’ research at the event being held on 7 March.
On presenting her research in Parliament, she said, “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to discuss research from my laboratory with policy makers from around the UK. I am able to grow parts of the intestine from adult stem cells in a dish and can use these “mini-guts” to determine how cells from the immune system interact with the gut. My research has the potential to lead to novel therapeutics for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, coeliac disease and sepsis, and I am looking forward to exciting times ahead. I would love to demonstrate in Parliament that funding further research in this area will have great impact on patient quality of life and reduce the financial burden on the National Health Service.”
Stephen Metcalfe 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 engineers, mathematicians and scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.”
Dr Duckworth’s research has been entered into the Biological and Biomedical Sciences session of the competition, which will end in a gold, silver and bronze prize-giving ceremony.
Judged by leading academics, the gold medallist receives £3,000, while silver and bronze receive £2,000 and £1,000 respectively.
The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, The Physiological Society and the Council for Mathematical Sciences, with financial support from Essar, the Clay Mathematics Institute, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the Institute of Biomedical Science, the Bank of England and the Society of Chemical Industry.Scientist takes research to Parliament
Professional Body Memberships
- Institute of Biology (Graduate, 2003 - 2009)