We are delighted to introduce Dr Elisa Martelletti as the fifth recipient of our Joint Post-doctoral Fellowship with the RNID, the national charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
Elisa is based at the Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre at King’s College London, and her research aims to determine if inflammation in the cochlea is a cause, or a result, of progressive hearing loss. By analysing immune cells and inflammation markers in the cochlea, this research holds the promise of uncovering new insights and treatments to prevent or slow hearing loss. Elisa is also involved with the In2science initiative, and she will be hosting a student from the In2research programme over the summer. This collaboration not only highlights her dedication to mentoring but also showcases the broader impact of her research beyond the laboratory. You can follow Elisa’s work on her X/Twitter page.
The joint fellowship scheme aims to support talented early career hearing researchers in transitioning from post-doctoral scientist to independent investigator. The fourth round of the scheme, through which Elisa was funded, opened to applications in late 2022.
All eligible applications underwent external peer review and were then shortlisted for interview by the RNID’s Future Leaders Review Panel. The panel consisted of:
- Professor Brian Moore, University of Cambridge (Chair)
- Professor Jennifer Linden, University College London
- Professor Andrea Streit, King’s College London
- Professor Chris Plack, University of Manchester
- Dr Morag Lewis, King’s College London
- Dr Nicholas Rattray, University of Strathclyde (representing the DMT Research Grants Committee)
Following interviews with the panel and ratification by our Research Grants Committee, two candidates – Elisa and Dr Adam Carlton of the University of Sheffield – were initially awarded co-funded fellowships (equating to a success rate of 40% for this round of the scheme). However, Dr Carlton subsequently secured a large grant from the Wellcome and is now leading his own lab within the University of Sheffield Hearing Research Group – congratulations to Adam on this excellent achievement.
Elisa joins the cohort of RNID / DMT Fellows, alongside Dr Jing-Yi Jeng, Dr Magdalena Zak, Dr Chris Hardy and Dr Katie Smith. You can learn more about our past awardees in our previous news post.
Many congratulations to Elisa on securing her fellowship. We would encourage future prospective applicants to look at the guidance provided on the RNID website, which includes a conversation with Elisa about her experience of the application process. The latest round of the scheme ran earlier this year, and we will be announcing the outcome of this in due course.
In the meantime, feel free to explore our other funding opportunities and take a look at the stories from our award-holders. To stay informed about our future activities and funding calls, join our mailing list by adding your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page.
