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The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and The Pharmaceutical Journal have announced a new prize for early-career researchers.
Parastou Donyai, chief scientist at the RPS, announced the ‘Outstanding Pharmacy Early-Career Researcher Award’ (OPERA) at the Society’s Celebration of Science event, which was held at its London headquarters on 10 November 2022.
The award, open to RPS members, is intended to celebrate the contribution of up-and-coming researchers to medical science and clinical pharmacy.
More details about the award and how to enter will be announced later in November 2022.
“It is vital that we recognise and contribute to the development of the field of pharmacy through research,” Donyai said.
“The RPS already celebrates mid-career and established researchers through its Harrison and Hanbury medals. The time is right to now also recognise early-career researchers working within the pharmacy field who are making outstanding contributions through their outputs, impact and public engagement at predoctoral, doctoral or post-doctoral (within five years of award of their PhD) levels.”
Two Harrison Memorial Medals were presented at the Celebration of Science event: first to Yvonne Perrie, professor in drug delivery at the University of Strathclyde, who won the award in 2020; and then to Abdul Basit, professor of pharmaceutics at UCL School of Pharmacy, who was awarded the medal in 2022.
Perrie delivered her memorial lecture on the science behind liposomes and lipid nanoparticles in the development of mRNA vaccines, and how these processes can be scaled up. Basit, in his lecture, spoke about how his team developed a new coating for ulcerative colitis drugs, and some applications of 3D printing in pharmaceutics.
