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PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry's PERL group has been shortlisted for his essay on the potential of sunshine to be harnessed as an antidepressant

Alex Kaltenboeck's essay: “If you let the sunshine in your brain, what will it do?” has been nominated for this year’s Max Perutz Science Writing Award, the MRC’s annual writing competition.

Alex says: "I was excited to hear that my essay has been shortlisted for the Max Perutz Science Writing Award. Studying how bright light exposure can influence the workings of our brain can potentially contribute to the development of better treatments for depressive disorders and I am always enthusiastic about sharing these ideas with a wider audience outside my field.”

The winner, who will receive a £1,500 prize, will be announced at the awards ceremony on 19 October at the Royal Institution, London.

This year’s judging panel is made up of:

  • Donald Brydon, MRC Chairman
  • Dr Claire Ainsworth, freelance journalist and science writer
  • Sir Hugh Pelham, Director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
  • Philippa Pigache, journalist and science writer
  • Andy Ridgway, journalist and Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at the University of the West of England in Bristol

The Max Perutz Award asks MRC-funded PhD students to write up to 800 words about their research and why it matters, in a way that would interest a non-scientific audience.

Find out more about the Max Perutz Science Writing Award.

Read more about Alex Kaltenboeck.

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