Laura Winchester and Rongqin Yu have all been awarded the title of Associate Professor by the Medical Sciences Division, for making a significant and sustained contribution to the university’s goals through research, teaching and citizenship.
Both have been part of the first cohort of the Department of Psychiatry's Emerging Leaders programme, aimed at supporting and developing senior researchers to become leaders in the field.
Associate Professor Winchester's research focuses on using data analysis to better understand and identify new biomarkers for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, with the aim of finding suitable treatments. She said:
I am genuinely touched to have been awarded the Associate Professor title this year and would like to thank my colleagues, mentors and students for all their help along the way. I am also very grateful for the support from the Department of Psychiatry, and particularly the Emerging Leaders course for both guidance and inspiration. I am looking forward to continuing my work on the multi-omics of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases."
Associate Professor Yu's research looks at the links between mental disorders and adverse outcomes, including domestic and sexual violence, self-harm, and suicide, and explores how these risks can be better understood, predicted, and prevented. She said:
I am honoured to be awarded an Associate Professorship and look forward to this next stage of my career. I would especially like to thank Professor Seena Fazel, whose support and mentorship have been invaluable throughout my academic journey. He has been an outstanding role model for me in many ways. I feel very fortunate to work in such a dedicated, inspiring, and supportive team.
I would also like to thank all of the wonderful colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry for creating a caring, collaborative, intellectually stimulating, and inclusive environment, and for making it an exceptionally rewarding place to work."
Professor Belinda Lennox, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, said: "Huge congratulations to Laura and Rongqin, who are exceptional researchers doing important work in the fields of brain and mental health, and fully deserve their recognition.
"We developed the Emerging Leaders programme to equip researchers with the skills and support they need to transition to leadership roles and we are delighted it is already proving to be a platform for success."