Aridhia showcases Glasgow research talent

From left: Carol Clugston, MVLS college secretary; Glasgow City of Science programme director Susie Mitchell; and Aridhia executive chairman David Sibbald

Health informatics firm Aridhia has named the winners of its first “science storytelling award”.

The Edinburgh-based company teamed up with the University of Glasgow’s College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS) and Glasgow City of Science to give young researchers the chance to deliver a 60-second video highlighting their work, in a way that the general public could understand.

PhD student Alex Binks took first place in the “Impact in 60 Seconds” competition, with his video showing how viruses can be reprogrammed to kill cancer cells. Dr Amber Yu and PhD student Natasha Lewis took second and third place respectively.

Aridhia executive chairman David Sibbald said: “In this increasingly collaborative world, open innovation in life sciences is rapidly becoming accepted as standard, and as a result there is increasing employer demand for excellent communicators and critical-thinking skills.

“This competition has demonstrated that the University of Glasgow’s researchers are ready to embrace communication and collaboration with industry, and effectively contribute to a more productive and sustainable open innovation ecosystem.”

Programme director of Glasgow City of Science, Dr Susie Mitchell, said: “I have been overwhelmed with the quality of the films produced and I hope new skills acquired by the researchers will help to communicate their passion for science to public audiences in the future.”

Dr Carol Clugston, college secretary at the MVLS, added: “Our three worthy winners have each made fantastic, highly professional videos that illuminate their research topics in an engaging, dynamic and compelling way.

“These young researchers have been able to explain complex scientific topics in under a minute, a skill that will be essential in their future research careers.”