FORGING FUTURES SCHEME
This funding aims to support and develop a cohort of researchers by enabling them to explore the opportunities available to them in academia and industry and equipping them with the tools to work effectively between the two.
Outline of Scheme
SULSA has awarded 27 researchers from across our 11 member universities to participate in this scheme in early 2022. The main outcomes of this scheme, will be reported here as and when they occur.
SULSA, in collaboration with Interface, created the Forging Futures scheme to support and develop a cohort of researchers by enabling them to explore the opportunities available to them in academia and industry and equipping them with the tools to work effectively between the two.
The scheme has the added benefit of; enhancing the translation of research, catalysing cross-fertilisation across universities, building the confidence of researchers in collaborating across academic disciplines and industry sectors, increasing funding options for our researchers, and supporting their career progression.
This scheme includes:
- A 6-week modular course with Skillfluence on how to engage effectively with industry (see drop-down below for more information)
- Group coaching sessions with MyFuturePlan to help them on their career path (see drop-down below for more information)
- Access to industry case studies and connections with industry through Interface
- £500 toward professional development training
Our selected researchers will become SULSA Ambassadors for Industry Engagement within their institution. With this comes an expectation that they will pay it forward and work within their cohort to share the knowledge and insight they have learnt with their research community.
Forging Futures Webinar
A webinar detailing this scheme and its benefits took place on Tuesday 7th September with a talk from Tony Bradshaw (MyFuturePlan), Alison Gray (Skillfluence) and Siobhán Jordan (Interface).
Industry Ambassador Blogs
Check out our Industry Ambassador’s blogs about the Forging Futures Scheme over at SULSA Blogs
Apply for Round Two
Applications for round two of this scheme will open in August 2023.
meet our postdoc industry ambassadors

Priscila Barbosa
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Robert Gordon University
Research Interest: Biochemistry / Molecular Biology

Natalia Cattelan
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Aberdeen
Research Interest: Microbiology / Antibody Engineering

Gabriela Bezerra de Melo Daly
Visiting Scholar at University of St Andrews
gbdmd@st-andrews.ac.uk
www.gabrieladaly.com
Research Interest: Primate Anthrozoology | Human-Ape Socialization & Communication

Emily Dickie
Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Dundee
EDickie001@dundee.ac.uk
MRC PPU Bio | ResearchGate
Research Interest: Parkinson’s Disease biomarker discovery, in collaboration with industry

Ross Eaglesfield
Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Glasgow
ross.eaglesfield@glasgow.ac.uk
Research Interest: Mitochondrial biogenesis and ROS generation

Fern Findlay-Greene
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University
Research Interest: Immunology and Crohn’s disease

Laura Glendinning
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Edinburgh
laura.glendinning@roslin.ed.ac.uk
Research Interest: the microbiota of livestock animals

Sophie Holland
Postdoctoral Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University
Research Interest: environmental microbiology & acoustofluidics of marine microplastics

Rebecca McHugh
Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Glasgow
Research Interest: Microbiology

Bettina Mihalas
Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Edinburgh
Research Interest: Cell cycle and Reproductive science

Ronnie Mooney
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of the West of Scotland
Research Interest: Parasitology, microbiology, antimicrobial resistance

Boatemaa Ofori-Frimpong
Postdoctoral Researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University
Boatemaa.oforifrimpong@gcu.ac.uk
GCU Staff Page
Research Interest: The GCU Tissue bank and Mesoscopic deep imaging of human tissue

Kiri Rodgers
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland
Research Interest: anthropogenic impact on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Liam Rooney
Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Strathclyde
Research Interest: Microbiology and Biological Imaging

Stuart Woods
Lecturer in Biomedical Science at the University of the West of Scotland
Research Interest: improving dosing and delivery of antimicrobials using NISV platform technology
meet our phd industry ambassadors

Liam Butler
PhD Student at University of Strathclyde
Research Interest: The S-acylation of proteins in cellular pathways

Bill Carton
PhD Student at University of Dundee
Research Interest: Neurodegenerative disease

Lorenzo Croce
PhD Student at University of Aberdeen
Research Interest: Neuroscience / Neuropharmacology

Josephine Giard
PhD Student at Heriot-Watt University
Research Interest: Metagenomics, genome mining, discovery of natural products

James Gray
PhD Student at University of St Andrews
Research Interest: Ghrelin-based therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Cian Greene
PhD Student at University of the West of Scotland
Research Interest: Shrimp health in aquaculture

Lisa Ivatt
PhD Student at University of Edinburgh
Research Interest: Cardiovascular Science

Chloe Jones
PhD Student at University of St Andrews
Research Interest: Innate immune response to viral infection

Sarah Kamli-Salino
PhD Student at University of Aberdeen
Research Interest: Medical sciences, diabetes and chronic kidney disease

Elmira Mohit
PhD Student at University of Strathclyde
Research Interest: Antimicrobial Resistance

Teodora Stoyanova
PhD Student at Robert Gordon University
Research Interest: Cell and molecular biology

Lindsay Williams
PhD Student at University of Edinburgh
Research Interest: Plant immunity and biotechnology