ECTS Iain T Boyle Award
Nominations period: nominations are now open till 15 December 2024
In memory of Professor Iain T Boyle (1935–2001) who contributed greatly to the field of mineral metabolism and his work on osteoporosis was known and acclaimed nationally and internationally. The award is open to young scientists who have made significant progress and contribution to the field of bone and calcified tissue.
The award is for €1000 (Euros) is announced during the ECTS annual congress.
The awardee will be invited to actively contribute to ECTS either during the congress or within one of the committees.
Eligibility
This award is open to young scientists who have made significant progress and contribution to the field of bone and calcified tissue. The nominee should be within 10 years of completing their PhD (or equivalent).
ECTS Board members are not eligible to this award during term of office in the ECTS Board.
Submission Procedure
Nominations for the 2025 Iain T Boyle Award are now open till 15 December 2024
Nominees must be nominated and seconded by ECTS members and must be submitted via the online form.
Review Procedure
All nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of reviewers. The final decision is based on the marks and comments from the reviewers and any conflicts of interest are identified and dealt with appropriately.
Winner of the 2024 Award
Congratulations to Dr. Katherine Staines, University of Brighton, UK recipient of the 2024 Iain T Boyle Award presented during the ECTS 2024 Congress in Marseille.
For a full list of previous Award recipients, please visit the Previous Grants section.
Dr Katherine Staines completed her BSc in Anatomical Sciences at Bristol University in 2008. She then moved to the University of Edinburgh and was awarded her PhD in 2012, with a thesis that examined the role of MEPE in chondrocyte matrix mineralisation, under the direction of Prof. Colin Farquharson. That year, she started her postdoctoral research career in an Arthritis Research UK-funded post with Prof. Andy Pitsillides at the Royal Veterinary College, London, during which her interest in osteoarthritis developed. In 2014, she moved back to the University of Edinburgh to work on another Arthritis Research UK postdoctoral position looking at the subchondral bone in osteoarthritis. She was then awarded a Vice Chancellor’s Fellowship at Edinburgh Napier University in 2017, before joining the University of Brighton as a Senior Lecturer in 2020.
Katherine’s research looks to understand the development, regulation, and pathology of the musculoskeletal system, with a particular focus on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. She currently holds three Medical Research Council (MRC, UK) grants totalling > £2,000,000 of which she is PI on two. Katherine currently runs a laboratory containing 3 PDRAs and 2 PhD students (not including 3 as co-supervisor elsewhere) and has published 45 research papers, including a 1st author paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering, which cumulatively have been cited nearly 1,500 times. She sits on two grant awarding panels – Royal Osteoporosis Society and Horserace Betting Levy Board where she is a specialised advisor on musculoskeletal focussed grants. Katherine has been invited to present several research seminars and conference talks. She has also served on editorial boards for journals including the Journal of Endocrinology, Journal of Molecular Endocrinology and Frontiers in Endocrinology.
Katherine has contributed to ECTS as a highly active member of the ECTS Academy (2017 – 2022), ECTS PhD Training Action Group (2018 – 2021) and ECTS Basic Science Action Group (2020 – present). She also sat on the organising committee of the ECTS PhD training course (2020 & 2021), having previously served as the New Investigator (NI) representative for the UK Bone Research Society committee. Overall, Katherine has forged an excellent international reputation in the field of bone and calcified tissue whilst also giving substantial time to the benefit of early career researchers through her wide-ranging activities with various committees and societies including the ECTS.
