Undergraduate student research presented with 2023 Beaumont Award

We are proud to announce that two undergraduate students, Safiya Dixon and Daniel West, were amongst the select few students from the University of Leeds to receive the prestigious Beaumont Award.

Safiya Dixon

 

Safiya’s project is titled “Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in the Response of Corals to Marine Heatwaves: A Systematic Review”.

Safiya’s research was focused on the theory that the effects of coral reef bleaching evoked by marine heatwaves, were more prevalent in some regions than others. Her findings will prove crucial for determining which reefs require conservation efforts post-heatwave. With over 500 million people globally who rely on these reefs for food and income, Safiya’s research is vital for tackling numerous real-world challenges.

Read more of Safiya’s time at the University of Leeds

Daniel West

 

Daniel’s project is titled “Mimicking Human Tissue Mechanics Using Protein Hydrogels and its Potential in Medical Application”.

Daniel’s project investigated how you can control the mechanical properties of a protein hydrogel material. Protein hydrogels are very useful for biomedical applications, such as healing wounds. Daniel investigated how we can mimic the mechanical properties of tissues by regulating the properties of protein hydrogels and potentially improve vital biomedical applications.

About the Leeds Beaumont Award

The University of Leeds Beaumont Award recognises research projects in the areas of Biological, Environmental and Physical Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Health undertaken by undergraduate students from any discipline. This might be a Final Year Project, a research project, or related to an internship pursued at the University.

The awards are inspired by the life and work of Michael Faraday, whose discoveries were crucial in the development of technology innovation.

The sponsor of the awards is Professor Adam Beaumont, Founder and CEO of aql, a Visiting Professor in Cyber Security at the University of Leeds.

A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners and to Safiya and Daniel!