Dr Laura Sinclair, Exeter University, was awarded a BSRA Travel Grant in 2025, which she used to attend our ASM in Manchester. Here she explains the impact of a travel grant on an Early Career Researcher:
I was delighted to receive a BSRA Travel Grant to attend the annual meeting in Manchester
in September 2025. Having attended the conference the previous year, I was very pleased to
obtain funding to return. The grant enabled me to stay involved in this close and supportive
research community. This experience also motivated me to give back, and I have recently
become a Trustee of the BSRA. In this role, I aim to support the interests of early career
members.
At the conference, I presented preliminary findings from the Phyto Ageing study. In the study,
participants were given a commercially available, plant-derived dietary supplement. We then
investigated its effects on ageing in the hands. We hope to finalise and publish our results
this year (watch this space!). I particularly enjoyed discussing our work with members of the
public as well as BSRA members.
The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to engage with experts in my favourite area of
ageing research, cellular senescence. Because I completed my PhD during the Covid-19
pandemic, I have previously had limited opportunities to attend conferences. Being able to
participate in person was therefore particularly meaningful. I met many interesting
individuals, including several attendees from outside academia. These interactions offered
interesting perspectives on ageing research.
I also found it fascinating to learn about the wide range of ongoing research in ageing. The
conference strengthened my confidence in my current grant proposals and inspired new
ideas for future projects. It also helped establish potential collaborative connections. Sharing
my work and networking with others is especially important at this stage of my career. The
BSRA’s annual meeting provides a unique opportunity to hear about new research
happening in the ageing sphere.
