Every year there are prizes given out for those showing excellence in their work, dedication and ambition to further biomaterials research. This year we are establishing new awards for Lab-2-Lab collaborations and travel awards for UKSB and ESB.
Postgraduate Prizes are awarded to the best poster and oral presentation at the annual conference.
The President’s Prize aims to recognise outstanding contributions during a lifetime career to the UK Biomaterials field. The awardee will be given the costs of registration, accommodation (up to 2 nights, terms and conditions apply) and standard class travel, and a commemorative certificate will be awarded.
Alan Wilson Memorial Lecture Award celebrates the life and career of the outstanding dental materials scientist Dr Alan Wilson OBE (1928-2011), we are awarding this prize to recognise the work and contribution of the awardee, who will be an individual scientist who has contributed significantly to the field of biomaterials science in dentistry (including maxillo-facial repair). The awardee will be given the costs of registration, accommodation (up to 2 night, terms and conditions apply) and standard class travel, and a commemorative certificate will be awarded.
Larry Hench Young Investigators Prize is a £500 prize to a promising young research scientist in recognition of outstanding and innovative contributions in a selected field of biomaterials research, and in remembrance of such a key figure of this field- Prof Larry Hench (1938-2015). The awardee will be given the costs of registration, accommodation (up to 2 nights, terms and conditions apply) and standard class travel, and a commemorative Larry Hench memorial ceramic award.
Criteria: Evidence of peer reviewed publications, outstanding contribution and demonstrable research in the field of biomaterials or related areas, some experience in presenting at international and national conferences. To be eligible you must be no more than 7 years post final degree award. Please refer to the eligibility criteria found here. Please use the application template here. These must be emailed to ar.boyd@ulster.ac.uk with deadline of Friday 27th of February at midday. We will acknowledge receipt, if you do not get an email receipt please let us know.
UKSB Industry-Academia Spark Award
The UK Society for Biomaterials (UKSB) exists to advance biomaterials science and its application for the benefit of human health and society. A critical component of that mission is ensuring that the next generation of biomaterials researchers can forge meaningful, productive links with industry, links that turn bench-top science into clinical and commercial realities.
Academics and Early career researchers (ECRs) represent the engine room of UK biomaterials innovation. Yet structural barriers, most notably the absence of seed funding to initiate industry contact, no dedicated mechanism for joint exploratory work, and limited time and resource to navigate unfamiliar commercial environments mean that potentially transformative collaborations never get started. The UKSB Industry-Academia Spark Award has been designed specifically to remove these barriers.
The UKSB Industry-Academia Spark Award provides a grant to an eligible Academic or ECR to seed-fund a new collaboration with an industrial partner. Further details to be announced at the UKSB 2026 Conference with the scheme to be launched in the Autumn of 2026.
Travel Awards
UKSB Annual Conference
The UKSB council are delighted to announce provision of competitive Travel Bursaries for UKSB member PhD students who wish to attend and present at this year’s UKSB conference. The bursaries will cover up to £200 for the event. To apply for this award you must complete the application form justifying why this bursary is required and commit to presenting at the conference and producing a short video article/BLOG for the UKSB website.
The UKSB Travel Awards application process will open after abstracts have been reviewed and accepted and the closing date will be announced at that point.
Applications should be emailed to ar.boyd@ulster.ac.uk.
European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) Travel Awards
The UKSB council are delighted to announce the provision of Travel Bursaries for PhD students who have been accepted for an oral presentation and wish to attend this year’s ESB conference in September. An award of up to £250 is available to enable you to attend the conference. To apply for the award you must complete the application form and send a copy of the accepted abstract (oral presentation). Awardees must be a student member of the UKSB at the time of application. In addition to acknowledging the support of the UKSB, winners will be expected to produce a short article/BLOG detailing how the award has benefited them and their research.
The deadline for this scheme will be in line with the dates when ESB abstract submissions are finalised. For ESB 2026 the closing date for applications will be 20th July 2026 at midday.
Please use the ESB Travel Award template file, and email applications to ar.boyd@ulster.ac.uk.
Please see here for previous award winner blogs.
Postgraduate Prize Winner
2025
Oral Presentation (ERC PDRA/PDRF):
1: Gildacio Chaves Filho (Manchester)
2: Vahid Heravi Shargh (Liverpool)
3: Tom Robinson (Birmingham)
Flash Presentation – ECR:
1: Patricia Santos (Manchester)
2: Hilal Mete Gunaydin (Birmingham)
3: Lukas Weber (Manchester)
Poster Prizes
1: Amy Morgan (Sheffield)
2: Reshma McMullan (UU)
3: Mahek Bhalla (Liverpool)
ArmaTrex poster prize: Joseph Weightman (Birmingham)
2024
- Best oral presentation: Amy Morgan
- Second oral presentation: Vera Citro, Yangshuo Hu
- Best poster flash presentation: Jessica Hollett
- Best poster: Arjan Atwal
2022
- Best oral presentation: Devon J Crouch
- Second oral presentation: Johnathan Curd
2021 Joint CDT/UKSB Future Leaders Conference
- Best oral presentation: Elliot Croft (Technologies for Healthy Ageing CDT)
- Second oral presentation: Devon Crouch (Technologies for Healthy Ageing CDT)
- Best poster flash presentation: Rebecca Davies (Keele, CDT in Regen Med)
- Second poster flash presentation: Seb Doherty-Boyd (lifETIME CDT)
- Best poster: Tasmin Nahar (Keele, CDT in Regen Med)
- Second poster: Melissa Cheung (Loughborough, CDT in Regen Med)
2020 Joint CDT/UKSB Future Leaders Virtual Event
- Best oral presentation: Elisa Tarsitano
- Second oral presentation: Paul Humphreys and Angharad Evans
- Third oral presentation: Marlene Poleres and Faye Bolan
- Best poster flash: Matthew Kibble (Manchetser University)
- Second poster flash: Caroline Taylor (University of Sheffield)
- Third poster flash: Caitlin Jackson (University of Sheffield)
2019
- Best oral presentation: Daniel Merryweather (Loughborough University)
- Second oral presentation prize: Morgan Lowther (University of Birmingham) & Jeremy Mortimer (University of Edinburgh)
- Best poster presentation: Laurissa Havins (Loughborough University )
- Second poster presentation prize: Kathryn Thomas (University of Nottingham)
2018
- Best oral presentation: Matthew Wadge (University of Nottingham)
- Second best oral presentation: Joanna Ward (Ulster University)
- Best poster presentation: Irill Ishak (University of Bristol)
- Second best poster presentation: Sophie Louthm(University of Birmingham)
- Image competition winner: Joshua Jenkins (University of Bristol)
- ESB Travel Award: Selina Beal
2017
- Best oral presentation: Katherine Pitrolino (University of Nottingham)
- Second oral presentation prize: Caroline Taylor (University of Sheffield)
- Best poster presentation: Thomas Paterson (University of Sheffield)
- Second poster presentation prize: Marta Alvarez-Paino (University of Nottingham)
2016
- Best oral presentation:
- Best poster presentation:
- Image Competition Winner: Matt Dunn, Keele University
2015
- Best oral presentation: Dave Bishop, Ulster University.
- Best poster presentation: Neil Eisenstein, University of Birmingham.
2014
- Best oral presentation: Shivani Kasbekar, University of Liverpool.
- Best poster presentation: Bryan Stuart, University of Nottingham.
2013
- Best oral presentation: Richard Williams, University of Birmingham.
- Runner up oral presentation: Henry Lancashire, UCL.
- Best poster presentation: Alistair Bannerman, University of Birmingham.
- Runner up poster presentation: Abigail Norton, University of Birmingham.
- Royal Microscopical Society award: Rupert Wright, University of Keele.
- Larry Hench/UKSB Travel Bursary: David Bishop, University of Ulster.
2012
- Best oral presentation: Felicity De Cogan, University of Manchester AND Joseph Lacey, University of Brighton.
- Best poster presentation: Na Han, University of Nottingham.
- Royal Microscopical Society award: Natasha Bhuiyan, University of Manchester.
- Larry Hench/UKSB Travel Bursary: Sophie Cox, University of Warwick.
2011
- Best oral presentation: Uchena Wudebwe, University of Birmingham.
- Best poster presentation: Lindsey McManus, University of Ulster.
2010
- Best oral presentation: Joseph Lacey, University of Brighton.
- Best poster presentation: Muhammad Hasan, University of Nottingham.
2009
- Best oral presentation: Sharon Murphy, Cork Institute of Technology.
- Best poster presentation: Ashish Mathur, University of Ulster.
- Most novel use of materials (poster prize): Jie Gao, University of Manchester.
- Royal Microscopy Society Award: Alan Brown, University of Ulster.
2008
- Best oral presentation: Eoin Cunningham, Queen’s University Belfast.
- Best poster presentation: Kate Thornton, University of Manchester. Runner up: Wen Lin Chai, University of Sheffield.
- Royal Microscopy Society Award: Timothy Marriott, University of Nottingham.
2007
- Best oral presentation: Elise Pegg, University of Nottingham and DJ Hadden, University of Aberdeen.
- Best poster presentation: Peter Felstead, University of Nottingham.
2006
- Best oral presentation: Keyvan Moharamzadeh, University of Sheffield.
- Best poster presentation: Rebecca Goodchild, University of Sheffield.
- e-poster competition winner: Julian George, Imperial College London.
2005
- Best oral presentation: Jaynath Katta, University of Leeds.
- Best poster presentation: Deepak Kalaskar, University of Manchester.
- e-poster competition winner: Wilda Helen, University of Manchester.
Larry Hench Young Investigators Prize Winners
2025: Dr Jessica Senior, University of Huddersfield).
2024: Dr Samuel Moxon, University of Birmingham.
2023: Dr Caroline Taylor, University of Sheffield.
2022: Dr Tanveer Tabish, University of Oxford.
2019: Dr Asha Patel, Imperial College London.
2018: Dr Anthony Herbert, University of Leeds.
2017: Dr Adam D. Celiz, Imperial College London.
2016: Dr Piergiorgio Gentile, Newcastle University.
2015: Dr Jennifer Paxton, University of Edinburgh.
2014: Dr Manus Biggs, NUI Galway.
2013: Dr Lucy Bosworth, University of Manchester.
2012: Dr Ifty Ahmed, University of Nottingham.
Presidents Prize Winners
2025: Professor Sarah Cartmell, University of Manchester.
2024: Professor Dame Molly Stevens, University of Oxford.
2023: Professor Liam Grover, University of Birmingham.
2022: Professor Paul Hatton, University of Sheffield.
2019: Professor Kevin Shakesheff, University of Nottingham.
2018: Professor Rachel Williams, University of Liverpool.
2017: Professor Ruth Cameron, University of Cambridge.
2016: Professor John Nicholson, London and Queen Mary University London.
2015: Professor Serena Best, University of Cambridge.
2014: Professor Sheila MacNeil, University of Sheffield.
2013: Professor John Fisher, University of Leeds.
2012: Professor Mohan Edirisinghe, UCL.
2011: Professor David Watts, University of Manchester.
2010: Professor Brian Meenan, University of Ulster.
2009: Professor Liz Tanner, University of Glasgow.
2008: Professor Jim Courtney, University of Strathclyde.
2007: Professor Peter Revell, Royal Free Hospital, University College London.
2006: Professor Adam Curtis, University of Glasgow.
2005: Professor Larry Hench, Imperial College London.
2004: Professor Bill Bonfield, University of Cambridge.
2003: Professor David Williams, University of Liverpool.
2002: Professor Brian Tighe, University of Birmingham.
Alan Wilson Memorial Lecture Award Winners
2025: Profesor Maisoon Al-Jawad, University of Leeds.
2024: Professor Will Palin, University of Birmingham.
2023: Professor Michele Barbour, University of Bristol.
2022: Professor Sanjukta Deb, Kings College London.
2019: Professor David Wood, University of Leeds.
2018: Professor Peter Marquis, University of Birmingham.
2017: Professor David Watts, University of Manchester.
2016: Professor Richard van Noort, University of Sheffield.
2015: Professor Jonathan Knowles, Eastman Dental Institute.
2014: Professor Paul Hatton, University of Sheffield.
2013: Professor Robert Hill, Queen Mary University of London.
2012: Professor John Nicholson, St Mary’s University.
The Biocompatibles Endowed Prize is no longer awarded, however it recognised those with an industrial link to their research who made significant contributions to the UK Biomaterials field.
2013: Dr Karin Hing, Queen Mary University.
2012: Dr Irene Turner, University of Bath.
2011: Professor Kevin Shakesheff, University of Nottingham.
2010: Professor Jonathan Knowles, Eastman Dental Institute, UCL.
2009: Professor David Grant, University of Nottingham.
2008: Dr Sanjukta Deb, King’s College London.
2007: Dr Rachel Williams, University of Liverpool.
2006: Professor John Fisher, University of Leeds.
2005: Professor Andrew Lloyd, University of Brighton.
2004: Professor Robert Short, University of Sheffield.
2003: Professor Paul Hatton, University of Sheffield.