Dr Nicholls

A researcher has been recognised as a future leader in her field with a prestigious national fellowship.

Dr Beth Nicholls was recently awarded a £1.3 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leader Fellowship for her research into flower choices and pollen foraging in bees.

The UKRI Future Leaders scheme invests in early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential, helping them to develop their careers while tackling ambitious challenges.

Dr Nicholls, a former Postdoctoral Researcher in the Goulson Lab, will return to the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex in October.

She said: “I am thrilled to have been awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship that will enable me to establish my own research group and pursue my passion for understanding the drivers of pollen foraging choices in bees and the implications of these choices for plant-pollinator networks.

“I am really looking forward to working directly with stakeholders such as farmers to use the knowledge gained from our research to improve the management and design of agri-environment schemes and improve the sustainability and resilience of food production systems. 

“I am extremely grateful to my colleagues at the University of Sussex for all their support and encouragement in helping me to obtain this award and I am very excited to return to the School of Life Sciences in October.”

Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, said: “The Future Leaders Fellowships are UKRI’s flagship talent programme, designed to foster and nurture the research and innovation leaders of the future.

“We are delighted to support these outstanding researchers and innovators across universities, research organisations and businesses.”

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships, introduced in 2018, is a £900 million fund that is helping to establish the careers of world-class research and innovation leaders across UK business and academia.

For more information, visit the UKRI website.

Back to news list