Irene Manton Winners 2023

The Irene Manton Poster Prize is open to students and early career scientists and takes place at the SEB Annual Conference. A prize of £100 is awarded to the best poster in each section (Animal, Cell, Plant and OED). The winners this year were announced during the SEB Annual Conference in Edinburgh.

Our congratulations to this year's winners

Plant section - Jasmin Kemppinen

Jasmin obtained her BSc and MSc from the University of Helsinki, majoring in plant physiology and development. Her Master's project focused on chloroplastic ROS signalling and the molecular regulation of light stress. In 2021, she embarked on her PhD journey in Maija Sierla's group with the support of the Emil Aaltonen Foundation grant for young researchers. Jasmin's current research investigates the role of a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein GHR1 in stomatal immunity networks. Her primary interests include the mechanisms of pathogen perception and the modulation of diverse signals leading to stomatal closure. Through her work, she aims to identify GHR1's interactors in stomatal immunity signalling and shed light on the rapid cellular events governing this essential defence mechanism.”

Animal Section - Simeng Wang

Simeng Wang received her BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College London in 2023. Fascinated by marine animals, she reached out to Louise Souquet and Mehran Moazen during her study at UCL and arrived at cephalopod beaks as her research topic for the 3rd-year individual project. Combining her experience in 3D modelling and mechanical testing, Simeng proposed an alternative way to investigate the position of diets in driving the evolution of the cephalopod beak diversity. She constructed a relationship between the cephalopod biting ability and the upper beak rostrum morphology through uniaxial puncture tests and FEA simulation. Through her project, she aims to further the understanding of the cephalopod biting mechanism and to attempt a prediction on the potential diets of individual species. Simeng is currently working on the publication of her article and will pursue a MPhil in Energy Technology at the University of Cambridge.