LSTM Professor Awarded Prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship

LSTM’s Professor Tanya Parish has been awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship, one of the UK’s most prestigious research awards designed to attract and retain internationally leading scientists. 

Professor Parish received the fellowship for her research programme, Disruption of pH Homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which aims to advance understanding of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. 

“I am delighted to receive the Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship,” she said. “The award provides an exciting opportunity to expand our research into tuberculosis biology and drug discovery at LSTM.

“My recent move to Liverpool reflects my commitment to advancing global health research in a collaborative environment, and I look forward to working with colleagues across LSTM and beyond to develop new approaches to tackling TB.”

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for TB, causes more than one million deaths each year worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for new treatments and a deeper understanding of the disease. 

During infection, the bacterium is exposed to hostile acidic conditions within the host and relies on mechanisms that allow it to maintain its internal pH within a narrow range, a process that is critical for its survival. 

As an expert in TB drug discovery, Professor Parish’s research has identified novel compounds that disrupt this essential function, preventing the bacterium from maintaining its internal pH under acidic conditions. 

The new programme will investigate how these compounds work and identify the biological targets they affect, providing new insights into TB biology and supporting the development of innovative therapies that could shorten treatment times, which currently last four to six months. 

The Royal Society Wolfson Fellowships provide up to £300,000 over five years to support awardees’ research programmes and teams. The scheme is jointly funded by the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation, with support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and helps UK institutions like LSTM recruit and retain outstanding international research leaders. 

Professor Parish was named among the third cohort of Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship recipients and will undertake innovative research that addresses global challenges in health, technology and the environment. 

This fellowship further strengthens LSTM’s position as a world-leading centre for infectious disease research and reflects the institution’s commitment to tackling major global health challenges through scientific excellence and innovation.