Researcher receives national postdoc award

Posted on: 1 November 2023 by Dr Blanca Perez-Sepulveda in November 2023 posts

At this year’s UK National Postdoc Conference (NPDC 2023), Dr Blanca Perez-Sepulveda from the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology was presented the 'Unsung Hero – EDI Champion Award'. Here she tells us about her work that contributed to this accolade.

I work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in IVES studying the molecular mechanisms of virulence and genomic epidemiology of Salmonella (and their phages) associated with bloodstream infection.

I received the 'Unsung Hero – EDI Champion' award at this year’s National Postdoc Conference (NPDC), which was organised by Loughborough University. The award recognised the work I have been doing serving the local (UoLRSA) and national (UKRSA) Research Staff Association, and my recent role as part of the EDI Committee of the UK Reproducibility Network. EDI stands for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and aims to ensure fair treatment and opportunities for all without prejudice and discrimination.

The conference was held on 19 September and was dedicated solely to the celebration of postdoctoral researchers from any university, in any discipline. It brought together the postdoctoral community to navigate the postdoc journey and equip them to thrive in their current role and beyond.

I was surprised to receive the award and also felt very humble. All the work I’ve done has been in collaboration with teams of people and mostly “behind the scenes”, but I realise it has had an impact. This only inspires me to continue to do it with renewed motivation.