PROFESSOR Kosmas Prassides, from Durham University, has been appointed as one of 21 new Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders.

Jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the scheme aims to provide universities with additional support to enable them to attract science talent from overseas and retain respected UK scientists of outstanding achievement and potential. The new award holders are working on a wide range of projects including looking at the way users interact with mobile technology in developing regions, and using a pre-clinical model to help advance neuroprotective therapies for infants that experience perinatal asphyxia.

In the case of Prof Prassides, his research interest is in the new chemistry of functional molecular materials.

The Wolfson Foundation is a grant-making charity established in 1955. Funding is given to support excellence.

The Royal Soceity is the UK’s academy of sciences.