Our research

Our RAD Fellows and RAD Associates

Introducing our RAD Fellows and RAD Associates

Our RAD Fellows and RAD Associates, from across the world, are working towards the prevention or a cure of dementia. They are high-potential early career dementia researchers and receive funding support, as well as a Formula 1 inspired RAD Fellowship Programme, to help them accelerate their research and become a leader in their field.

RAD Fellows and RAD Associates

Dr Aitana Sogorb-Esteve

University College London, UK
Investigating what goes wrong in the connections between brain cells (synapses) by studying the proteins that are found within them.

Dr Wioleta Zelek

Cardiff University, UK
Testing the idea that overactivity in a protein complex called MAC and the inflammation it causes is an important driver of Alzheimer’s disease, and developing drugs capable of entering the brain that can stop MAC-driven brain inflammation.

Dr Claire Durrant

University of Edinburgh, UK
Investigating the role of tau in keeping synapses – the connections between brain cells – healthy and how these change in Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Maura Malpetti

University of Cambridge, UK
Understanding the role of inflammation in dementia and symptom progression by testing special brain scans and blood tests to measure and predict the illness.

Dr Emily Lane-Hill

University of Warwick, UK
Investigating how clumps of tau inside neurons can alter their function and how they communicate with other neurons, including the mechanisms behind these changes.

Dr Adekunle Bademosi

University of Queensland, Australia
Understanding the dynamics of TDP-43 aggregation in frontotemporal dementia using advanced imaging tools

Dr Andrew McKinnon

University of Sydney, Australia
Investigating relationships over time between sleep-wake disturbances in older adults and the accumulation of tau and amyloid pathology in the brain, as well as changes in brain structure, function and cognition.

Dr Karissa Barthelson

Flinders University, Australia
Researching the molecular-level similarities between the pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease and one of the more common forms of childhood dementia – Sanfilippo syndrome.

Dr Ellen Dicks

Alzheimer Center Amsterdam/Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Understanding the biological basis of brain connectivity loss and its role in Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Dr Christy Hung

University College London/Francis Crick Institute, UK
Investigating the role of autophagy, known as a cellular ‘garbage disposal’ system that removes and recycles damaged material to prevent the build-up of toxic waste within the cells.

Dr Cara Croft

University College London, UK
Exploring how genetic risk factors can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and whether these genetic pathways could be targeted with future drugs.

Dr Everard (Jort) Vijverberg

Alzheimer Center Amsterdam
Developing drug discovery and trials that will dramatically accelerate the time to treat a dementia patient with new drugs.

Dr Bhuvaneish T Slevaraj

University of Edinburgh
Deciphering mechanisms that lead to vulnerability of neurons in neurodegenerative diseases and translating findings to high-throughput drug screening platforms to enable rapid identification of novel therapeutics.

Dr Rahel Park

Neva University and Geneva University Hospital
Investigating potential links between gut microbiome composition and its metabolites and the pathophysiology of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a leading cause of reversible dementia.

Prof Sam Nightingale

University of Cape Town
Investigating whether people with HIV have more amyloid protein in the brain and therefore a higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.

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