UEA’s grant and funding success – February 2026

By: Communications

A person seated at a desk, one of their hands is using a laptop while the other is writing with a pen in a notebook

Image credit: Getty Images

Decoding the Role of YAP1 in Hematoendothelial Progenitor Mechanobiology During Early Cardiovascular Development

UEA project leads: Dr Gi Fay (Geoff) Mok as PI; Prof Andrea Münsterberg as Co-I

Dr Gi Fay (Geoff) Mok and Prof Andrea Münsterberg (both in BIO) have been awarded a grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for a Discovery Research PhD studentship totalling £134,290.07.

The project includes a named student, Lauren Jay, and is titled “Decoding the Role of YAP1 in Hematoendothelial Progenitor Mechanobiology During Early Cardiovascular Development”.

They will be using novel CRISPR-based genome-editing approaches in chick embryos, high-resolution live imaging, and extra-cellular matrix manipulation to investigate mechanotransduction during early cardiovascular development.

This research will provide new insight into how mechanical cues shape early vascular development and may uncover mechanisms relevant to congenital cardiovascular disease.

Amplifying Indigenous LGBTQIA+ voices through arts and education

UEA project lead: Dr Paulo Pires Pepe

Partners: Indigenous collaborators from the Pankararu and Tupinambá communities, northeastern Brazil

Dr Paulo Pires Pepe, based in the Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities, has been awarded £4,591 from the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Seed Fund (21% success rate) to lead ORIGEM, an arts-based research project with Indigenous LGBTQIA+ communities in northeastern Brazil.

Working with Pankararu and Tupinambá collaborators, the project will co-produce and bilingually subtitle a documentary centring Indigenous queer voices, cultural memory and creative practice.

By developing participatory filmmaking as collaborative research, ORIGEM strengthens long-term international partnerships and lays the groundwork for future educational, digital and community-facing initiatives.

Study with us Explore our research

Life‑changing study experience awaits UEA students heading to China

Students from the University of East Anglia will travel to China this summer on a fully funded cultural and academic tour, after the university was selected as the East of England’s sole partner in a major new programme.

Winners announced at UEA’s 2026 Innovation and Impact Awards ceremony

UEA’s vibrant culture of innovation and collaboration was celebrated at the 2026 Innovation and Impact Awards, held on Wednesday 20 May at The Enterprise Centre.

UEA to investigate impact of AI on children as part of £3 million project

Researchers at the University of East Anglia will investigate how AI influences children’s cognitive, social and emotional development as part of work commissioned by the Department for Education.