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

Climate change and security threats leave UK food supply at risk, expert warns MPs

The UK must move beyond prioritising efficient and low-cost food supply chains and build resilience for an era of increasing disruption, according to an expert at the University of East Anglia.

Annual Bishop of Norwich Prize for Ecology awarded to UEA graduate

University of East Anglia (UEA) master’s graduate, Adam Bourton, has won the 2026 prize for his conservation work with beach-nesting birds in North Norfolk.

A new way to study? UEA pilots AI tool to support revision and learning

UEA has launched a pilot with StudyStash, an AI-powered learning platform designed to help students make better use of their existing course materials.