Ten young biologists have received travel grants from the Royal Society of Biology to help support them in overseas research projects and field courses.

The £500 grants, available every year to students and early career researchers, are used to cover costs of travelling necessary for research or field courses, with previous recipients using the funding to travel as far as Borneo and Australia.

This year, recipients will be using their funding to travel to China, Ecuador and the USA amongst other locations to attend conferences, carry out field work and work on conservation projects.  

William Kay MRSB from Swansea University, one of the recipients of the grant, commented: “I am extremely pleased to have been awarded a travel grant from the Royal Society of Biology.

“The funding will help cover my costs to attend the European Cetacean Society conference in Denmark where I will be presenting my research on dispersal patterns of grey seal pups and their interactions with marine renewable energy installations.”

Fergus Chadwick AMRSB, a recent bioscience graduate, said of receiving one of the grants this year: “I am delighted to have received one of the RSB Travel Grants to carry out my research project on the Burren in Ireland to build a comprehensive pollen reference collection for use by pollination ecologists.

“One of the best things about this grant is that it is open to all associate members of the society, unlike most other funding sources that are restricted to current students or PhD holders.

“As someone taking a year out of formal education to get research experience, this grant will make a huge difference!"

Other students and early career researchers who are benefiting from receiving a travel grant include:

• Gianluca Cerullo, undergraduate from the University of Sheffield, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Borneo for a project on invertebrate diversity in logged tropical forests.
• Jazmin Kean, an undergraduate from Edge Hill University, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Tokyo, Japan, to complete an internship at Ochanomizu University.
• Ka Yui Kum AMRSB, a PhD student from University College London, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Kiel, Germany, to attend the 9th International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicines.
• Hannah Wilson AMRSB, a PhD student at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Shenzhen, China, to present her work at the XIX International Botanical Congress.
• Lisa Gray MRSB, a science teacher at King Charles I School in Kidderminster, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Ecuador to attend the World Orchid Conference.
• Kamaljit Moirangthem MRSB, a PhD student from the University of Nottingham, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Stockholm, Sweden, to attend the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition.
• Jim Labisko MRSB, an associate lecturer at the University of Kent, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Portland Oregon, USA, to attend the 2017 Evolution Conference.
• Solomon Popoola, A PhD student from Middlesex University London, to contribute to the costs of travelling to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the 27th SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) Europe Annual Meeting.