Katie Begg has been announced as the second recipient of an EACR-Molecular Oncology Editorial Fellowship, funding that is awarded to enable a talented cancer researcher to gain knowledge and experience of scientific publishing through a 3-month placement with our affiliated journal, Molecular Oncology.
Jane Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the EACR, congratulated Katie on her achievement, stating, “We’re excited to welcome Katie as the second recipient of the EACR-Molecular Oncology Editorial Fellowship. This Fellowship offers EACR members a valuable chance to explore the world of scientific publishing, gain insight into the editorial process, and enhance their scientific writing skills. We sincerely thank the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and its journal, Molecular Oncology, for making this opportunity possible. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and providing more opportunities for our members in the future.”
Katie recently caught up with us to let us know how she feels about receiving this fellowship. “I am honoured to have been awarded the EACR-Molecular Oncology Editorial Fellowship. I’m particularly excited to see behind the scenes at a prestigious research journal and gain unique insight into the editorial process,” she says, “I am a strong believer in effective communication of research, so I see this fellowship as a truly unmissable opportunity to develop my skills in this area!”
About the Recipient
Katie Begg is a postdoctoral fellow in Jessica Downs’ lab at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. Katie has had a broad research career, studying topics within the fields of epigenetics, genome instability, development and cancer. After receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Leeds and a Master’s degree from the University of Bristol, Katie obtained her PhD from King’s College London in 2021.
For her PhD, she investigated the targets of a microRNA associated with poor radiotherapy response in Head and Neck cancers, and their impact on DNA damage signalling. During this time, she became particularly focussed on the behaviour of one of these targets in response to ionizing radiation within a hypoxic environment, and subsequent effect on cancer survival.
Her current research focusses on SWI/SNF chromatin remodellers, which are frequently misregulated in cancer. Particularly, she studies how loss of SWI/SNF subunits can alter immune signalling and the splicing landscape within the context of genome instability, as well as response to therapies including ionizing radiation.
A passionate science communicator, Katie was a national finalist in the 2018 Three Minute Thesis competition and is the co-ordinator for the ICR’s Pint of Science festival.
More about EACR-Molecular Oncology Editorial Fellowships
The aim of this funding is to provide an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience of scientific publishing through a short-term fellowship with the FEBS journal Molecular Oncology. The winner will spend 3 months working remotely as part of the Molecular Oncology editorial team, and have the chance to visit the Editorial Office in Heidelberg. Learn more here.