A PhD student from UCL Eastman Dental Institute has been awarded the Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award to investigate new biodegradable drug-releasing adhesives and implants.

Ms Xin Zhao's work will involve multidisciplinary studies of a novel family of materials that are currently being patented through UCL Biomedica for a range of biomedical applications.

The work involving new material synthesis and mechanical and biological studies will be supervised by Drs Anne Young and Vehid Salih of the Division of Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering.

It is planned that optimised materials produced in the project will additionally be supplied for a number of other projects around the world including steriolithography experiments (Russia) and antibacterial investigations (South Africa) in addition to Departments at the Eastman, Imperial and Kings.

The Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award enables talented students from India, China, Hong Kong, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and the developing world to study for a PhD in leading UK research institutions.

At present, 26 Higher Education Institutions have received around 80 awards, with UCL receiving a total of six. These fully-funded awards are open to students of science, engineering, medicine, social sciences and technology.

Award-holders have the additional benefit of being able to apply for a Home Office scheme that allows foreign nationals who have studied maths, science or engineering in the UK to remain and work in this country for a year after graduation.

When students return home, they will help to provide the scientific expertise needed to tackle issues such as establishing supplies of clean water and secure energy, and to help combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

The scheme will also help to promote scientific and commercial collaboration between the UK and participating countries.