The Edward Mallen Prize for Mental Health Research
The Edward Mallen Prize for Mental Health Research is a £20,000 prize funded by the MindEd Trust and supported by the Department of Psychiatry and Cambridge Neuroscience. It is awarded annually to an early career researcher working at the University of Cambridge whose research focusses on the causation and prevention of suicide and/or depression in young people. The Prize will provide seed funding for translational and applied mental health research that the researcher would not otherwise be able to do, and raise awareness of this important area of research.
The winners of the 2024 Edward Mallen Prize, Dr Stacey Kigar (left) and Dr Mirabel Pelton (right), with Professor Tamsin Ford (middle left) and Steve Mallen.
AWARD DETAILS
To be considered for the Edward Mallen Prize, candidates are asked to write a concise note of approximately 300 words about their career development, and 800 words on how they would envisage spending the prize and the real-life impact it may have.
Applications should be submitted as PDFs by email to the Edward Mallen Prize Panel (edwardmallenprize@gmail.com) by 31st August 2025.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicant must be an early career researcher, defined as researchers with a PhD (post-viva) who have not yet obtained substantial independent research funding (such as a fellowship). The selected recipients will be required to conduct research in the area of prevention and early intervention in depression and/or suicide. The prize will only fund translational and applied research and/or studies that will have a clear pathway to impact (for example, leading to new innovations in the NHS treatment pathway, novel interventions for depression, early identification of suicide risk, etc.). The prize will not fund purely theoretical, data synthesis, or meta-analytic studies.
The recipient will be able to use the funds for equipment, salary, participant expenses, or any relevant expenses related to the proposed research. It is anticipated that the prize will serve as seed funding that will lead to a bigger grant for the recipient.
APPLICATION PROCESS
KEY DATES
Call for proposals: May-August 2025
Application deadline: 31st August 2025
Outcome: Autumn 2025
The prize will be formally awarded at a Cambridge Neuroscience meeting, and the successful recipient will be required to submit a brief update on the progress of their work six months after the award commences, and one year on will be invited to contribute to an annual report to be shared with the Panel and the trustees of The MindEd Trust.
EDWARD MALLEN prize PANEL: A panel consisting of Dr Camilla Nord, Professor Tim Dalgleish, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, and Professor Tamsin Ford will shortlist and select the winner of the Prize.
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Dr Stacey Kigar (left) and Dr Pelton (right) presenting their work at the 2025 Cambridge Neuroscience Seminar at Queens’ College Cambridge.
Posted on 02/05/2025
