The University of Westminster was ranked sixth for ageing research by the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA), recognising its position as one of the largest Centres of Excellence in the UK.
In order to quantify the activity in ageing research across the country, institutions were ranked by numbers of BSRA members, with Westminster having seven members. The University has a wide spectrum of researchers working on the biology of ageing, all part of Westminster’s Ageing Biology and Age-Related Diseases Research Group.
Located within the Centre for Resilience in the School of Life Sciences, this group aims to understand how and why humans age and what they can do as individuals and a wider society to maximise their time spent in good health and minimise the biologically negative aspects of age.
The group is headed by Dr David Gaze, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Pathology and Course Leader of the Biomedical Science MSc course, who is currently researching in the area of cardiovascular biology, and Dr Bradley Elliott, Reader in Ageing Physiology and trustee of the BSRA. Other members include Dr Nicholas Baidoo, Dr Daniel Brayson, Dr Priya Gururajan, Dr Ilias Kazanis, Dr Yvoni Kyriakidou and Dr Lewis Mattin, as well as a number of post-doctoral researchers.
Group members also actively participate in public engagement and policy discussions on both national and international stages. They have been invited to international conferences, contributed to policy papers, and Dr Bradley Elliott recently was one of a group of 60 experts from across the globe who joined forces to review and recommend the best biomarkers of ageing for use in human interventional studies by healthcare professionals, policymakers and researchers focusing on gerontology and related fields to inform clinical practices and guide future research initiatives. This research was primarily supported by the UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Ageing and Nutrients Sensing Network (AGENT) via the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The BSRA originated from a group set up in 1939 and now represents scientists across the country who work on all aspects of the biology of ageing. It aims to encourage and support research that will ultimately help people slow biological ageing and thereby remain healthier and free of disease for longer.
Dr Bradley Elliott said: “During my time at Westminster, it's been great to see us grow into a real centre for ageing biology research. In 2023, I was pleased to bring the BSRA annual conference, the largest and oldest ageing biology meeting in Europe, to the University of Westminster.
“In a list dominated by Russell Group universities, we're the only post-92 university in the top 10 of the BSRA's league table for Ageing Biology Research, and I'm incredibly proud of that. It's a sustained effort by a large group of people here at Westminster, academics in the Ageing Biology Research Group, current and former PhD students and post-docs, and the professional services that support our research.”
This ranking directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the Ageing Biology and Age-Related Diseases Research Group’s projects.
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