Elina Naydenova (2013, Social Studies), a Univ DPhil candidate, was one of the first recipients of the College’s new Research Training Fund award, which helped to cover the cost of a Research Placement at the World Health Organisation in Geneva recently.

The Research Training Fund was introduced by the College in June 2014 for graduate students. It is designed to contribute towards the exceptional costs of opportunities that will contribute to the quality of a student’s research and/or academic performance. Examples of such opportunities include specialist training courses, research work opportunities in laboratories elsewhere, fieldwork, and academically-relevant internships. A similar award was introduced for undergraduates called the Academic Opportunity Fund.

During her placement Elina attended the 67th World Health Organisation Assembly where she developed an “in-depth understanding for the true healthcare challenges faced in multiple countries” that “would have been completely impossible without the generous support of University College”. For more information on the assembly’s agenda, visit the website.

Elina is a DPhil candidate in Healthcare Innovation focusing on medical technologies for low-resource settings. She holds a BSc in Mathematics and Physics and a MSc in Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on affordable health technologies, including novel diagnostics for childhood pneumonia and sustainable approaches to non-communicable disease management.

She reached the semi-finals for the 2015 Hult Prize where her team presented their unique solution to this year’s challenge: “Solving Early Childhood Education in the Urban Slum.” The Hult Prize Foundation is a start-up accelerator for young social entrepreneurs from the world’s universities. Elina has also worked with other organisations that bridge the gap between science, business and social studies, such as philanthropic work with Giving What We Can, Thare Machi Education, Credit Suisse and the Brilliant Club.

Published: 8 September 2015

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