This leading annual award, worth 3,000 Swiss Francs, is given to a researcher under the age of 40 on the basis of the quality of their published work. Dr Mundell, a British Heart Foundation Research Fellow, said: ‘I am honoured to receive such a prestigious prize.’ The department’s Professor Alastair Poole won the award in 2006.

Dr Mundell has also received funding worth just under £0.5 million over the next three years for two projects that will enable him to continue his research into platelet function. Platelets are small cells in the bloodstream that clump together at the site of an injury to prevent excessive bleeding. If the blood vessels are diseased, this can cause a heart attack or stroke, and these combined are the leading cause of death in the western world.

The funding comes from the British Heart Foundation (£172,000 for a project entitled ‘Regulation of P2Y receptor signaling and traffic by NHERF protein isoforms’), and the Medical Research Council (£320,000 for a project entitled ‘Regulation of platelet function by NHERF proteins’, in collaboration with Professor Alastair Poole). The two grants will support Dr Mundell’s investigations into the identification of novel antithrombotic drug targets that could prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Professor Bridget Lumb, Head of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, said: ‘Many congratulations to Stuart. The Novartis award and the recent grant successes are well deserved and reflect the high quality of research in the department.’