Dr Shirinfar, who is based in the School of Chemistry, will be investigating methods for detecting glucose levels using fluorescence (luminescence caused by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation).

Dr Shirinfar is originally from Iran, where she gained her BSc and MSc. She then went to Korea to study for a PhD at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). After gaining her PhD, she moved to Switzerland to continue her career as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. She arrived in Bristol in November 2014 to take up her Newton Fellowship.

Professor Nick Norman, Head of the School of Chemistry, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Dr Shirinfar to Bristol for the duration of her Newton Fellowship and look forward to the exciting science that will be carried out.’

The Newton International Fellowships provide an opportunity for some of the most talented early career post-doctoral researchers working overseas to carry out world-class research in UK institutions across all disciplines of humanities, engineering, and natural and social sciences

The Fellowships are part of a £29-million government initiative to ensure that the UK engages with the world’s most promising academics.