MND EnCouRage UK 2025: More Than a Conference

We recently caught up with Jade Lucas, PhD student in Prof Chandran and Dr Selvaraj’s laboratory in Edinburgh and asked her to share her experiences as an early-career researcher at the recent MND EnCouRage 2025 conference. This annual conference which is organised by the MND Association brings together early career researchers from across the UK with senior researchers, experts and people living with MND. 

Read Jade's blog below :  

Finding Purpose, Building Connections and Expanding Horizons: Reflections from the MND EnCouRage UK Conference (average read time of 1 minute) 

In July, I had the privilege of attending MND EnCouRage UK 2025 in Loughborough. The event brought together early career researchers like myself with people living with and affected by motor neuron disease (MND), as well as senior scientists and clinicians. Over two days, we shared our research, built connections, and gained new skills to support our careers. 

I gave a short presentation on my PhD research, which explores why some people with MND survive longer than others. The questions and discussions that followed were incredibly inspiring. Hearing about the diverse work of other early career researchers, from genetics to potential biomarkers, was motivating and showed how many angles are being explored in the fight against MND. 

What stayed with me most, though, were the voices of those living with MND. Their stories reminded me that behind every sample and every data point is a person and a family. It gave me a renewed sense of purpose and determination. 

I left the MND EnCouRage 2025 conference feeling recharged, supported, and more motivated than ever to continue this vital work. Events like this don’t just move research forward, they bring the MND community closer together, which is integral to our shared progress. 

Relevant links

MND Association's news article on the MND EnCouRage 2025 conference (external website)

Jade Lucas academic profile

Prof Siddharthan Chandran profile

Dr Bhuvaneish Selvaraj profile

Photograph by kind permission of the MND Association.