From meeting Bill Gates to receiving 1 million euros in funding, Dr. Nicole Stoffel has had an interesting journey through the world of research. As a Research Fellow at St Hilda’s, we caught up with her to find out more about her work and some serendipitous events that brought her to Oxford.
The Intersection of Iron and Immunity: A Unique Journey
Dr. Nicole's journey is a testament to the unpredictability of life and the doors that open when one follows their passion. Originally looking to enter into pharmacy, she embarked on a path that led her to explore the intersection of iron and immunity. Her research interests have led her to focus on improving dosing regimens for oral iron supplements and understanding the impact of iron deficiency on vaccine responses.
"I consider myself very fortunate to love my job. I don't view it as work; it's a passion, and I believe that might not be so easy to come by. I never actively sought something in particular. I always assumed I would eventually find myself working in a pharmacy. However, I simply followed my heart and pursued what I am passionate about, taking chances and opportunities without really dwelling on the potential consequences. I went with whatever felt right or captured my interest."
One-million-euro research prize
In November 2021 Dr. Nicole received a one-million-euro research prize financed by the Fondation Jean-Jacques et Felicia Lopez-Loreta pour excellence académique, allowing her to pursue her passion with greater flexibility. The award not only recognized her innovative work but also provided her with the resources to expand her research further.
"It was incredible, like really incredible. There was this call, offering one million for a five-year project, and all you had to do was submit a one-pager with a fantastic idea. It was an open call, covering basically all research areas in academic research and even startups. I thought, "A one-pager for a million? Why not? ETH then selected five proposals from all the submissions, and those five people were invited to submit full proposals to the Foundation. These full proposals consisted of six pages of research details and six pages about yourself, kind of like a mix of your work and autobiography. It was an exciting opportunity.
Two out of the five finalists were then invited for interviews, and that's when I started to feel really nervous. I realized that there was a 50% chance of winning a million, which made it all the more exciting.
So, I received an email eventually starting "We are pleased….” It was a moment of pure joy. The award ceremony took place on 20th November 2021 at the ETH in Zurich and Sarah Springman presented me with the award.
The one-million-euro research prize has given me the freedom and the resources to expand my research. I can now cover salaries and expenses for the next five years for all involved in this project, allowing me to focus on what I'm truly passionate about. It's an amazing opportunity."
Meeting Bill Gates
"Our encounter took place at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in October 2022 in Brussels. Various people, including myself, who had received research funding were invited. Research projects were primarily presented in the form of poster presentations. The discussions revolved around improving pandemic preparedness and response and to unlocking more global health equity in between global emergencies.
Around a week before the conference, I received an email informing me that I should prepare an elevator pitch as Bill Gates had expressed an interest in my work! Usually you don’t spend a huge amount of time in poster presentations – now I dedicated three days to refining mine. Despite this, I couldn't help but wonder whether he would have the time to visit my poster, given his demanding schedule. I was also positioned right at the far corner of the exhibition room. I speculated that he might never make it to my corner, considering he was interested in nine posters, among which mine was tucked away in a corner and his schedule only allowed him 1 hour to spend with the posters."
On the day of his visit, two of his assistants approached me to make sure I was present and ready. Then, they informed me that although I was tucked away in the corner, Bill Gates was scheduled to begin his poster tour this end of the Exhibition hall! I was incredibly nervous
Then came the moment when Bill Gates' security detail figured out his route through the hall. Finally, we had a chat that went on for about ten minutes. It was actually really amazing, he was so interested in the research and asked some good questions. It was really cool.
Transformative Impact on Paediatric Vaccines
So what is this research, and why has it gained so much interest? One of Dr. Nicole's significant findings is the impact of iron deficiency on paediatric vaccines, especially in low and middle-income countries. Her research has shown that these vaccines work better when administered to infants who are not iron deficient at the time of vaccination. This revelation could potentially save millions of children worldwide.
"Simply making sure children get enough iron can have a significant effect on vaccine efficacy. A small change can have such a big impact. Because anaemia is so common in African infants and because the vaccine-preventable disease burden is so high, even if iron deficiency anaemia only modestly reduces immunogenicity of childhood vaccines, its prevention could have major benefits."
Dr. Nicole's work extends far beyond laboratory experiments. She collaborates with researchers in Kenya, Thailand, and other countries to conduct clinical trials and collect blood samples for in-depth analysis.
"We always have ongoing collaborations. I mean, right now, I am co-supervising two PhD students from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi. They both joined our research projects as master students and grew in their role and developed passion for health sciences. It's not just about research; it's about transferring knowledge and passion and to promote young female scientists. Particularly in low- and middle-income countries, there is a lack of gender diversity in important research positions, and many women are marginalized and diminished"
The Bigger Picture: Iron Deficiency and Its Global Impact
While much of Dr. Nicole's research has focused on low and middle-income countries, the implications of iron deficiency are not limited to those regions. Even in Western countries, iron deficiency remains a pressing concern, often overlooked. Her work highlights the need for greater awareness and action.
"And I mean it's not only in Africa, right? I mean, when we screen women, or when we look for participants at ETH and we screen the female students, every fourth woman has iron deficiency. This is not just a problem in low-income countries; it's a global concern. We need greater awareness and action."
Dr. Nicole's journey is a testament to the power of following one's passion and making an impact on a global scale. Her research on iron and immunity has the potential to save millions of lives by improving the efficacy of vaccines worldwide. Her commitment to knowledge transfer further enriches the scientific community. Dr. Nicole's work reminds us that profound discoveries often come from unexpected journeys.