"It is an honour to receive the Tadion Rideal Prize for Molecular Science for my research into neuro-immune interactions in rheumatoid arthritis pain"
Dr Yuening Li
08 October 2025
Dr Yuening Li awarded the Tadion Rideal Prize for Molecular Science
King's Doctoral College
Congratulations to Dr Yuening Li on winning £1000 for her outstanding research investigating pain mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
The Tadion Rideal Prize for Molecular Science for 2024/25 was awarded to Dr Yuening Li, for their doctoral thesis titled: ‘Using human cell culture models to investigate pain mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis’.
Dr Li was part of the first co-hort of the Wellcome Trust Neuro-immune Interactions PhD programme at King’s College London and was jointly supervised by Professor Leonie Taams and Dr Franziska Denk.
In her first year, Dr Li undertook three rotations, which gave them the opportunity to explore different fields, labs and working styles before choosing the best fit. She then joined the labs of Professor Leonie Taams and Dr. Franziska Denk to study neuro-immune interactions in rheumatoid arthritis pain, which challenged her to learn across two fields as well as master new techniques.
Alongside her research, Dr Li developed an interest in teaching through the Brilliant Club charity, where she adapted her research into bespoke tutorials to support and inspire the next generation of STEM students.
"The guidance of my supervisors was invaluable. Throughout my PhD, I was encouraged to preserve, think critically and develop my own ideas. I particularly enjoyed the translational aspect of research: together with colleagues, we identified an enrichment of IL-6 family cytokines in patient joint fluid and studied their effects on sensory neurons, suggesting a potential role in arthritis pain."
Dr Yuening Li
Dr Li is now working as a postdoctoral fellow at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, investigating the role of the lysosomal protein TMEM106B in ageing and neurodegeneration. She is looking forward to learning new skills and pursuing this important line of research.
Prior to joining the PhD programme Dr Li studied Biological Sciences at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China, and then pursued an MSc in Neuroscience at UCL in Professor David Attwell’s lab, studying neuro-vascular coupling in the brain. She has always been fascinated by how neurons dynamically interact with their environment and this led her to undertake a PhD at King's College London.
The Tadion Rideal Prize
This award was instituted in 1983 by a gift from Dr J. Tadion to commemorate his association with the late Sir Eric Rideal FRS and King’s College London.
The prize of £1,000 is awarded annually and is open to doctoral students of King’s College London who have carried out research for a PhD degree in Molecular Science. ‘Molecular Science’ is defined broadly and inclusively as: Research that involves studies at the molecular level.
In this story
PhD Student
Head of the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences
Reader in Neuroscience