New Future Leaders Fellows announced
8 October 2026
Two Cardiff academics have secured funding from a prestigious UKRI scheme which supports talented early career researchers and innovators to become leaders in their field.
Dr Esther Wright and Dr Lucy Riglin from Cardiff University have been awarded Future Leaders Fellowships by the UKRI, as part of a cohort of 75 promising research leaders who will benefit from £110 million to tackle major global issues and to commercialise their innovations in the UK.
In the tenth round of the scheme, Dr Esther Wright, from the School of Global Humanities, and Dr Lucy Riglin, from the School of Medicine, will receive four years of funding to support their work.
Dr Lucy Riglin is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health and the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics within the School of Medicine. Dr Riglin’s project will investigate whether depression in young people can be divided into more meaningful groups, exploring how causes and outcomes of youth depression may vary based on the age at which depression begins, and whether it is accompanied by other mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. The research aims to improve understanding of youth depression and support the development of more effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Dr Riglin said: "There is a global youth mental health crisis and an urgent need for new ways to understand and treat depression in young people. I'm extremely grateful for this funding, which will enable me to work with world-leading experts to help us better understand variation in youth depression and develop evidence-based approaches to guide more personalised care.”
Ultimately, I hope this work will improve outcomes for young people, support families, and help mental health services respond more effectively to growing demand.
Dr Esther Wright is a Senior Lecturer in Digital History, working in the field of Historical Game Studies. Her research explores the way that historical video games make meaning from and represent the past. She is also co-director of the Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultures Research, which connects researchers and library and archive professionals across the University. Her Fellowship sets out to change the kinds of stories that we tell about video games, challenging misconceptions and championing their importance as the defining form of popular historical culture in the 21st century. The research runs alongside a programme of annual History and Games Summits designed to create meaningful space for conversation and collaboration between researchers, game makers, and the cultural heritage sector.
Dr Wright said: “It is an enormous privilege to be awarded this Fellowship, and be supported by UKRI to imagine the future of historical games research and innovation.”
This work galvanises the momentum that we’ve been building in the field of Historical Game Studies over the last two decades, and uses the Historical Games Network as a platform to continue making meaningful connections between researchers, game makers, and cultural heritage professionals.
Cardiff University’s Future Leaders Fellowship award holders bring together diverse expertise, perspectives and experiences, reflecting the breadth of research and innovation talent the University nurtures across disciplines and backgrounds. As a partner in the Future Leaders Fellowship Development Network, the University is actively involved in supporting the next generation of research leaders across the UK.
Professor Roger Whitaker, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise said: “I am delighted to congratulate Dr Esther Wright and Dr Lucy Riglin on securing these highly competitive UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships.”
Their success reflects the exceptional talent, creativity and ambition of researchers across Cardiff University. Through their respective projects, Esther and Lucy will address important challenges, and I am pleased to welcome them to Cardiff University's growing community of UKRI Future Leaders Fellows.
The scheme helps universities and businesses in the UK recruit, develop and retain the world’s best researchers and innovators, regardless of their background. Researchers can apply for substantial long-term funding to support their research or innovation and develop their careers, with each fellowship lasting four to seven years.
