A Swansea University graduate has been awarded the Quantum Advisory Prize in recognition of her use of mathematical and computational models to study cancer progression.

 

Swansea native Jessica Gaule, 21, graduated with a first class honours BSc Mathematics degree from the University this summer and has an interest in biomedical engineering, particularly the application of mathematics principles to address medical and healthcare challenges. Jessica was chosen as the recipient of the Quantum Advisory Prize for her outstanding final year project titled ‘Modelling Avascular Tumours and Treatments’.

 

The Quantum Advisory Prize is an annual award presented by leading pensions and employee benefits consultancy Quantum Advisory and celebrates mathematics students who have transcended throughout their degree. The award recognises the quality and ambition of their work and, as well as acknowledgement of their effort, recipients benefit from a financial grant to support them as they initiate their career.

 

Jessica said: “I’m really grateful to receive this award, as the recognition means a great deal after a challenging but rewarding final year of my degree.

 

“My long-term goal is to explore a career in biomedical engineering, and I plan to undertake a master’s in this field, with the possibility of progressing to a PhD in the future. I intend to use the prize money to support my education; enrolling in short courses in biomechanics and purchasing textbooks in preparation for my MSc degree.”

 

Professor Gibin Powathil, Department Head of Mathematics at Swansea University, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed working with Jessica and am pleased to see her achieve this special award. Her project focused on the spatial modelling of cancer progression, where she extended existing models and conducted several computational studies inspired by recent research papers. She also developed a cancer growth model using an agent-based modelling approach within the CompuCell3D framework, which was both novel and original.

 

“Jessica carried out the project independently, and the ideas and extensions she implemented were entirely her own. With some additional work, many of these contributions have the potential to be developed into original research results.”

 

Stuart Price, Partner and Actuary at Quantum Advisory, said: “We are proud to work with Swansea University and support mathematics graduates as they begin their careers. The quality of the students’ work is always very impressive, and Jessica’s project really stood out in terms of mathematic excellence and passion for the subject matter.

 

“We are thrilled to learn that Jessica will be using the financial element of the prize to progress her interest in this field further through education and wish her the very best for the future.”

 

Previous winners of the Quantum Advisory Prize include Bristol University graduates Muhammad Ridhwaan Korimbocus, Jayna Atool Vegad, Rafaelos Shokri, James Robb and Anna Wolstenholme, and Swansea University graduates Alissa Alicherova Kamilova, Elizabeth Carlsen, George Moore, Poppy Reffold, Benjamin Phelps, Gianluca Catania and Hal Peckett.

 

Gianluca Catania, who was awarded the prize in 2023, has since joined the Quantum Advisory team as an Investment Analyst and is working towards his investment qualifications.

 

Stuart Price added: “We were delighted to welcome Gianluca to our investment team. As a previous recipient of the Quantum Advisory Prize, it was a full circle moment for us! His talent and acumen shone through his prize-winning dissertation and he now has the opportunity to develop his skills and knowledge further as he progresses with us.”