Unlocking the mystery of placental disorders and recurrent stillbirths

The winning essay in the Max Perutz science writing award 2022, published below, was written by Emily Cornish, a clinical research fellow and PhD candidate at University College London

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Max Perutz science writing award is open to MRC-funded PhD students, who are invited to write about why their area of research matters. This year's 10 shortlisted topics included immune therapies for cancer, Scotland's drug-related death rate and the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis. The high quality of the entries made judging hard. Ultimately, the panel, made up of the Observer's Ian Tucker, Roger Highfield of the Science Museum, the journalist Samira Ahmed, the science communication lecturer Andy Ridgeway, the MRC's Jennifer Anderson and the award-winning young science writer Zara Hussan, agreed that the 1,500 prize should go to Emily Cornish, a Phd candidate at University College London's EGA Institute for Women's Health, for her essay about recurrent pregnancy loss. I am so thrilled to have won this inspirational prize," says Emily.