Downing PhD student named Women in Neuroscience UK's Rising Star
Margherita Zenoni, a PhD candidate at Downing, has been awarded the Rising Star of the Year 2025 Award by Women in Neuroscience UK. A national award, it recognises "the brilliant minds shaping the future of neuroscience - those making exceptional contributions to research, mentorship and advocacy across the UK".
Her doctoral work investigates the relationship between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), aberrant memory processes, and traumatic experiences. Alongside her studies, she serves as Head of Fundraising at Orchard OCD, the charity sponsoring her PhD. She was featured in The Telegraph following a public lecture she delivered on bridging the lived experience of mental illness with scientific enquiry. The article is available to read on The Telegraph website.
Between March and November 2024, Margherita obtained funding for the first UK OCD Research Conference for Patients and Families, held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. The event sold out within a week, bringing together researchers, individuals with OCD and their families for a day of learning and dialogue.
After successfully applying for the Wellcome Trust Discretionary Award scheme, Margherita has also been leading on the organisation of a two-day international scientific conference covering the most cutting-edge science on OCD, with a special focus on accelerating treatment innovation in the field. The conference will take place on 4 and 5 June 2026, at 30 Euston Square in central London.
In August 2025, Margherita has also secured funding to deliver The OCD Community Conversations, a series of six public lectures on Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRDs), each featuring leading professionals alongside individuals with lived experience, substantially enriching the discussion and fostering meaningful dialogue. The lectures will take place in Cambridge over the course of 2026, and further details will be available soon.
Over the same period, Margherita has been awarded extra funding by the Priory Foundation for one of her PhD studies examining the effectiveness of an imagery-based intervention on intrusive – and often highly debilitating - mental images typical of OCD.
“My journey through mental illness has been my toughest teacher, demanding strength I didn’t know I had. But it taught me endurance, courage, resilience, and patience. But most importantly, it has given me purpose," said Margherita.
"It is this lived experience, combined with a deep fascination for the brain and the mind, that fuels my determination to transform the landscape of OCD research and care. And as the field moves forward, it is clear that robust, well-supported scientific research remains the key to unlocking more effective treatments, underscoring the critical need for sustained investment in neuroscience and mental health to achieve the breakthroughs patients urgently need.”
Published 24 November 2025