In In 2025, ME Research UK launched the ‘Researcher Circle‘, fulfilling the charity’s aim to create an environment to encourage, support, and to facilitate the entrance and retention of early-career researchers in the field of ME/CFS research.
The Researcher Circle is aimed (initially) at PhD-level students working on projects funded by, or under the supervision of researchers who have received funding from, ME Research UK charity.
One of the main goals of the Researcher Circle is to provide the students with an opportunity for skill development. Therefore, ME Research UK has created a guest blog for members of the Circle to submit a post on a topic related to ME/CFS research. Not only does writing a post for the blog offer a chance for CV development, but also for the early career researchers to expand skills in areas including:
- Research communication: The ability to convey complex scientific information clearly and accurately to a wide range of audiences.
- Research and Organisation: To write an interesting piece, the researchers must be able to research the relevant topic(s) and organise the information logically.
- Infographic design: Should the researchers choose to, there will be the opportunity to distil information presented in their article into an infographic, utilising skills in creativity, attention to detail, data visualisation, and design.
The first post in the series comes from Yanthe Buntinx, who is a PhD candidate in the Pain in Motion Research Group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel Brussels, Belgium under the supervision of Prof. Jo Nijs and Associate Prof. Andrea Polli, both of whom have received research funding from ME Research UK.
Yanthe’s article is entitled ‘Chronic pain in ME/CFS: the immune system and lifestyle factors‘.
