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Dr Chris Hardy
Carol Jennings’ connection to Alzheimer’s disease began in 1983 when her father was diagnosed. Within a few years, four of his siblings also received a dementia diagnosis, sparking Carol’s determination to understand the condition. Her involvement in Professor Sir John Hardy’s landmark study—jointly funded by Alzheimer’s Society and the Medical Research Council—was pivotal in identifying the role of amyloid protein in Alzheimer’s disease and developing the ‘amyloid hypothesis.’
Together with her husband Stuart, Carol became a passionate global advocate for dementia research, raising awareness and championing progress. In recognition of their remarkable contributions, Alzheimer’s Society named them Vice-Presidents. Tragically , Carol was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and passed away earlier this year.
To honour her legacy, Alzheimer’s Society and the Jennings family established the Carol Jennings Fellowship. We are delighted to announce the second Carol Jennings Fellow, Dr Chris Hardy at University College London.
Dr Hardy joins Dr Johanna Jackson, Imperial College London who was made the first Carol Jennings Fellow in 2023/24.
Dr Chris Hardy’s personal connection to dementia began with his grandmother. Dr Hardy shares,’ my grandmother had dementia. She was the most amazing woman, and it was her that inspired me to go into dementia research myself’
Dr Hardy explains more about his world class research and why Alzheimer’s Society’s support has been so important:
‘One promising way of identifying dementia early, cheaply, quickly, and easily is by using tests of ‘brain hearing’. Hearing loss is a major dementia risk factor, we hear with our brains as well as our ears, and brain regions that perform difficult hearing tasks are affected very early in Alzheimer’s disease.
‘With Alzheimer’s Society funding, I will study how ear and brain-related hearing loss correspond to brain changes in people with dementia. I will also develop new, culture- and language-fair tests of brain hearing to help detect, diagnose and track dementia.
‘I feel very fortunate that my research allows me to work directly with people living with and affected by dementia – it’s an immense privilege to meet the people who are the real-life experts of living with the conditions, and to learn from their experiences.’
‘It’s extremely humbling and motivating to know that the work I’m doing is only possible because of the incredible donations and support that people have given to the Alzheimer’s Society, and I want to repay the faith that people have put in me by funding my research. I hope to do that by working incredibly hard over the next four years to deliver on what I hope to achieve.’
‘I’m so lucky to be able to go into work each morning to do a job that I love, and what drives me is the hope that my research might help people, now and in the future.’
Explore our funding schemes that support researchers like Dr Chris Hardy and Dr Johanna Jackson in advancing innovative projects. Learn about our application process and how we help researchers manage their grants, ensuring success in groundbreaking dementia research.
Lisa Hammond
Author
Lisa Hammond is a Research Communications Officers at Alzheimer’s Society. As part her my role, she shares and communicates the pioneering research that Alzheimer’s Society are funding. Lisa has a background in neuroscience and fine art which allows helps her to xplain science in an out of the box way. Outside work Lisa is a keen gardener, and she enjoys nature and anything creative.
Dementia Researcher
