David Burt has offered his personal congratulations to cancer researcher Carika Weldon.

The Premier, who met with Dr Weldon at the Cabinet Office, said in a statement: “At a very young age, Dr Weldon has played and continues to play a significant role in advancing the fight against cancer. It was a pleasure to meet with such an excellent role model for our youth and I wish her all the best for the future.”

Dr Weldon, who lectures in Biomedical Science at De Montfort University in Leicester, Britain, will make a presentation at the ThinkFest event at the BHS Auditorium on Sunday.

Mr Burt said: “The discussion with Dr Weldon was very informative. I look forward to learning more about her research when I attend her lecture at ThinkFest this weekend.

“It is always inspiring to meet Bermudians who are making considerable impact in their fields internationally. It is even more inspiring when they choose to serve the Bermuda community by returning and contributing their knowledge.”

Dr Weldon joined the faculty as the youngest lecturer in the history of the university, after obtaining her BSc (Hons) Medical Biochemistry in 2011 and her PhD in Biochemistry in 2015 from the University of Leicester.

At age 21, as she embarked on her doctoral research and, according to the Cabinet press release, “uncovered a promising new direction in cancer treatment”.

She now runs her own lab and is in demand globally to present on her work.

At ThinkFest this Sunday, she will deliver an interactive lecture on alternative splicing and the role it plays in finding novel cancer therapies. She will also discuss the methods and results of her research so far.