Simon J. Cleary, PhD, Named 2026 Recipient of AABB Foundation’s Award for Innovative Research

The AABB Foundation is pleased to recognize Simon J. Cleary, PhD, research group leader and lecturer at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Centre for Lung Health at King’s College London, as the recipient of this year’s Award for Innovative Research.

Cleary received an AABB Foundation Early-Career Scientific Research Grant in 2021 for his research project titled “New approaches to study and treat alloantibody-mediated diseases resulting from blood transfusions” and was recognized as an AABB Foundation scholar in 2024.

He is receiving the AABB Foundation Award for Innovative Research “in recognition of his original research and important contributions to scientific knowledge in the field.” Cleary’s AABB Foundation-funded grant led to improved understanding of transfusion-related acute lung injury and interest in use of new biotherapies to treat antibody-mediated rejection in organ transplantation. 

Since the completion of his AABB Foundation-funded grant, Cleary has been appointed to a faculty position at King’s College London, won independent funding for his research and developed innovative approaches for imaging the lungs.