AN AWARD winning student - who was honoured earlier this year for his work with the Vale of Glamorgan Diabetes UK Patient Group - has been selected to spend a year studying at Yale University in the US.

James Pearson will travel to the prestigious University in Connecticut having been awarded the Fullbright Diabetes UK Research Scholar Award.

In addition to being a PhD student at Cardiff University - in the Institute of Molecular and Experimental medicine within the school of medicine - James is also a keen volunteer for Diabetes UK.

Earlier this year he was given the Raising Awareness award at the charity's national "Inspire" awards in recognition of his voluntary work.

Now, after completing his studies James will depart for Yale in January 2015 where he will spend a year researching the role that bacteria plays in the gut and how they may contribute to Type 1 diabetes.

James, who got involved with Diabetes UK because of family members with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, said: "I am very excited about this opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious and selective scholarship programmes operating world-wide."