Meet the team

Tris has led Challenge Works from its origins as a Nesta experiment to being a global hub for expertise and insight on challenge prizes. His aim is to deliver challenge prizes that inspire and enable the development of high impact innovations  

Before joining Nesta, Tris co-founded and led the social enterprise Tempo and was included in the first cohort of the Observer’s New Radicals. Tris has also run a Welsh university think tank, founded a social sector consultancy and was a Teach First Geography teacher.

Caroline leads the Health team at Challenge Works, overseeing the design and delivery of our health portfolio of Prizes. Previously at Challenge Works, Caroline has led the design and delivery of the Global Surgical Training Challenge with Intuitive Foundation and worked across the Longitude Prize portfolio of challenge prizes. 

Prior to Challenge Works, Caroline has worked across a range of programme management and development roles in the life sciences including as Programme Manager for the Antimicrobial Resistance Programme at Public Health England and as a Senior Scientific Editor at Informa.  

Amalia is the Data Programme Lead for the Prize. She oversees the technical aspects of the Prize.

Before joining Challenge Works, Amalia was a Senior Research Fellow at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, where she led research on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. Her work involved using advanced imaging, electrophysiology and machine learning techniques to study brain function and disease progression.

Naomi is a Senior Programme Manager at Challenge Works, leading  prizes across a range of sectors, with a focus on sustainability and healthcare, including the Longitude Prize on ALS, USAID’s Innovative Design, Execution and Accelerating Support (IDEAS) mechanism and the Mombasa Plastics Prize.

Before joining Challenge Works, Naomi worked at PwC, where she specialised in impact finance and sustainable development, partnering with government agencies such as UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), intergovernmental organisations, multinational corporations, and institutional investors. 

Seoana leads the communications team for the Longitude Prize on ALS, where she oversees website development, events, and digital campaigns.

With a background in journalism and over ten years’ experience spanning media, public policy and technology, Seoana brings a distinctive editorial perspective to mission-driven communications. Her work focuses on connecting ambitious ideas with broad audiences, shaping narratives that drive awareness, partnership and impact.

At Challenge Works, Fernanda contributes to the successful delivery of the Global Health portfolio, including the £8M Longitude Prize on ALS (on data-led drug discovery) and, previously, the £4M Longitude Prize on Dementia (on assistive technology).

Her career spans ~9 years working across the public, private and third sectors, where she has steered various initiatives to advance social good. Drawing from her background in law and policy, Fernanda is keen on exploring social innovation as another tool that governments, charities, businesses and communities can use to find new and effective solutions to complex social problems.

Dina is currently a Programme Coordinator at Challenge Works, where she supports the global health team.

Prior to joining Challenge Works, Dina worked as a Programme Coordinator at the UN World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO/EMRO). In this role, she contributed to several projects funded by the EU, World Bank, and FCDO, focusing on developing and strengthening health systems to enhance their resilience. In 2023, she was part of the emergency response team based in Egypt, addressing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.