Join the event on our YouTube channel
Please join us for a special series of conversations to showcase our inspirational luminaries’ careers and to share lessons learned with the next generation of future stars. Imperial has amazing women who are leaders in their fields and provide inspiration to many inside and outside the College. When they talk about their research, teaching, and societal engagement, they inspire and motivate others.
Hosted by Professor Alice P. Gast, our next conversation will be with Professor Molly Stevens, Professor of Biomedical Materials and Regenerative Medicine, and Katya Pchelintseva, a PhD candidate in the Stevens group. Professor Stevens will speak about her breakthroughs, innovations and discoveries throughout her career, and Katya will share her dreams and aspirations as they discuss life experiences and the teachable moments that shape who we are and what we do.
Professor Molly Stevens
Molly Stevens is Professor of Biomedical Materials and Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Materials and the Department of Bioengineering, and the Research Director for Biomedical Material Sciences at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
Molly’s research balances the investigation of fundamental science with the development of technology to address some of the major healthcare challenges. The Stevens Group is a large and extremely multidisciplinary research group that use innovative bioengineering approaches to pursue their vision of solving key problems in regenerative medicine and biosensing. They are currently working to develop a coronavirus test which aims to deliver a rapid diagnosis, using ultra-low concentration of the virus. The group are also working on polymer nanoparticles with potential antiviral effects and pulsatile release vaccine systems that would eliminate the need of multi-dose vaccines.
Molly’s research has been recognised by over 30 prestigious awards, she is a Fellow of 8 UK Societies including the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering and holds numerous leadership positions.
Katya Pchelintseva
Katya Pchelintseva’s interest in multidisciplinary research developed while completing a BSc in Biology at Imperial, during which she participated in immunotherapy and tissue engineering projects alongside her studies. Eager to work in healthcare innovations, Katya changed fields during her MSc in Biomedical Engineering to work on a novel method for HIV detection. Recently, she further advanced her experience in diagnostics as part of the team developing an ultrasensitive point-of-care test for COVID-19.
Currently, Katya is a PhD candidate in the Stevens group, where she is making new patterned models of heart tissue for drug screening applications. Katya also is an active member of the scientific community: she is a co-chair of Future Investigators of Regenerative Medicine symposium, an alum of Imperial WeInnovate program, an organiser of monthly professional development forums for the Stevens group and a regular volunteer at Imperial outreach events.