Is there anything we can do to improve our immune system?
At this year’s Imperial Festive Lecture, beat the winter sniffles and join us on a myth-busting exploration of our immune systems.
Our speaker, Professor Daniel M. Davis, Professor of Immunology and Head of Imperial’s Department of Life Sciences invites you to challenge everything you think you know about our immune system.
We’ll explore bold claims of quick fixes and examine the effects of stress, diet, age, exercise, the microbiome and more on the immune system.
With his expert knowledge, Professor Davis will separate the bogus claims from the useful advice, sorting immune health fact from fiction and helping everyone make more informed choices.
Daniel Davis’ ‘Self Defence’ is available to buy now.
Join the Festive Lecture live stream
You can watch our Festive Lecture on our live stream direct from the heart of London on YouTube from 19.30 (UK time) on Thursday 4 December.
Sign up to receive the live stream link and the recording afterwards!
About our speaker
Professor Daniel M. Davis is Head of the Department of Life Sciences and Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London.
Through his research, Professor Davis helped pioneer the nanoscale biology of immune cell recognition by employing various fluorescence techniques, including early uses of fluorescence lifetime microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photo-bleaching and super-resolution microscopy.
Through direct observation of molecular recognition by immune cells, Professor Davis made major contributions to discoveries that established that immune cell recognition is not controlled by a simple cascade of protein-protein interactions as previously thought.
His previous books include The Beautiful Cure, shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize, and The Secret Body, described variously as ‘an inspiration’ by Professor Tim Spector, ‘beautifully rendered’ by Professor Brian Cox and ‘masterful’ by Professor Alice Roberts.
Professor Davis has published over 150 research papers and is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In 2025, he was awarded an MBE for services to science communication.
Useful to know
Our Festive Lecture is most suitable for young people in years 11 to 13 (aged between 16 and 18), but parents, carers and guardians are welcome to attend.
Larger school groups are welcome to attend and can be booked through our booking form.
You can join us from 18.30 for light refreshments and talk to our student ambassadors and members of staff, who will be on hand to answer your questions about studying at Imperial.
The lecture hall opens at 19.00 and the talks starts at 19.30.
The lecture will be held at the Royal Geographical Society, a short walk from our South Kensington Campus on Exhibition Road.
We’re using the Royal Geographical Society while works to develop our Great Hall are ongoing. Learn more about how we’re redeveloping our Great Hall to create new teaching spaces for our students.
Questions and queries
Contact us at visit@imperial.ac.uk