Join a full day of presentations and stimulating discussions with the academics and prize-winning PhD students in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and find out about our innovative work. Everybody is welcome! Please register as soon as possible (deadline is 17.00 on 21 September 2026).
10.00 – 18.00, SAFB G16 LT (Sir Alexander Fleming Building)
Welcome coffee from 09.30 in the concourse level 1
- Departmental talks sessions: 10.00 – 16.10 in SAFB G16 LT (coffee breaks in the concourse level 1).
- PhD students poster competition: 12.30 – 13.40 in SAFB 120-122 (lunch will be provided) – Imperial staff and students will be able to vote for their favourite poster by Wednesday 23rd September, 15:00 – posters will be uploaded in our website in early September.
- Panel session: 16.10 – 17.10 in SAFB 120-122.
- Awards from 17.15 with canapés and drinks reception in the concourse level 1.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to engage with our academics and postgraduate students. Please see the full programme below:
Programme
10.00 – 10.05 Welcome
Welcome and opening remarks by the Dean Professor Richard Craster.
10.05 – 10.35 Centre for Environmental Policy Showcase
- 10.05 – 10.20: Dr Caroline Howe (Associate Professor) – Beyond the Silos: equity and justice in tackling biodiversity and climate
- 10.20 – 10.35: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
10.35 – 11.20 Department of Mathematics Showcase
- 10.35 – 10.50: Dr Ed Cohen (Reader in Statistics) – Spatial statistics on manifolds: new mathematical tools for microbial and cell biology.
- 10.50 – 11.05: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 11.05 – 11.20: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
Coffee break (11.20 – 11.30)
11.30 – 12.30 Department of Life Sciences Showcase
- 11.30 – 11.45: Dr Claudia Contini (Assistant Professor in Biotechnology and Engineering Biology) – Synthetic Cells: from Soft Matter to Life-Like Behaviours
- 11.45 – 12.00: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 12.00 – 12.15: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 12.15 – 12.30: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
12.30 – 13.40 Lunch and Poster session
13.40 – 14.40 Department of Chemistry Showcase
- 13.40 – 13.55: Dr David Ayuso Molinero (Royal Society URF – Associate Professor) – Why chiral light can barely tell left from right – and how to fix it by shaping it in 3D
- 13.55 – 14.10: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 14.10 – 14.25: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 14.25 – 14.40: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
Coffee break (14.40 – 14.50)
14.50 – 15.50 Department of Physics Showcase
- 14.50 – 15.05: Dr Frank Schindler (Associate Professor in Condensed Matter Theory) – Symmetry and Topology in Quantum Matter
- 15.05 – 15.20: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
- 15.20 – 15.35: PhD student) – Title to be confirmed
- 15.35 – 15.50: PhD student – Title to be confirmed
15.50 – 15.55 Closing
Closing remarks by Professor Richard Craster.
Coffee break (15.55 – 16.10)
16.10 – 17.10 Why Should We Support Curiosity-Driven Research?
Panel discussion.
This year’s panel will focus on Curiosity-Driven Research, highlighting how fundamental science can lead to unexpected and transformative breakthroughs. Four academic members have been invited, each presenting a compelling example of such research:
- Dr Niladri Banerjee (Dept. of Physics): Quantum Mechanics → Semiconductors and Modern Electronics
- Professor Jason Micklefield (Dept. of Chemistry): CRISPR → Gene-editing Technology
- Dr Julie McDonald (Dept. of Life Sciences): Gut Microbiome research → Clinical applications and Disease prevention and management
- Professor Kevin Buzzard (Dept. of Mathematics): Number Theory → Cryptography
17.15 – 18.00 Canapes reception and prizes
Awards will be given at 17.30.