ICB CDT MRes Symposium Showcases Exceptional Research

Institute of Chemical Biology Centre for Doctoral Training MRes Symposium Showcases Exceptional Research and Talent.

On Thursday 4th September 2025 the Institute of Chemical Biology (ICB) EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) held its annual MRes Symposium, a day dedicated to celebrating the outstanding research conducted by our MRes students over the academic year. The event provided a platform for students to present their projects and engage in insightful discussions with an audience of their peers, supervisors, and ICB CDT PhD students.

The standard of presentations this year was exceptionally high, showcasing the remarkable talent and hard work of all our students. The projects covered a wide range of cutting-edge topics, from novel therapeutic targets to advances in plant chemical biology. The judges faced the difficult task of selecting a winner from such a strong field of contenders, a testament to the quality of research being undertaken in the ICB’s student community.

After much deliberation, the judges announced the recipients of this year’s prizes. They were delighted to award a joint first prize to Max Barnett for his presentation “Phosphine Oxides as Rising Stars in Drug Discovery” and Laia Torrella Adriaensen for her presentation “DNA-enabled super resolution viscosity measurements of lipid nanodomains”. Both Max and Laia captivated the audience with their clear, engaging, and comprehensive accounts of their research, Max even bringing a 3D printed props of phosphine oxides, demonstrating the differing structures with and without intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Both students did an outstanding job!

The runner-up prize was awarded to Ido Dan, whose presentation “Transforming our understanding of electron transfer in membrane proteins through automation, additive manufacturing and spectroelectrochemistry” also stood out for its clarity and scientific merit. His work demonstrated a high understanding of the subject matter and was relatable to those not working in his project’s complex field of film electrochemical electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

The MRes Symposium is always a highlight of the academic year, a true celebration of all that the MRes cohort have achieved over the academic year, and this year’s event was no exception. It was a fantastic opportunity for our MRes students to hone their presentation skills, receive valuable feedback, and share their passion for science.

A huge congratulations to all the students who presented. Your dedication and hard work are an inspiration to us all, and we are incredibly proud of your achievements. We look forward to seeing the future contributions you will make to the field of chemical biology!