Imperial Lates: Wrapping up with wellbeing

The 2025/26 Imperial Lates season shared innovative and impactful Imperial research with over 2000 members of the public over three evenings.

This season of Imperial Lates wrapped with a wholesome flourish, as visitors attended an evening brimming with talks, activities and workshops all based on ‘Happiness and Health.’ From talks on forming healthy habits to keeping winter colds at bay, and gait testing to misinformation debunking, the public went home with a new arsenal of knowledge on how to hack their health. 

It seemed like no one walked away from the Underground Cèilidh without a smile on their face. Visitors learned about the inner workings of the earth beneath our feet while taking part in the sociable Gaelic dance. The workshop was a collaboration between the Imperial Fungal Network and artist Geraldine Cox, with the help of dancer Emma Bellerby to get everyone’s toes tapping. 

"Imperial Lates offers an energy you just don't get in the laboratory. It’s not just about teaching the public; it’s about the two-way conversation. Their curiosity is infectious and sends you back to the lab with a renewed sense of purpose."

- Stefan Truppe, Imperial researcher and Lates participant

There were plenty of other ways to get hands-on with research for those with two left feet. Visitors could test out and feedback on a new prototype of dental check-up technology, shaping the future of the design, which was a first for Imperial Lates. There was also a mindful crafting workshop, allowing guests to chill out and take some time for themselves while putting together their own wall-hanging. 

The talk series was packed, both with information and with visitors listening in! Topics covered a plethora of health-based topics, such as the rising misuse of testosterone therapy, how nightmares can affect our health, and how our walking style might change how we age. 

There were also 14 exciting exhibits, with Imperial researchers poised to share their work on human sickness studies, sickle cell disease, stigma and stereotypes around periods, water cleanliness and the impact of drugs on the brain. 

"This has been the best Lates season yet. The team and I love working with Imperial scientists and innovators to take their complex and intricate research and bring it to the public in increasingly creative and engaging ways. We can’t wait to see what we can bring to life for the 2026/27 season."

- Mimmi Mårtensson, Public Engagement Programmes Coordinator

Enlightening Entertainment

The season began on a colourful note back in October of 2025 at Imperial Lates: Light, Colour, Action! The evening took inspiration from Diwali, the festival of lights, to explore the science of all things light. Visitors got a taste of delicious South Asian food, art and music. 

The sun (as the solar system’s most powerful light source) understandably stole the show: Madhav Rajeswar’s talk explored developments in solar powered space exploration, while Kamran Dastafkan discussed the ways that sunlight can power our lives back down on earth. Meanwhile, The History Aunties (Engineer and Imperial alumni, Roma Agrawal and Historian, Subhadra Das) brought the laughs with their wry takes on the history of how the world came to understand the nature of light. There was also a spirited debate about the most captivating scientific snap, before the audience declared the photo of a Brain Organoid to be their favourite. 

The Astrophysics Group and Bollyqueer teamed up to deliver ‘Dancing with the stars’, an energetic Bollywood dance class that explored light and darkness in space through movement. 

Finally, Imperial Indian Society stole the show with their Diwali dance pop-up, ending the night in a burst of colour. 

Time flies when you're having fun

Imperial Lates: About Time opened with a bang – quite literally a big bang – in a packed talk exploring what happened in the very first second of the universe. Guests also flocked to get their craft on, making festive baubles inspired by time warping black holes, and designing their own fully functional ticking timepieces. 

There was a huge queue to get a peek at an atomic clock, a time-keeping device that will lose less than a second over the age of the universe, while countless visitors lined up to try on a new device that will help users get to sleep quicker. 

Armed with nothing but an egg, Professor Mike Tarbutt brought the evening to a close by asking if the audience would notice if time started going backwards. The answer was...maybe?! 

What's next?

Imperial Lates is a great opportunity to get creative with your research by coming up with a core message, then just having fun presenting it in the most eye-catching and engaging way possible! It's also a great reminder that as researchers we get to do really cool things - something you may take for granted as being part of your everyday grind is almost certainly new and exciting for some members of the public Bryony Lanigan Imperial researcher and Lates participant

Imperial Lates will return in autumn 2026. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Imperial researchers to show off their research to the public in a fun and laid-back setting. Whether you’re a seasoned Public Engagement expert or have never taken your work outside the lab, we want to hear from you! Get in touch with the Lates team at lates@imperial.ac.uk with your ideas, and we’ll help make it happen. 

For now, the Public and Community Engagement team is shifting gears to focus on the Great Exhibition Road Festival, Imperial’s flagship public event. Returning to South Kensington on 6-7 June and run in partnership with iconic institutions on and around Exhibition Road – including the National History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, Royal Albert Hall and many more – visitors to this year’s Festival can expect hundreds of free workshops, talks and performances for all ages.   

Staff and student volunteers across Imperial College London are essential to the success of the Festival weekend. Want to get involved? Click here to find out more and sign up to be alerted when shifts open! 

Are you a visitor, and want to keep up to date with Lates, as well as other events happening at Imperial College London? Click here to sign up for the Imperial Events monthly newsletter.