��ý events

Blyth Gallery Retrospective

2025-09-24T10:29:30+01:00

Photographs looking back through the past 20 years of exhibitions installed in the Blyth Gallery.

CPE Annual Symposium 2026

2026-05-08T13:35:47+01:00

We are inviting abstracts for poster presentations. Please send to: cpe-admin@imperial.ac.uk.

The RSC is offering three £100 RSC book vouchers from Materials Horizons, Journal of Materials Chemistry C and RSC Applied Interfaces for poster prizes.

Agenda and abstracts will be posted as they are received.

Attendance is free, but we ask that you do register: Registration for the 2026 CPE Annual Symposium – Fill in form

13 July 2026

9:30 – 9:50 Arrivals/Welcome

9:50 – 10:00 Dr Felice Torrisi – Introduction

Session 1 Chair: Dr Piers Barnes

10:00 – 10:30 Prof Erwin Reisner, University of Cambridge. Solar chemical technologies for the upcycling of CO₂, biomass and plastics

10:30 – 11:00 Prof Bob C. Schroeder, University College London. Beyond Bandgap Engineering: Spin Polarisation in Organic Semiconductors for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

11:00 – 11:30 Prof Ludmilla Steier, University of Oxford. The importance of surface area considerations in revealing property-function relationships in photo- and electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion

11:30 – 11:45 Coffee

Session 2 Chair: Dr Nicola Gasparini

11:45 – 12:15 Prof Alan Drew, Queen Mary University of London. Spin selective material probes in organic materials

12:15 – 12:45 Dr Niladri Banerjee, ��ý. Unconventional superconductivity in chiral molecule/superconductor hybrids

12:45 – 13:15 Dr Liyun Ma, ��ý. From Fibres to Futures: Weaving Intelligent Textiles for Human-Centred Healthcare

13:15- 14:30 Lunch and poster session

Session 3 Chair: Dr Jess Wade

14:30 – 15:00 Dr Sean Collins, ��ý. Precision nano-analyses of variations in exciton behaviour in organic and perovskite semiconductors

15:00 – 15:30 Dr Adam Clancy, University College London. Solution Processable Group 15 Nanoribbons

15:30 – 16:00 Prof Robert Hoye, University of Oxford. Tuning the transition dipole moment of perovskite nanoplatelets to maximise performance and polarized light emission

16:00 Coffee and poster session.

14 July 2026

9:30 – 9:35 Arrivals/Welcome

Session 1: Photo- and electrochemistry. Chair: Dr Jesús Barrio Hermida

9:35 – 10:05 Invited speaker: Dr Calum Ferguson, University of Birmingham. Photocatalytic heterogeneous polymers: what’s the limit?

10:05 – 10:20 Dr James Green, ��ý. Theoretical insights into the electronic properties of molecular crystals for photocatalytic water splitting

10:20 – 10:35 Dr Silvia Escudero Curiel, ��ý. Synthesis of bioderived FeNC oxygen reduction catalysts in MgCl₂–FeCl₂ mixtures

10:35 – 11:00 Coffee/tea break

Session 2: Electronics-solar cells. Chair: Dr Francesco Furlan

11:00 – 11:30 Invited speaker: Dr Flurin Eisner, Queen Mary University of London. More Than the Sum of Its Parts? Organic-Semiconductor-Based Hybrid Heterojunctions for Light Energy Conversion

11:30 – 11:45 Ding Ding, ��ý. Revealing the impact of phase transition on n = 1 2D perovskite photodetectors with intrinsically tunable narrowband detection

11:45 – 12:00 Enas Moustafa, ��ý. Tailoring interfacial microstructure with PQDs in layer-by-layer ternary organic photovoltaics

12:00 – 12:45 Lunch break

Session 3: Emerging technologies. Chair: Prof Fırat Güder

12:45 – 13:15 Invited speaker: Dr Daan Arroo, ��ý. Reinventing the Maser: Materials Engineering for Quantum Microwave Electronics

13:15 – 13:30 Dr Robert Carroll, ��ý. Ultra-sensitive Hall and photo-Hall measurement to characterise emerging semiconductors

13:30 – 13:45 Dr Nadia Farag, ��ý. Automation of high throughput materials synthesis and cell testing for sodium ion batteries

13:45 End. Closing comments and poster prize presentations

Speaker abstracts

Prof Erwin Reisner

University of Cambridge

Solar chemical technologies for the upcycling of CO₂, biomass and plastics

The mimicry of photosynthesis to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals has long inspired scientists, but fully functional and scalable systems that fully replicate natural photosynthesis remain rare, and viable routes to commercialisation are uncertain. Recent advances in the assembly of photosynthesis-inspired architectures have enabled the construction of prototype solar devices for direct CO₂ fixation. Artificial leaves combine semiconductor light absorbers with immobilised (bio)molecular catalysts to drive solar-powered CO₂ reduction, producing fuels, alongside oxygen evolution from water oxidation.

These products can be further upgraded via integrated catalytic processes, for example converting formate into enantioenriched organics through enzymatic cascades or into sugars using engineered microorganisms. The replacement of water oxidation by the valorisation of waste substrates provides a possible path towards commercialisation. This “solar reforming” approach offers favourable thermodynamics and kinetics while improving economic viability by coupling fuel production with waste upcycling.

Notably, outdoor solar plastic reforming is currently being tested at the kilogram/square meter scale. This presentation will outline the emerging paradigm of integrated solar chemistry with a focus on solar reforming. It will also highlight strategies and frontiers such as atmospheric CO₂ utilisation, advanced light management in integrated devices, and solar-driven cascade catalysis for high-value chemical synthesis.

Prof Bob C. Schroeder

University College London

Beyond Bandgap Engineering: Spin Polarisation in Organic Semiconductors for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

The escalating global energy crisis, coupled with the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, has intensified the search for sustainable energy solutions. Photocatalytic water splitting using sunlight, water, and a catalyst to generate hydrogen represents a particularly promising approach to clean energy production. Yet this process faces a critical limitation: the formation of unwanted hydrogen peroxide byproducts due to uncontrolled radical spin states, severely compromising both efficiency and commercial viability.

A breakthrough may lie in exploiting molecular chirality. Beyond its recognition since the 19th century, chirality has revealed a remarkable quantum mechanical property: chiral molecules can selectively filter electron spins through the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect. This phenomenon opens an unprecedented pathway to controlling spin states in water splitting reactions, potentially eliminating problematic byproduct formation.

This research presents the development of a novel chiral organic semiconductor that exhibits the desired spin selectivity effect and enables comprehensive analysis of performance in water splitting applications. Comparison with achiral reference materials and racemic analogues reveals a striking four-fold enhancement in current density, directly correlating to hydrogen evolution.

Prof Ludmilla Steier

University of Oxford

The importance of surface area considerations in revealing property-function relationships in photo- and electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion

Catalyst design for the reduction of CO₂ to valuable fuels needs property-function relationships to identify more generalized material design guidelines. A large body of work has been developed studying defect chemistry and especially oxygen vacancy chemistry in oxide systems for the water oxidation reaction, since typically these surfaces are unprotected, offering the investigation of the semiconductor-liquid junction in a photoanode directly. Recent works by Profs. Wang and Domen developed a new p-type visible light absorber (La,Sr)(Rh,Ti)O₃ employed in the Z-scheme photocatalyst sheet device with a record 1% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, turning the focus to investigating defect chemistry in absorbers driving the reduction reaction. Our latest work explores defect chemistry further, studying the CO₂ photohydrogenation reaction with doped SrTiO₃. A key parameter we identify is surface area-normalized activity, which enables the identification of such material property-function relationships, in analogy to the insights gained from our recent studies in electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

References

1 S. Corby, R. R. Rao, L. Steier and J. R. Durrant, Nat. Rev. Mater., 2021, 6, 1136-1155.

2 L. Steier, I. Herraiz-Cardona, S. Gimenez, F. Fabregat-Santiago, J. Bisquert, S. D. Tilley and M. Gratzel, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2014, 24, 7681-7688.

3 Q. Wang et al., Nat. Mater., 2016, 15, 611.

4 B. Moss et al., Nat. Mater., 2021, 20, 511-517.

5 D. Bhattacharyya et al., Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025, e11923.

6 Y. Zhou et al., ACS Energy Lett., 2025, 10, 4324-4331.

Prof Alan Drew

Queen Mary University of London

Radiation detection using solution processed organic (and organic-inorganic hybrid) films

Whilst radiation detection and metrology is a relatively mature field, there remains areas that need to be addressed, specifically in the neutron detector fields, national security applications and reduction of costs for both civil and security applications. I will present recent results of using solution processed organic films for radiation detection applications, which have the potential to significantly reduce the costs of large-area detectors that may be suitable for national security. They can also be manufactured to be structurally flexible and passive, meaning they can be used in bespoke applications.

I will first present hybrid organic-inorganic films, which are shown to be sensitive to photons (gamma/x-rays) as a result of absorption on the inorganic nanoparticles. pA currents are observed under bias for radiation fields of the order of mGy/hr cm for ~10mm thick films of P3HT-TiO2, resulting in relatively small sensitivities of ~10 mC/Gy cm are observed compared to other materials systems. A clear nanoparticle size dependence is observed, likely related to the reduced sensitivity larger nanoparticles (excitation mean free path is smaller than the radius of the nanoparticle) and an optimum concentration is observed, likely related to aggregation of the nanoparticles and a reduced percolate path. I will then go on to present a highly sensitive radiochromic film, comprising of a sensitiser and binder, that undergo a series of redox reactions driven by radicals generated by photon absorption, resulting in a change of colour. Results to date show a sensitivity to 10mGy of total dose, which is significantly more sensitive than alternative systems (typical radiochromic films 2mGy; typical film badges 200mGy), with a path to increasing sensitivity to the nGy regime. This passive detector has potential for a number of applications in the radiation safety and security arenas.

Dr Niladri Banerjee

��ý

Unconventional superconductivity in chiral molecule/superconductor hybrids

Superconductivity – characterised by dissipationless flow of charge in certain materials at low temperatures, has led to several fundamental science and technology breakthroughs. Superconductivity results from the pairing of electrons with opposite spins below a critical temperature forming a stable state which can flow without scattering. In recent years, experiments and theories of chiral molecules on thin film superconductors have indicated a novel superconductivity formed of equal spin pairing. Intriguingly, this implies a dissipationless spin current flowing alongside the charge current leading to functionalities that are otherwise not available.

In this talk, following a brief introduction, I will discuss the status of the field and key outstanding questions. I will show few recent results from our group with chiral molecules on thin superconducting niobium which challenges some of the current understanding in the field.

References

1 Nat. Rev. Chem., 2019, 3, 250-260.

2 Phys. Rev. B, 2018, 98, 214513.

3 Phys. Rev. Mater., 2021, 5, 114801.

Dr Liyun Ma

��ý

From Fibres to Futures: Weaving Intelligent Textiles for Human-Centred Healthcare

Smart textiles offer a unique platform for continuous health monitoring and human-machine interaction, owing to their intrinsic softness, breathability, wearability and washability. As the fundamental building blocks of textiles, fibres and yarns can be engineered through continuous and scalable manufacturing processes to incorporate active sensing and energy-harvesting functions, enabling intelligent systems that respond in real time to physiological, biochemical, motion and environmental signals.

In here, I will introduce our recent work at the I-THREAD Lab on augmented sensing textiles. Our research develops cross-scale strategies for functional integration, spanning materials design, yarn architectures and fabric systems. At the materials level, we explore natural bio-based materials such as silk fibroin and engineer them with electrical conductivity, biocompatibility and biodegradability for both skin-mounted and implantable applications.

At the manufacturing level, we integrate conductive and functional components into flexible yarns through coaxial spinning, electrospinning-based composite fabrication and hollow-spindle spinning, and further translate these yarns into woven, knitted and braided textile systems.

These material and manufacturing strategies allow conventional fabrics to be endowed with enhanced functions, including flame retardancy, corrosion resistance and multimodal sensing, while preserving their comfort and mechanical integrity. I will highlight representative applications in wearable physiological monitoring, tactile sensing for surgical robotics and wound-healing monitoring. Together, these studies demonstrate a full-chain “materials-yarns-fabrics-systems” framework for developing intelligent textile platforms, with potential applications in precision medicine, digital health and next-generation self-powered wearable technologies.

Dr Sean Collins

��ý

Precision nano-analyses of variations in exciton behaviour in organic and perovskite semiconductors

Despite sustained progress in the performance characteristics of organic semiconductors and halide perovskites, many features of structural and chemical heterogeneity remain poorly understood. Probing how structural and compositional heterogeneity precisely modify properties is crucial for developing new interventions for the fabrication of devices with improved stability throughout device operation. Advances in low-dose, nanometre-resolved electron diffraction have enabled access to this information for linking nanoscale structure to characteristics underpinning energy transport mechanisms1 and device ageing2.

When combined with spectroscopy in the scanning transmission electron microscope, diffraction tools can offer a direct means to link optical properties to nanoscale structures3. This presentation will highlight ongoing work to probe the role of localised, crystallographic defects4, dislocations5, crystalline and amorphous phase separation in polymer blend semiconductors6, and compositional heterogeneity in mixed anion lead halide perovskite nanocrystals.

References

1 A. J. Sneyd et al., Sci. Adv., 2021, 7, eabh4232.

2 S. Yoon et al., ACS Energy Lett., 2025, 10, 541-551.

3 J. Hou et al., Science, 2021, 374, 621-625.

4 C. J. H. Smalley et al., Sci. Adv., 2026, 12, eaed0037.

5 S. T. Pham et al., Nat. Mater., 2025, 24, 682-687.

6 S. T. Pham, A. F. Sapnik and S. M. Collins, Small Methods, 2026, e70719.

Dr Adam Clancy

University College London

Solution Processable Group 15 Nanoribbons

Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) are atomically thin, nanometers-wide layers of pure phosphorus which had been theorised to posses properties exceeding their parent 2D phosphorene, including a tuneable bandgap, improved hole mobility, and ferromagnetism. Made through dissolution in a range of solvents, the PNR solutions are immediately primed for assembly into a range of devices such as hole transport layers in perovskite solar cells and dendrite passivation layers in lithium metal batteries. By modifying their synthesis, the intrinsic properties of PNRs can be dramatically and controllably altered, while opening the route to new families of 1D nanoribbons.

Prof Robert Hoye

University of Oxford

Tuning the transition dipole moment of perovskite nanoplatelets to maximise performance and polarized light emission

Metal-halide perovskites exhibit bright and sharp luminescence, with properties that can be tuned over a wide range through solution processing1,2. By making perovskite nanocrystals anisotropic, we can achieve both exciton fine structure splitting as well as control over the horizontal transition dipole moment.

In this talk, I will discuss our recent works focussed on self assembling these nanoplatelets, and tuning their orientation. Through control over the solvent evaporation rate, we tune the orientation of nanoplatelets to maximise performance and polarized light emission.

References

1 Ye et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024, 53, 9085.

2 Ye, Mondal et al., Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 8120.

3 Ye et al., Nat. Photonics, 2024, 18, 586.

4 Jeong et al., arXiv, 2025, 2505.22817.

Dr Calum Ferguson

University of Birmingham

Photocatalytic heterogeneous polymers: what’s the limit?

Refined polymer photocatalysts have emerged over the past decade as highly effective materials for facilitating photoredox catalysis in the synthesis of value-added compounds. To date, a diverse range of photocatalytic polymers has been developed, including linear systems typically conjugated donor-acceptor or vinyl-based polymers. In addition, porous organic polymers such as conjugated microporous polymers, covalent triazine frameworks, polymers of intrinsic microporosity, and covalent organic frameworks have attracted considerable attention.

Despite the broad scope of reactivity accessible with these materials, photocatalytic polymers still lag behind the highly sophisticated transformations achievable with homogeneous photocatalysts. Our research seeks to identify the key limiting factors behind this disparity and develop strategies to overcome them.

In most heterogeneous photocatalytic systems, the rate-limiting step is either the mass transport of substrates to the active sites or the efficiency of energy and electron transfer at those sites. This talk presents work investigating how the miniaturisation of conjugated microporous polymers can enhance catalytic performance, and how deliberate tuning of the solid-liquid interface can significantly accelerate reaction rates.

Dr James Green

��ý

Theoretical insights into the electronic properties of molecular crystals for photocatalytic water splitting

Organic molecular crystals are a promising platform for optoelectronics due to their chemical and structural diversity, and while molecular crystals have been heavily investigated for organic electronic applications such as OLEDs and solar cells, there has been comparatively little theoretical research into photocatalytic overall water splitting in these materials.

One major challenge for the in silico design of molecular crystalline photocatalysts for overall water splitting is the need to accurately describe and predict electronic properties in the solid state. This talk discusses theoretical insights into the electronic properties of molecular crystals and how these can guide the search for photocatalytic water-splitting materials.

Dr Silvia Escudero Curiel

��ý

Synthesis of Bioderived FeNC Oxygen Reduction Catalysts in MgCl₂–FeCl₂ Mixtures

The alkaline oxygen reduction reaction, critical in fuel-cell power systems, is fundamental to hydrogen-based green energy technologies. However, the environmental and socioeconomic challenges associated with current Pt-based catalysts make it imperative to adopt innovative and sustainable strategies to advance toward a more resilient and environmentally responsible future.

Iron-nitrogen-carbon electrocatalysts are an attractive alternative owing to their excellent oxygen-reduction catalytic efficiency; nevertheless, commercially available FeNC catalysts are typically synthesized under harsh and demanding conditions, which may intensify environmental concerns and contribute to the formation of less active iron species. They can serve as a cost-effective alternative when developed within a circular bioeconomy framework that valorises biomass residues as a carbon source.

In this work, tea leaf residues are employed as a nitrogen-rich biomass precursor to promote the formation of Fe-N active sites through a one-step ionothermal pyrolysis mediated by MgCl₂·6H₂O–FeCl₂ mixtures. The resulting carbonaceous materials exhibited high surface area and exposed Fe–Nₓ active sites, underscoring their potential for practical, sustainable oxygen-reduction devices.

Dr Flurin Eisner

Queen Mary University of London

More Than the Sum of Its Parts? Organic-Semiconductor-Based Hybrid Heterojunctions for Light Energy Conversion

Each class of semiconductor (organic, perovskite, inorganic) comes with its own distinct set of properties, advantages, and limitations. Combining different semiconductor types, or pairing semiconductors with other functional materials, at a hybrid heterojunction offers a route to combine their respective advantages, mitigate their disadvantages, and unlock new properties that go beyond what any single material can offer alone.

Here, I present three classes of hybrid heterojunctions built around organic semiconductors, each yielding distinct properties. The first is a nanostructured heterojunction between the inorganic semiconductor CuSCN and non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), which gives rise to interesting charge-transfer behaviour. The second explores hybrid heterojunctions combining organic semiconductors with perovskites. The third is a multilayer architecture incorporating NiFeOOH-functionalised graphite sheets as photoelectrodes for solar fuel production.

Together, these systems span a range of applications, from solar cells and photodetectors to photoelectrodes for solar fuel production, illustrating how the design of hybrid heterojunctions can extend the functionality of semiconductors beyond what each component can achieve in isolation.

Ding Ding

��ý

Revealing the Impact of Phase Transition on n = 1 2D Perovskite Photodetectors With Intrinsically Tunable Narrowband Detection

2D perovskites featuring a single layer of perovskite octahedra sandwiched between organic cations display narrow absorption due to their quantum-confined structure. They offer a compelling route to filter-free, narrowband photodetection compared with broadband 3D counterparts. While halide mixing provides spectral tunability, it introduces severe phase segregation and energetic disorder.

This work integrates n = 1 (PEA)₂PbBrₓI₄₋ₓ into photoconductors, achieving tunable response from 400 to 520 nm, and reveals the existence of two different phases and their gradual transition based on halide composition. Although chloride additive PEACl suppressed phase segregation in mixed halides, it introduced additional traps that reduced photocurrent. The additive enhanced out-of-plane orientation, disrupting in-plane transport in photoconductors, but significantly improved performance in photodiodes.

This work provides device-level insight into halide immiscibility in n = 1 2D perovskites, showing that overcoming performance limitations requires balancing long-range structural order with short-range electronic disorder.

Enas Moustafa

��ý

Tailoring Interfacial Microstructure with PQDs in Layer-by-Layer Ternary Organic Photovoltaics

Enas Moustafa, Stanly A. Cazaly, Harry Bridge, Jolanda S. Muller, Jun Yan, Stoichko Dimitrov, Thomas J. Macdonald, Flurin D. Eisner, and Jenny Nelson

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices have achieved high efficiency, but further progress is constrained by interfacial recombination and sub-optimal morphology, and limited stability. Here we address these challenges by introducing CsPbI₃ perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) as an interlayer at the D18/Y6 interface, deposited via an orthogonal-solvent layer-by-layer process. Incorporation of an optimized PQDs interlayer boosts the power conversion efficiency from 16.7% in the binary device to 18.8% in the ternary architecture, corresponding to a relative increase of approximately 12%.

The systematic comparative study of morphology, optical/optoelectronic and electrical characteristics, as well as the related charge recombination and transfer dynamics, revealed that the PQDs interlayer provided a unique electronic structure that passivates PQDs surface defects and mitigates interdiffusion of the organic layers, enabling improved microstructure regulation, leading to enhanced fill factor. Moreover, the high dielectric constant of the PQDs appears to facilitate exciton dissociation at the D18/Y6 interface allowing the PQDs to act as a relay that separates and stabilizes charges at the D18/PQDs/Y6 junction, thereby reducing the trap-assisted recombination.

This leads to suppressed non-radiative recombination losses, resulting in higher open-circuit voltage (V_OC) and short-circuit current (J_SC). Beyond performance gains, the PQDs interlayer also improves the shelf-life stability under N₂, prolonging the stability for the pristine devices over 12 months. Hence, our findings demonstrate that introducing CsPbI₃ PQDs interlayer, implemented via orthogonal-solvent LBL processing, provides an effective route to tune interfacial morphology and energetics, offering a practical strategy to further enhance both efficiency and stability in OPV devices.

Dr Daan Arroo

��ý

Reinventing the Maser: Materials Engineering for Quantum Microwave Electronics

Masers, the microwave counterparts of lasers, are among the lowest-noise amplifiers ever developed, but their widespread use has historically been limited by the need for cryogenic cooling, high magnetic fields and bulky specialist infrastructure. The demonstration of room-temperature solid-state masers1,2 based on photo-excited spin-active materials has reopened this technology as a materials and device engineering challenge: can the gain medium, optical pump and microwave resonator be co-designed to deliver practical microwave amplification under ambient conditions?

In this talk I will introduce the work of the Imperial Maser Group3 on ambient-condition masers based on optically pumped molecular and solid-state materials. I will discuss how organic molecular crystals such as pentacene-doped p-terphenyl exploit photo-generated triplet states to produce microwave amplification, and how the properties of the gain medium, optical pump and microwave resonator must be engineered together to enable practical devices.

References

1 M. Oxborrow, J. D. Breeze and N. M. Alford, Nature, 2012, 488, 353-356.

2 J. D. Breeze, E. Salvadori, J. Sathian, N. McN. Alford and C. W. M. Kay, Nature, 2018, 555, 493-496.

3 Imperial Maser Group, /maser/ (accessed 8 July 2026).

Dr Robert Carroll

��ý

Ultra-sensitive Hall and photo-Hall measurement to characterise emerging semiconductors

The Hall effect, when considering high-mobility inorganic systems, is a staple ingredient of material characterisation. For decades the effect has been used to quickly determine carrier type, carrier density and mobility. Due to their high resistivity, measuring the Hall effect in low mobility materials is, however, challenging and the interpretation of the Hall signal remains unclear. Further to this, having access to only majority carrier properties is often insufficient and a broader access to minority carrier parameters is required.

Our group has recently acquired a parallel dipole line system to make ultra-sensitive measurements of the Hall effect, opening the door to Hall measurements in highly resistive semiconductors. Moreover, the system is complemented with photo-Hall capability to access a wide range of optoelectronic parameters including charge carrier diffusion lengths and lifetime. Finally, measurements can be performed in a cryostat enabling variable temperature Hall and photo-Hall effect to gain insights on transport and recombination in emerging semiconductors.

References

1 O. Gunawan, S. R. Pae, D. M. Bishop, Y. Virgus, J. H. Noh, N. J. Jeon, Y. S. Lee, X. Shao, T. Todorov, D. B. Mitzi and B. Shin, Nature, 2019, 575, 151-155.

Dr Nadia Farag

��ý

Automation of High Throughput Materials Synthesis and Cell Testing for Sodium Ion Batteries

Nadia L. Farag, Jingyu Feng, Ifan Stephens, Magdalena M. Titirici

To move towards wide-spread adoption of renewable energy sources we need sufficient energy storage technologies. To meet growing demand and continue to diversify supply chains, it is necessary not only to optimise existing battery technologies but also explore next-generation battery materials. However, it is not typically possible to test a wide variety of materials and chemistries simultaneously due to time constraints. Additionally, coin cell assembly and subsequent electrochemical data suffer due to human error and inconsistencies during cell assembly, often resulting in large variation between datasets.

The DIGIBAT facility at ��ý provides tools to automate material synthesis, electrolyte formulation and cell assembly, removing these roadblocks. Automation allows for continuous experimentation done in a reliably reproducible way, enabling the generation of large, consistent, datasets. Thereby, the research process is accelerated while simultaneously improving results.

This work will compare initial results from manual and automated coin cell assembly, probing how true these statements about automation are, discussing both the advantages and any limitations encountered so far. Additionally, an automated electrolyte optimisation for sodium ion batteries using common additives will be explored, with both the advantages and challenges when creating an automated workflow being discussed.

Poster session sponsored by RSC Sustainable Energy & Fuels.

Poster prizes sponsored by RSC Applied Interfaces, Materials Horizons and Journal of Materials Chemistry C.

Contextual Design Engineering – DE MSc 2026 Show

2026-05-14T12:49:40+01:00

The show celebrates the graduating cohort of the MSc Design Engineering programme, presenting projects at the intersection of engineering and design: creative, transdisciplinary, and built for real-world impact.

This year’s theme, “Designing for Ageing Futures”, explores how design and technology can respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing world. From a compact rowing resistance trainer and a music-led tabletop game to finger trainer designed to support dexterity – discover projects built to support wellbeing at every stage of life.

Join our ��ý and see how design engineering can help us build better futures — register now!

Cleantech Innovation MSc 2026 Show

2026-05-14T13:04:12+01:00

At Imperial, we’re fighting climate change with innovation!

From AI‑enabled infrastructure software and radiative cooling technologies to novel systems for water conservation, recycling, and marine decarbonisation, our MSc Cleantech Innovation ��ý are tackling some of today’s most pressing sustainability challenges with creativity and expertise.

This pioneering MSc programme – a joint initiative between the Grantham Institute and the Dyson School of Design Engineering – gives ��ý the opportunity to learn from experts from across the cleantech sector and provides them with the knowledge and tools needed to build and launch their own cleantech solutions. As this year’s ��ý complete their MSc journey, join us for a special event showcasing their creative and inspiring projects, and find out where they’re going next as they launch their innovations into the world.

Timings:

13 July: 10 am – 6 pm
14 July: 10 am – 5pm
15 July: 10 am – 4 pm

Global Challenge Lab 2026 | Enterprise Lab

2026-06-01T09:49:58+01:00

The Global Challenge Lab evolves into a specialised, Imperial-led innovation sprint. While the programme is anchored by ��ý, it remains a borderless platform open to ��ý, and offer holders from our official university partners worldwide.

By aligning the research themes of our Schools of Convergence Science with the strategic leadership of our four Global Hubs, we are creating a direct pipeline from concepts to global markets. Join 1,000 fellow innovators to turn ‘how might we?’ into ‘here is’ the solution.

What is Global Challenge Lab at a glance?

14-day entrepreneurship programme.
Mixed teams: a team size of 3-6 members and each team must include participants from at least 2 different faculties.
Delivered online: a mix of live masterclasses and pre-recorded content.
Compete for a share of the £3,000 prize fund.
Build skills in master design thinking, the Lean Canvas, and high-impact pitching.
Connect with 1,000+ Imperial ��ý and incoming postgraduates.
Earn an official certificate of participation from ��ý.

What are this year’s challenge tracks?

– You will have the opportunity to form an international team and innovate within one of the following tracks:

Climate & Sustainability
Health & Technology
Space, Security & Connectivity
Smart Cities & Urban Futures

What would you gain from participating?

Learn how to identify meaningful, high-impact problems and turn them into clear, actionable opportunities.
Go through a structured ideation process and learn how to generate strong, differentiated solutions.
Gain the tools to analyse markets, competitors, and ecosystems.
Be introduced to startup finance and fundraising, including understanding what investors look for.
Build a Strong Value Proposition and clearly articulate why your solution matters, who it’s for, and why it stands out.
Learn the fundamentals of building a scalable venture, from business model design to early financial thinking.
Test your idea in the real world, including validating assumptions and refining your concept.
Craft a powerful narrative around your startup to confidently pitch your idea.

More details about this year’s challenge can be found on the Enterprise Lab website.

Paediatric patient safety, quality and equity

2026-06-19T09:34:43+01:00

Improving patient safety for children and young people requires not only robust measurement systems, but also intentional integration of patient and family voices into care.

In this one‑hour hybrid seminar, Dr Naomi Bardach – Professor of Pediatrics and Policy at the University of California, San Francisco, and Vice Chair of Health Services Research in Pediatrics – will present highlights from her nationally recognised research programme focused on paediatric patient safety, quality, and equity.

Dr Bardach will share work from her NICHD‑funded research examining inpatient safety events reported directly by patients and families using mobile technology, and how rapidly sharing these observations with hospital staff can drive meaningful safety improvements.

Drawing on her experience developing and testing paediatric quality measures across conditions such as asthma, sickle cell disease, and mental health, she will explore how implementation and dissemination science can strengthen safety efforts while advancing equity.

The seminar will combine a focused presentation with discussion, offering space to reflect on transferable lessons across care settings. This session will be of particular interest to those working in paediatric and young people’s patient safety and quality improvement, or inpatient safety more broadly.

If you are attending in person, please contact Emma Parnham in advance and she will arrange access.

On arrival at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, please take the lift to the 10th floor.

The full address is:

The Boardroom
10th floor
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Wing (QEQM)
St Mary’s Hospital
South Wharf Road
London
W2 1NY

The event is hybrid, so you can also join via Teams.

Workshop in geometry at LIMS

2026-07-10T09:37:36+01:00

For more information please visit /geometry/seminars/magic-seminar/

🏳️‍🌈 New date: White City and Hammersmith PRIDE Picnic

2026-07-08T15:01:06+01:00

Join a White City and Hammersmith PRIDE Picnic on Tuesday 14 July from 12:00 to 14:00 on Perkins Green (weather permitting, otherwise in the School of Public Health Foyer) at the White City Campus.

This relaxed, inclusive gathering is a chance to celebrate Pride Month, connect with colleagues, and show support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided, so just bring yourself and enjoy a welcoming space where everyone is encouraged to be themselves. There will be opportunities to meet new people, share stories, and celebrate diversity across our workplace.

Whether you stay for the whole event or drop in, we would love to see you there. Allies are warmly encouraged to attend.

Please note: this event was originally scheduled for an earlier date but has been rescheduled due to the recent heatwave.

Summer Network Event for Functional Genomics

2026-07-08T13:01:16+01:00

We’re delighted to invite you to our Summer Network Event for Functional Genomics, taking place on July 14, 2026 from 4-6pm, at 170 Queens Gate Council Room. There will be free drinks!

This informal get-together is a chance to come together as a network, catch up with colleagues, and celebrate the year’s activities.

The event will include:

A poster session showcasing research from network participants — a great opportunity to share your work and connect with others across the network
A look back at the year’s activities, and a chance to share your feedback and ideas to help shape our plans for the year ahead
Catering and refreshments throughout

We warmly encourage everyone to bring along a poster they’ve presented recently — whether at a conference, symposium, or elsewhere — so we can have some great discussions around your research as a network.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Graduate Entry Medicine Virtual Event – Pears Cumbria School of Medicine

2025-12-17T15:34:51+00:00

Join us for a virtual event to learn more about the home of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, based on the University of Cumbria’s Fusehill Street campus. This event will help answer your key questions about studying with us from August 2027, whether it’s about the application process, financial support, or curriculum.

The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a partnership between ��ý and the University of Cumbria, with generous support from the Pears Foundation. The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine was formally launched in November 2023, following the April 2022 announcement of plans to create Cumbria’s first graduate-entry medical school.

Our Fusehill Street campus is home to the Institute of Education, Arts and Society, Institute of Health, Institute for Business, Industry and Leadership, Institute of Science and Environment, and our brand new Pears Cumbria School of Medicine from 2025.

During the event, our expert academic staff will present talks, allowing you to gain a real flavour of the course and see how passionate and enthusiastic our tutors are about their specialist areas. Our academics will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about your course of interest.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take a closer look at Pears Cumbria School of Medicine. Register now and embark on your journey towards a fulfilling career in medicine.

We will send joining details and instructions closer to the time.

Africa Innovates Conference 2026: New Scientific and Developmental Frontiers

2026-05-11T15:42:58+01:00

Africa Innovates is a conference that aims to promote internal collaborations between Africa-focused Science, Policy and Education initiatives at Imperial and build bridges with external partners, focusing specifically on STEMB (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Business). Africa Innovates cultivates an interdisciplinary dialogue for key researchers, shapers, and decision-makers to explore innovative ideas of how to address some of the grand challenges that African societies are facing today. This conference will showcase some of the Africa-focused activities currently taking place at Imperial.

The 2026 conference will feature a dynamic mix of plenary sessions, breakout discussions, lightning talks, and poster presentations. Plenary sessions will encourage reflective dialogue on how research is conducted in and with Africa, while thematic sessions will showcase innovative ideas, collaborations, and pathways for impact. We attempt to curate a science dialogue with practitioners, policymakers, civil society, central and local government, public sector, private sector, ��ý, and academics across disciplines.

Our conference themes include:

Reimagining public health in a globalised Africa. This theme explores new models for improving physical and mental health in African contexts, including innovations in diagnostics, prevention, and treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and neonatal health challenges. It will also consider the role of traditional ecological knowledge alongside modern medical approaches. Relevant Faculties: Medicine, School of Public Health, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial Global.
Future-proofing infrastructure. Africa’s development is constrained by infrastructural gaps—from post-harvest losses due to poor roads and refrigeration to inadequate water and sanitation systems. A surge in infrastructural development is also leading to the encroachment of protected areas and the loss of productive land. This theme will discuss innovative and sustainable approaches to infrastructure design and management, including public-private partnerships, engineering innovations, and modelling to reduce inequalities and environmental degradation. Relevant Faculties: Engineering, Business School, Economics.
Entrepreneurship, business and decent jobs in the age of advanced technologies. Novel technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence) hold transformative potential for Africa, but risk deepening inequalities if access and ethics are neglected. This session will explore the role of business in shaping novel technologies that can bridge rather than widen the digital divide, ensuring inclusion, minimum wage/low-skilled decent jobs, ethical data use, and provide equitable benefits across societies. Relevant faculties: Business School, Computing, Institute for Security Science and Technology.
Food systems sustainability and nutrition. This theme examines the interlinkages between food systems, nutrition, and sustainability – ranging from dietary transitions and alternative proteins to agroforestry and climate-smart agriculture. How can Africa balance nutritional needs with ecological resilience and economic opportunity? Relevant faculties: Imperial Global, Centre for Environmental Policy, Grantham Institute, Environmental Engineering.
Building climate resilience. Africa faces disproportionate climate impacts—from heat stress and mortality to biodiversity loss and economic vulnerability. This theme focuses on pathways to resilience through ecosystem restoration, climate finance, and circular economy innovations such as carbon pricing, green bonds, subsidies, trading schemes, and market-shaping mechanisms. Relevant faculties: Business School, Centre for Environmental Policy, Grantham Institute, Environmental Engineering.

To register please visit – https://black-at-imperial.com/events/africa-innovates/

If you would like to be part of the Africa Innovates Network, please sign up here.

London Surgical Symposium 2026

2026-05-18T13:42:18+01:00

An educational forum for international experts on surgical innovation to discuss advances in a diverse range of topics in surgery.

LSS is an annual surgical conference run by the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial, bringing together ��ý, trainees, scientists, allied health professionals. This free, inclusive educational forum brings international experts on surgical innovation to London to discuss advances in a diverse range of topics in surgery.

We are excited to announce that this year‘s LSS theme will be Surgical management of advanced cancer.

Date: Wednesday 15 July 2026
Time: 12:30 – 17:30
Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Wolfson Education Centre
Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road
London, W12 0HS

Social Rounders

2026-06-09T12:11:02+01:00

Join this Social Rounders session for a fun and relaxed way to get active, have some fresh air and meet others from across Imperial.

Don’t worry if you haven’t played before, the rules are simple and we will provide everyone with a briefing before with friendly reminders during the session.

No experience is needed – just come along, have fun, and get involved.

Celcat Live training session – classroom based

2026-06-16T09:12:55+01:00

IMPORTANT: Before signing for the class please ensure you have completed the Write access permissions form and it has been authorised by your departmental timetabling contact. Once the form is submitted an automatic email will be send to your departmental approver for approval/rejection.

Please only register on the course once you know you have been granted access to Celcat.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LATOP (and charger if necessary).

The class content covers

User preferences
Adding new events
Editing existing events
Segmenting and Splitting events
Deleting events
Filtering resource data using the filtering functionality
Finding events via the Event ID
Understanding the Clash Checker functionality
Duplicating and/or moving events
Usage charts – using them to see your departments rooms and their availability in specified weeks
Multiple Selection Lists
Using the room adviser functionality to find free space rooms in other departments
Emailing room requests via Celcat or completing departmental room request forms
Publication Windows
Timetable Products

IMPORTANT BOOKING INFORMATION

To book training please go to ICIS and click on ‘My Training’. To enrol on the course, please enter ‘Celcat’ in the Search box (select all) and click the ‘Go’ button. If you have any problems registering please email the Central Timetabling Support Office at timetabling@imperial.ac.uk

Weird Weather: The rise of climate conspiracy theories & disinformation

2025-09-19T12:05:11+01:00

From blistering heatwaves to record-breaking rainfall and unseasonal cold snaps, our weather is becoming more erratic and extreme. But as our weather gets weirder, so do the stories surrounding it.

Join the Grantham Institute for a thought-provoking discussion on the rise of conspiracy theories and disinformation about our changing climate.

Hear from two experts in the field: Simon Clark, YouTuber and Atmospheric Physicist, and Pallavi Sethi, Climate Change Misinformation Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute, LSE. Together, they’ll unpack how mis- and disinformation are shaping people’s perceptions of the climate crisis and explore what this means for how climate science is talked about in the media, politics and everyday life.

Limited seating; advance registration essential.

Register now

Particle Physics Masterclass – Friday 17th July 2026

2026-06-01T14:21:16+01:00

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

The Department of Physics at ��ý is again hosting a full day Particle Physics Masterclass.

We invite Sixth form Physics ��ý and their teachers to come and find out about the exciting world of Experimental Particle Physics from one of the largest Particle Physics research groups in the country. We have run the Masterclass successfully in a similar format for a number of years.

The day will start with an Introduction to the Group and the experiments and talks about current hot topics in Particle Physics. After lunch, the programme will continue and the ��ý can have a tour of the current undergraduate projects followed by further talks and discussions.

Registration

Reservations, indicating the number of ��ý and accompanying teachers, can be made using our online registration form.

Please note, this event will be free of charge, A maximum number of 10 ��ý per school can attend, ��ý may also register to attend individually.

IMPORTANT

If you register for this event and are subsequently unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible. Demand for this event is usually very high and notifying us allows us to offer your place to someone on the waiting list.

Please note that a £10 no-show fee may be charged if you do not attend and have not informed us in advance that you are unable to attend.

Booking deadline 9th July 2026

All attendees will be contacted with further details via email prior to the event.

Please contact Particle Physics Community Admin (Paula Brown and Paula Consiglio) on fundamental@imperial.ac.uk if you need any further information.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Programme

9:00 -> 10:00 Registration – Huxley Level 3 , Foyer Area

10:00 -> 10:10 Introduction and Security talk – Prof David Colling and Security person

10:10 -> 10:40 The Standard Model – Blackett LT2 – Lucas Russell

10:40 -> 11:10 The Energy Frontier (CMS) – Blackett LT2 – Tom Runting

11:10 -> 11:40 Flavour Physics with LHCb – Blackett LT2 – Sophie Hannon

11:40 -> 12:10 Triggering and Fast Electronics in Particle Physics -Blackett LT2 – Dr Andrew Rose

12:10 -> 13:10 Lunch- Huxley Level 3 , Foyer Area

13:10 -> 15:10 Particle Physics Computing exercise – Blackett 320/321 Dr Ryan Schmitz, and Dr Daniel Winterbottom

15:10 -> 15:40 Refreshments and chat with Particle Physicists Huxley Level 3 Foyer Area

15:40 -> 16:10 Dark Matter – Blackett LT2 – Dr Kelsey Oliver-Mallory

16:10 -> 16:40 Neutrinos – Blackett LT2 – TBC

16:40 -> 17:00 General Q&A

Walking Tour – White City

2026-06-09T11:10:12+01:00

Join Move and Iya London Walks for a short well-being walk in White City, exploring two local green spaces, mainly via quiet routes, taking you away from traffic and introducing you to the history of White City.

Limited spaces available so please book early to avoid disappointment!

Please wear weather appropriate clothing as the walking tour is outdoors.

AI & Autonomous Industrial Systems Summer School

2025-03-05T12:27:30+00:00

Explore the cutting-edge science and technologies driving the transformation of industrial production towards greater efficiency and sustainability

The AI & Autonomous Industrial Systems Summer School offers a unique opportunity to delve into the transformative role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in advancing industrial systems toward autonomy, efficiency, and sustainability. In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, understanding the core principles of data-driven decision-making and intelligent system design is essential for tackling the challenges of modern industrial processes.

The remarkable progress in AI and machine learning over the past decades has fundamentally reshaped industries, from manufacturing and energy systems to healthcare and transportation. With growing demands for efficiency, resilience, and environmental responsibility, the integration of intelligent systems into industrial processes is no longer a vision of the future—it is a necessity.

This summer school programme has been meticulously designed to align with the cutting-edge research and educational expertise of the Autonomous Industrial Systems Lab (AISL) at ��ý. The programme will equip participants with the foundational skills and hands-on experience required to address real-world industrial challenges through intelligent, data-driven approaches.

This intensive two-week programme is open to undergraduate and early postgraduate ��ý across a range of disciplines who are keen to explore the science and technologies underpinning autonomous systems. Participants will gain exposure to the fundamentals of AI and machine learning, engage with real-world industrial problems, and collaborate on projects that simulate the challenges faced by today’s industries.

Topics covered include:

Introduction to Statistics and Linear Algebra: Building the mathematical foundation for data science and machine learning.

Machine Learning Fundamentals: Exploring the key concepts and techniques that drive AI applications.

Optimization Fundamentals: Understanding the role of optimization in decision-making and intelligent system design.

Supervised and Unsupervised Learning: Applying models to tasks such as prediction, classification, and clustering.

Active Learning: Advanced topics in Bayesian Optimization and Reinforcement Learning for decision-making under uncertainty.

Project-Based Learning: Participants will apply their knowledge through engaging, hands-on projects

Design for Responsible Robotics

2026-01-20T12:09:23+00:00

As robotics and generative AI rapidly evolve and become integral to everyday life, there is an urgent need for innovators who can design technologies that are not only intelligent but also ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible. The Design for Responsible Robotics Summer School invites ��ý to explore the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and human values through an immersive, hands-on learning experience. Over two intensive weeks, participants will gain both technical and creative skills—combining robotics, design thinking, and policy awareness—to imagine and prototype solutions that contribute positively to society. Guided by Imperial experts, ��ý will learn how to design, develop, and evaluate robotic systems that advance innovation while maintaining accountability, transparency, and respect for human wellbeing.

Dyson School of Design Engineering

The Dyson School of Design Engineering is the 10th and newest engineering department at ��ý. It was founded in 2014 and assisted by a generous donation from the James Dyson Foundation. Design Engineering is the fusion of design thinking, and engineering knowledge and practice within a culture of innovation and enterprise, to help solve global problems with emphasis on sustainability, entrepreneurship and societal impact.

Interdisciplinarity and cross-cutting skills are an integral part of what differentiates the Dyson School of Design Engineering. Design engineers weave together different disciplines, methods and ways of thinking for a uniquely multifaceted approach to solving complex problems. By being able to think both like engineers and like designers, and by engaging with expertise in mathematics, psychology, policymaking, business, and other fields, our ��ý enter the world uniquely equipped to innovate effectively, lead responsibly, and manage the complexity inherent to product innovation and to tackling major global challenges.

The ��ý on the Summer School will benefit from the interdisciplinary excellence of research and teaching, the interaction with real-world leaders in design, innovation, and enterprise, as well as practical prototyping capacities offered by the Dyson School of Design Engineering.

Design Engineering for Innovation Summer School

2025-03-05T12:08:51+00:00

Welcome to the Design Engineering Summer School!

This Summer School offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into creativity, innovation, and design through a combination of inspiring lectures and hands-on workshops. You will explore evolutionary, revolutionary, and experimental methods for design-led innovation, with modules covering cutting-edge topics such as data-centric design, AI in immersive audio design, and smart cities. These subjects are designed to complement your engineering background and inspire new approaches to innovation.

A key focus of the programme is fostering the Design Engineering mindset. This will involve an exploration of diverse design processes, their practical advantages and limitations, and the development of integrated and comprehensive design strategies. Through this approach, you will gain a deeper understanding of how Design Engineering can be a powerful tool for solving complex challenges.

The Summer School also emphasises real-world application. You will participate in engaging team-based prototyping activities that bridge the gap between theoretical planning and practical execution. These activities are designed to enhance your grasp of design methods while providing you with tangible experience in transforming concepts into prototypes.

You will also learn about the latest advancements in user-centric design research, leadership, and enterprise, with a particular focus on how innovators interact with and shape evolving systems. Additionally, the value of interactive design practices will be examined through relevant domains such as designing for healthy ageing.

As a future innovator, you will be encouraged to take a proactive role in leading change rather than merely responding to it. Throughout the programme, you will be challenged to consider the long-term impact of your design activities and to develop strategies for advancing innovation research and design engineering.

COW Seminar – Workshop in honour of Frances Kirwan

2026-07-10T09:27:50+01:00

Schedule
9:30 George Cooper (Pisa)
11:00 Victoria Hoskins (Essen)
12:15 Chunyi Li (Warwick)
2:30 Gergely Bérczi (Aarhus)
4:00 Frances Kirwan (Oxford)

More information available on https://cow.alggeo.xyz/

Leverhulme Wildfires Summer Conference 2026

2026-03-27T10:37:14+00:00

The Leverhulme Wildfires Summer Conference 2026 brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and other experts from diverse disciplines to share our understanding of landscape fires, their drivers and impacts – and explore how societies can live with fires in a rapidly changing Earth system.

Through a mix of presentations, panel discussions, workshops and interactive sessions, participants will examine the drivers and impacts of changing fire regimes and explore how scientific insight can better inform action. The programme highlights emerging approaches to proactive preparedness, advances in fire detection and prediction, and the need for inclusive and equitable fire management that integrates scientific, Indigenous and practitioner knowledge. It also considers how adaptive policies, governance arrangements and economic incentives can support more resilient landscapes and communities.

By fostering dialogue across disciplines and knowledge systems, the conference aims to identify practical pathways for integrating research, policy and management in order to navigate the complex ecological and societal challenges posed by fire.

SPC Seminar – Climate – Yumeng Chen (Reading)

2026-07-02T08:17:29+01:00

Speaker: Yumeng Chen (Reading)

Title: Assimilating phytoplankton carbon in marine ecosystem modelling

Abstract:

The state of the marine ecosystem can be estimated by combining numerical models and satellite observations through data assimilation (DA). Satellite products representing phytoplankton chlorophyll, derived from ocean colour observations, are widely used in operational marine ecosystem prediction as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass. However, phytoplankton carbon products, although long available, are not yet widely assimilated. A new phytoplankton carbon product from the ESA-funded BICEP project has recently been derived through an alternative processing of ocean colour, providing complementary information on phytoplankton biomass to chlorophyll alone. We therefore expect that assimilating phytoplankton carbon, especially together with chlorophyll, can provide a more balanced update to the marine ecosystem state.

In this talk, I will present the development of a global ensemble DA system based on the coupled ocean–biogeochemistry model NEMO-MEDUSA and the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework (PDAF). PDAF provides a flexible and efficient infrastructure for implementing ensemble-based DA, allowing us to assimilate new biogeochemical variables and evaluate time-dependent forecast uncertainty in a global marine ecosystem model. In addition, we will introduce a newly developed diagnostic tool that is used to quantify the uncertainties in observation and forecast errors. We will demonstrate its application to the errors of the new carbon product and their correlations with errors in the chlorophyll products. The results highlight both the potential value of phytoplankton carbon assimilation and the importance of flexible ensemble DA frameworks for developing future marine ecosystem prediction systems.

Biomathematics seminar – Tara Chari (Schmidt Center, Broad Institute)

2026-07-10T10:14:58+01:00

RNA processing dynamics across cell states and fates from single-cell snapshot data

With single-cell genomics datasets, it is possible to assay the transcriptome in thousands to millions of cells as they undergo development, differentiation and external perturbation. These data are ripe for investigation into how regulation of RNA processing governs the myriad cell states comprising these systems. However, despite our ability to assay these states, single-cell data is sparse and noisy, a result of both innate biological features of the RNA molecules and technical effects in RNA capture and sequencing. Standard analyses often rely on heuristic application of dimensionality reductions to remove noise, and focus on mean-level (observational) changes in gene expression to define cell states.

Here we demonstrate how stochastic, biophysical models of RNA processing can be applied to snapshot single-cell data to reveal underlying mechanisms of observed gene expression patterns across heterogenous cell states. By explicitly realizing the biophysical and technical processes underlying the sparse, discrete molecular data, we can reveal altered dynamics of bursty transcription, splicing and degradation between populations of cells. We can additionally resolve heterogeneous regulation within these populations, and propose combinatorial strategies of regulation guiding these distinct fates. Together this work enables hypothesis-driven experimentation by proposing key points of transcriptional regulation underlying higher-level changes in gene expression and noise.

Sound Bath

2026-06-10T14:47:14+01:00

Join us for this deeply immersive, meditative experience where participants are “bathed” in sound waves produced by therapeutic instruments. This sound bath will use large crystal singing bowls, which create a very calming, gentle and restorative soundscape, alongside Himalayan bowls, which offer a deeper grounding resonance.

The purpose of a sound bath is to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and bring about a state of mental and emotional balance by calming the nervous system.

Please wear clothing you feel comfortable lying down in. Please bring extra layers and / or a blanket as you will likely feel cool as your body enters deep relaxation.

Sound Bath

2026-06-10T14:48:34+01:00

The purpose of a sound bath is to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and bring about a state of mental and emotional balance by calming the nervous system.

Please wear clothing you feel comfortable lying down in. Please bring extra layers and / or a blanket as you will likely feel cool as your body enters deep relaxation.

RSM175 Evening Lecture Series: Life and Health

2026-03-16T11:47:57+00:00

Featuring the TRUST research team

Walking Tour – White City

2026-06-09T11:15:01+01:00

Limited spaces available so please book early to avoid disappointment!

Please wear weather appropriate clothing as the walking tour is outdoors.

Quantum Learning Quantum: Quantum Computers and AI

2026-07-03T10:33:17+01:00

Join the Department of Physice for a public talk entitled Quantum Learning Quantum: Quantum Computers and AI

Professor Gerard Milburn, Quantum Fellow at the UK’s NQCC, willl share his vision of how quantum computers and AI could transform science.

Galileo’s great insight was that we can learn about the world by building devices that reveal simple, reproducible phenomena. We push on the world, and the world pushes back. More than a century ago, scientists discovered that some experiments produced a startling result: the world is quantum.

Quantum theory is famously strange, yet we now understand it well enough to put it to work. Quantum technologies aim to harness and control the quantum world in ways that can make us wealthier, healthier and safer. In this talk, Professor Milburn will describe the quantum technologies that are already beginning to change our lives, including quantum computing. Looking ahead, he will explore how the combination of quantum computing and embedded artificial intelligence could create “self-driving laboratories” that accelerate scientific discovery and open the door to technologies beyond our current imagination.

The speaker

Professor Gerard Milburn FRS is one of the world’s leading quantum physicists and a pioneer of quantum computing research. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has helped shape the development of technologies that harness the unusual properties of the quantum world to process information in entirely new ways. His work has contributed to many of the foundational ideas behind modern quantum computing and quantum technologies.

A Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor Milburn has held senior leadership roles at major international research centres and is currently Quantum Fellow at the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre, where he helps guide the UK’s quantum computing programme and its future applications in science and society.

Format: Main talk starts at 7pm. Refreshments will be served before the talk from 6:00pm. The audience is invited to participate and ask questions following the talk.

This event has been organised by the Hubbard Theory Consortium

Great Service Lunch and Learn: Project staff costing tool

2026-06-18T14:15:27+01:00

Atlas will replace ICIS and some other systems (including Teamseer and Talentlink). This means everyone in Imperial will use Atlas in the future.

Our Lunch and Learn sessions will provide an opportunity for everyone across Imperial to see the new system. These sessions are designed to help you begin to understand what the new system will mean for you.

The next session will take place on 23 July and will showcase the new Project Staff Costing Tool within Atlas and the tool’s capabilities for project planning and management.

The tool combines people and project data to automatically calculate the costs of existing staff charged to a project, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy. It also enables users to model and compare different staffing scenarios, providing insights to support future workforce and funding decisions.

Suitable for: staff in departments and faculties responsible for managing staff costs across research projects and other project types, including doctoral training awards, donations, and externally funded projects.

������ý events

Blyth Gallery Retrospective

CPE Annual Symposium 2026

Contextual Design Engineering – DE MSc 2026 Show

Cleantech Innovation MSc 2026 Show

Global Challenge Lab 2026 | Enterprise Lab

Paediatric patient safety, quality and equity

Workshop in geometry at LIMS

🏳️‍🌈 New date: White City and Hammersmith PRIDE Picnic

Summer Network Event for Functional Genomics

Graduate Entry Medicine Virtual Event – Pears Cumbria School of Medicine

Africa Innovates Conference 2026: New Scientific and Developmental Frontiers

London Surgical Symposium 2026

Social Rounders

Celcat Live training session – classroom based

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LATOP (and charger if necessary).

Weird Weather: The rise of climate conspiracy theories & disinformation

From blistering heatwaves to record-breaking rainfall and unseasonal cold snaps, our weather is becoming more erratic and extreme. But as our weather gets weirder, so do the stories surrounding it.

Register now

Particle Physics Masterclass – Friday 17th July 2026

Registration

Programme

Walking Tour – White City

AI & Autonomous Industrial Systems Summer School

Explore the cutting-edge science and technologies driving the transformation of industrial production towards greater efficiency and sustainability

Design for Responsible Robotics

Dyson School of Design Engineering

Design Engineering for Innovation Summer School

COW Seminar – Workshop in honour of Frances Kirwan

Leverhulme Wildfires Summer Conference 2026

SPC Seminar – Climate – Yumeng Chen (Reading)

Biomathematics seminar – Tara Chari (Schmidt Center, Broad Institute)

Sound Bath

Sound Bath

RSM175 Evening Lecture Series: Life and Health

Walking Tour – White City

Quantum Learning Quantum: Quantum Computers and AI

The speaker

Great Service Lunch and Learn: Project staff costing tool

��ý events