The annual BBSRC DTP Symposium took place virtually in July where DTP PhD students showcased their excellent research on a variety of topics spanning the BBSRC’s 5 core strategic themes. The audience also heard from some great guest speakers, while two career panels discussed career opportunities outside of academia.

Biological science encompasses many disciplines, and this was exemplified by the diverse array of research highlighted at the BBSRC DTP Symposium 2021. Annually, second year PhD students on the Cambridge BBSRC DTP volunteer to organise a symposium to allow fellow scientists from across the programme to present their research, and this year was no exception. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the virtual symposium featured fantastic student talks on subjects ranging from studying the structure of chromatin using super-resolution imaging, to what features of strawberry plants affect their pollination by bees. Exciting research was also on display at the online poster session. The best presenters were recognised with well-deserved prizes, sponsored by Microsoft. 

Not only was the symposium a great showcase for research being performed by PhD students, but it also provided the opportunity to hear from leading scientists from a wide range of disciplines. From Prof Kate Jeffery, the audience learned about how subsets of neurons map physical space; Dr Lekan Popoola described how changes in air pollution are studied; Dr Ross Overman explained how plants offer a new system to produce recombinant proteins at scale; and Dr Giles Yeo highlighted the influence of genetics on food consumption. These engaging talks were followed by the keynote speaker of the symposium, Prof Kypros Nicolaides, whose research in foetal medicine over several decades truly revolutionised the field. The enlightening and engaging talks from all of the guest speakers demonstrated the range of scientific possibilities available to students from across the research themes of the BBSRC DTP.

There are also many scientific careers available to PhD students outside of academia, which was clearly shown by the two careers panels of the symposium, “Science and Industry” and “Beyond the Bench”. In the former, panellists Dr Rodrigo Santos, Dr Jason Mellad, Dr John McCafferty and Dr Darren Logan talked of their experiences making the move from academia into different sectors of industry. Meanwhile, the “Beyond the Bench” panel, featuring Anita Makri, Naoma Nagahawatte, Dr Jonathan Wentworth and Dr Alessandro Rizzo, touched upon the diversity of science careers available outside of the lab. The panellists provided excellent insights and discussions of many aspects of careers outside academia, including their own personal journeys as well as the skills they have developed along the way.

Even with the continued disruption of the pandemic, the 2021 Symposium successfully highlighted the diversity of science going on within the BBSRC DTP and beyond.