On Tuesday 18th July the Cambridge Biosciences DTP hosted the Annual DTP Student Symposium at St John’s College.

The event was a remarkable showcase of student excellence, featuring interesting talks from various DTP cohorts and engaging poster sessions. This unique platform allowed DTP students to not only present their groundbreaking scientific endeavours but also fostered a vibrant exchange of research ideas and knowledge-sharing among the attendees. In addition to the academic aspect, the event provided an invaluable chance for students to connect with esteemed industry representatives. These meaningful interactions allowed students to explore potential career pathways beyond academia, opening up a world of exciting future opportunities in various fields.

As last year, the 15 Experience Postgrad Life Sciences interns were invited to the Symposium. It provided them with an exceptional chance to immerse themselves in the world of research excellence and to network with other aspiring postgraduate students, forging meaningful connections and laying the groundwork for future collaborations and friendships. 

The event was also attended by the new BBSRC DTP cohort, starting in October 2023. The day proved to be a motivating experience, and the opportunity to meet and interact with everyone involved was truly enriching, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that fostered a sense of cohort identity among all participants. “It was such an interesting and inspiring day, and it was so great to meet everyone! I'm really looking forward to starting in the autumn” (quote from a BBSRC DTP student, cohort 2023). 

Keynote speakers 

The keynote speakers were: Prof Kiran Patil (MRC Toxicology Unit), Dr James Hadfield (AstraZeneca), Dr Maxine Mackintosh (Genomics England), Prof Dafydd Jones (University of Cardiff) and Prof Dame Jenny Harries (UK Health Security Agency).

 

Organising Committee

The Symposium is a student-led event organised by a group of second-year students. This year, the fantastic job was done by: David O'Loughlin (MRC Toxicology), Georgia Bullen (Babraham Institute), Ella Taylor (Babraham Institute), Eve Stalker (Department of Biochemistry), Lily Thomas (MRC Toxicology) and Christopher Godbehere (MRC Toxicology).

Photo - left to right: Georgia Bullen, Ella Taylor, Eve Stalker and David O’Loughlin.

 

Student Prizes

Talks and posters were judged by a panel of academics, who awarded Sarah Spencer (SBS DTP, 2021 cohort) for the best talk: “Reduced IL-6 signalling in obesity contributes to reduced COVID-19 vaccine responses”, and Holly Robertson (SBS DTP, 2021 cohort) for the best poster: "Linking evolutionary conflict with adaptive evolution in carnivorous sundews”.

Congratulations also to: Natalie Wallis (BBSRC DTP, 2019 cohort) who was selected by the audience for the best talk “GWAS in Labrador retrievers identifies novel obesity genes in dogs and humans” and to Emily Horner (SBS DTP, 2020 cohort) who was selected by the audience for the best poster “Antibody production in severe obesity”.

Photo - left to right: Holly Robertson, Natalie Wallis, Sarah Spencer and Emily Horner.

 

A huge thanks to our sponsors: Abcam, Appleton Wood, AstraZeneca, Promega, StartCodon and Takara. A special thanks to: Queens College, Homerton College and Biochemical Society.