Leading Exeter academics gave 'bite size' presentations

A fascinating evening at the Royal Society

Over 90 Exeter alumni gathered in the inspiring – and fitting – surroundings of the ‘home of science’, the Royal Society, to hear an exclusive insight into the latest research from the University.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Talbot, a Fellow of the Royal Society, hosted the evening, introducing fascinating ‘bite size’ presentations from leading Exeter academics.

The presentations revealed how research at Exeter is pioneering a powerful interdisciplinary approach to diagnosing and treating the world’s most serious diseases, such as dementia and crop-killing fungi that destroy a significant proportion of the world’s food.

Prof Talbot explained that this approach is the driving force of the new Living Systems Institute, a £52.5 million interdisciplinary research centre currently under construction on the University’s Stratham campus.  The new institute will bring together mathematicians, physicists, cell and molecular biologists, biomedical scientists and engineers to transform human, animal and plant health. Find out more on the Living Systems site.

Professor Sarah Gurr – Chair in Food Security, Biosciences, outlined the global threat posed by fungal pests and pathogens to food security.

Professor Gero Steinberg – Professor of Cell Biology, Biosciences, delivered insights from his ground-breaking research into disease-causing fungi that has been enabled by cutting-edge mathematical modelling.

Professor John Terry – Professor in Biomedical Modelling, Mathematics, explained how mathematical models can unveil hidden patterns in clinical data, which could transform our approach to diagnosing epilepsy. 

Professor Jonathan Mill – Professor of Epigenetics, Medical School, discussed how research with identical twins helps us understand how nature and nurture interact to cause mental illness.

One guest said:

‘I cannot remember coming to an evening event so full of content, and incredibly interesting content at that... It was a real showcase for the work of Exeter life sciences’

You can find photos from the evening on the University's Flickr album.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the event such a success. If you would like to make a donation to support this vital research, or get involved in any other way, please contact Kristen Gallagher, Head of Philanthropy – K.Gallagher@exeter.ac.uk.

To find out more about Exeter’s leading research go to the research portal.

Date: 10 March 2015