Spring Colloquium 2022

Being part of a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is an advantage for any PhD Student primarily because it allows for the free flow of ideas and the advancement of a globally recognised scientific topic. The CDT in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies (TPT) is no exception and is establishing a strong campaign for the improvement of pharmaceutical sciences as demonstrated by our recent Colloquium!

The Spring Colloquium brought together two CDTS, TPT and Advanced Therapeutics and Nanomedicines (ADvTNM).

On Monday 25th April the Colloquium was dedicated to the CDT in ADvTNM, where the final year students delivered their final year presentations. On Tuesday 26th April the CDT in TPT held its first in-person Colloquium with flash presentations and posters delivered from the 2019 and 2020 cohorts. The Colloquium discussed two major areas 1) Protein Science and Cells and 2) Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation Science.

The two CDTs performed very well in presenting the findings from their PhD research and in fielding questions from the audience. Special thanks to Professor Liam Grover for delivering an outstanding presentation of his education and research background as well as presenting some of his current work with the CDT in Multifunctional Soft Materials for Molecular Delivery. Thanks to Ryan Trueman and Mary Strimaite for chairing the sessions on Monday and Tuesday respectively and appreciation is given to those who joined us online and to the UCL Team, namely Sarah Marks for organising a wonderful event!

Votes were held for best final year presentation, best flash presentation and best poster. The best final year presentation was awarded to Chloe Stewart from University of Nottingham (UoN), the best poster was awarded to Isobel Jobson from UoN and the best flash presentation was jointly awarded to Maria Ferreira Montero and myself (John Downey) from SSPC - The SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals.

The opportunity to meet with and discuss pharmaceutical sciences from small molecule to biologics was a truly informative experience which will no doubt help how we approach our research as we progress in our PhDs. It was an especially fulfilling experience for the prize winners because there is no greater feeling than being praised and recognised by your peers and academic and industrial mentors. 

 

Picture Credits: Sarah Marks. Article Credits: John Downey