Fri 31 Oct 08:45: Uncovering Genomic Drivers Across 13 Feline Cancer Types
Bruno isa first-year PhD student and bioinformatician, supervised by Prof. Elizabeth Murchison and co-supervised by Dr. Louise van der Weyden from the Wellcome Sanger Institute. His research utilises next-generation DNA sequencing data to unravel the molecular underpinnings of companion animal cancers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Manchester and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Nottingham. When he is not coding, he enjoys playing football and cricket.
- Speaker: tbc, Departmet of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 31 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.
Thu 10 Jul 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Haiming Yu (Beihang)
- Thursday 10 July 2025, 14:00-15:15
- Venue: Seminar Room 3, RDC.
- Series: Theory of Condensed Matter; organiser: Bo Peng.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Rethinking Antarctic Polynya Productivity: The Impact of Ice-Adjacency Effects on NPP Estimates along Icy Coasts
Ocean color-based estimates of Antarctic net primary productivity (NPP) have indicated low nearshore productivity in ice-adjacent waters, contrasting with coupled physical-biogeochemical models. To understand this discrepancy, we assessed satellite records of polynya NPP by comparing field data with two satellite imagery datasets derived using different processing schemes. Our results indicate historical underestimation of chlorophyll a (Chl) for imagery obtained using default atmospheric correction processing within approximately 100 km of ice-covered coastlines due to adjacency effects. Using radiative transfer modeling, we find that biases in ocean color polynya observations due to adjacency effects correspond to the high albedo of ice and snow. When applying an atmospheric correction processing scheme more robust to adjacency contamination, estimates of NPP more than doubled in 65 % of polynyas, especially smaller eastern Antarctic polynyas. Adjacency effects should therefore be managed when analyzing spatial and temporal trends in Antarctic coastal primary productivity.
- Speaker: Hilde Oliver, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: BAS Seminar Room 1.
- Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Yohei Takano.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Quo Vadis Quantum Dynamics?
Degenerate quantum gases in modulated optical potentials are a flexible testbed for the experimental study and application of quantum matter driven far from equilibrium. I will describe some recent experimental work in this area, including both fundamental studies of localization and a novel quantum sensing platform based on matter waves in a drive-tunable band structure. Turning to the future, I will discuss the emerging topic of “interactive quantum matter” in which unitary dynamics are coupled with weak measurement and feedback.
- Speaker: David M Weld (UC Santa Barbara)
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Ray Dolby Centre, 3rd floor seminar room, PHY-RDC C3.002 .
- Series: AMOP list; organiser: Dr Ulrich Schneider.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Quo Vadis Quantum Dynamics?
Degenerate quantum gases in modulated optical potentials are a flexible testbed for the experimental study and application of quantum matter driven far from equilibrium. I will describe some recent experimental work in this area, including both fundamental studies of localization and a novel quantum sensing platform based on matter waves in a drive-tunable band structure. Turning to the future, I will discuss the emerging topic of “interactive quantum matter” in which unitary dynamics are coupled with weak measurement and feedback.
- Speaker: David M Weld (UC Santa Barbara)
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Ray Dolby Centre, 3rd floor seminar room, PHY-RDC C3.002 .
- Series: AMOP list; organiser: Dr Ulrich Schneider.
Thu 10 Jul 16:00: Induction, persistence and function of microbiota-specific CD4 T cell memory
This Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar will take place on Thursday 10 July 2025, starting at 4:00-5:00pm
Speaker: Jakob Zimmermann, Department for Biomedical Research, University of Berne, Germany
Title: “Induction, persistence and function of microbiota-specific CD4 T cell memory”
Abstract: The intestinal microbiota contains a vast array of antigens, which throughout life stimulate mucosal T cell responses. To demonstrate how intermittent exposures to an intestinal symbiont drive antigen-specific CD4 T cell resident memory, we have genetically engineered a mutant strain of Lactobacillus reuteri that reversibly colonizes the gut of germ-free mice. We have combined this system that uncouples microbial exposure from permanent colonization with detection of antigen-specific T cells by custom adoptive transfer and peptide:MHC tools to address the induction, persistence, and function of microbiota-directed CD4 T cell responses. Our findings reveal that benign symbionts elicit long-lived, antigen-independent, tissue-resident CD4 T cells with significant implications for our understanding of host–microbial mutualism in the intestine.
Host: Noe Rodriguez Rodriguez, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Refreshments will be available following the seminar.
- Speaker: Jakob Zimmermann, Department for Biomedical Research, University of Berne
- Thursday 10 July 2025, 16:00-17:00
- Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
- Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Ruth Paton.
Wed 29 Oct 14:00: title tbc
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ryan Gilmour, University of Münster,
- Wednesday 29 October 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Synthetic Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Dr. Robert J. Phipps.
Mon 20 Oct 14:00: title tbc
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Syuzanna Harutyunyan, University of Groningen.
- Monday 20 October 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Synthetic Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Dr. Robert J. Phipps.
Tue 22 Jul 11:00: LMB Seminar - Modulation of TREM2 function and its role in anti-Amyloid immunotherapeutic approaches
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Christian Haass - Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich
- Tuesday 22 July 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/96372751903?pwd=C2hRQ8UF0B03vDp6IHGfWuTlsqzrTi.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Fri 11 Jul 14:30: The Valencia-Bristol low-level vision MindSet
Recent claims about the superiority of deep-nets to model human vision are based on the reproduction of either (a) neural recordings from different brain layers or (b) high-level behaviors included in Brain-Score. However, high correlations in such tasks do not guarantee the functional similarity of the underlying mechanisms in models and humans. In particular, appart from exceptions (like your work ;-), not many people is looking at the bottleneck of artificial systems as characterized by low-level visual psychophysics. In this talk we present stimuli for 20 different experiments that highlight basic color/texture/motion perception facts, and how the trends of the artificial responses can be used to assess the similarities with human vision.
Recommended reading:- Li, Gomez-Villa, Bertalmío & Malo Contrast sensitivity functions in autoencoders Journal of Vision (May 2022), Vol.22, 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.22.6.8
- Malo, Vila-Tomas, Hernandez-Camara, Li, Laparra A Turing Test for Artificial Nets devoted to model Human Vision (june 2022) http://isp.uv.es/docs/talk_AI_Bristol_Malo_et_al_2022.pdf
- Malo & Bowers The Low-Level vision MindSet. Talk at the Seminars on Generalisation in Mind and Machine. (sept. 2024) http://isp.uv.es/docs/Low_Level_MindSet_3.pptx
- Speaker: Jesús Malo
- Friday 11 July 2025, 14:30-15:00
- Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
- Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.
Fri 11 Jul 14:00: Emerging perceptual properties in foundation models: a vision science perspective
The empirical theory of vision suggests that what we see reflects statistical regularities learned through experience rather than direct representations of physical reality. Recent advances in machine learning, particularly in foundation models, have revealed intriguing parallels with human visual perception. However, the differences between biological and artificial vision systems are equally enlightening, offering unique windows into the nature of visual processing. In this talk, we will discuss how studying these artificial systems can deepen our understanding of human visual processing, while insights from vision science can guide the development of more robust and interpretable deep learning models.
Recommended papers:- Gomez-Villa, A., Martín, A., Vazquez-Corral, J., Bertalmío, M., & Malo, J. (2020). Color illusions also deceive CNNs for low-level vision tasks: Analysis and implications. Vision Research, 176, 156-174.
- Hirsch, E., & Tal, A. (2020). Color visual illusions: A statistics-based computational model. Advances in neural information processing systems, 33, 9447-9458.
- Huh, M., Cheung, B., Wang, T., & Isola, P (2023). Position: The Platonic Representation Hypothesis. In Forty-first International Conference on Machine Learning.
- Gomez-Villa, A., Wang, K., Parraga, A. C., Twardowski, B., Malo, J., Vazquez-Corral, J., & van de Weijer, J. The Art of Deception: Color Visual Illusions and Diffusion Models. CVPR (2025).
- Speaker: Alexandra Gomez-Villa
- Friday 11 July 2025, 14:00-14:30
- Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
- Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.
Tue 01 Jul 11:15: The Most Ambitious Radio Astronomy Endeavour of the 21st Century? Science, Technology and Engineering Dialogues in a Large-scale Project
The presentation will open with some reflections on the early part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, where questions asked about engineering realities constraining science aspirations were raised. Early encounters between Scientists and Engineers considered Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) as one of the constraints. Some formative developments of this specific Radio Astronomy (RA) project, with a focus on the XDM , KAT7 and then MeerKAT in South Africa, will be introduced and related to unexpected RFI . The picture will then be widened to unpack an understanding of RFI and ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) for RA and science projects more generally. Two European examples will be considered. A short diversion into the language that EMC engineers use in RFI and what RA presents as uv-plane data will be taken.
- Speaker: Prof. Howard Reader
- Tuesday 01 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
- Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
- Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.
Tue 01 Jul 11:15: Title TBC
The presentation will open with some reflections on the early part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, where questions asked about engineering realities constraining science aspirations were raised. Early encounters between Scientists and Engineers considered Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) as one of the constraints. Some formative developments of this specific Radio Astronomy (RA) project, with a focus on the XDM , KAT7 and then MeerKAT in South Africa, will be introduced and related to unexpected RFI . The picture will then be widened to unpack an understanding of RFI and ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) for RA and science projects more generally. Two European examples will be considered. A short diversion into the language that EMC engineers use in RFI and what RA presents as uv-plane data will be taken.
- Speaker: Prof. Howard Reader
- Tuesday 01 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
- Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
- Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.
Mon 07 Jul 11:00: LMB Seminar - In vitro reconstitution of minimal cytoskeletal systems
In my group we build minimal cytoskeletal systems using purified components which allow us to study the dynamic, force-generating and self-organizing properties of (for example) minimal mitotic spindles in (artificial) confinement. In addition, we are interested in designing and building a minimal DNA segregation system for synthetic cells based on prokaryotic cytoskeletal filaments. In my talk I will give an overview of current interests, work in progress and challenges that we face.
- Speaker: Marileen Dogterom - TU Delft, Delft University of Technology
- Monday 07 July 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95584842300?pwd=V2DAKEE0bQXA4bbbSUryiRPELlhmzP.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Fri 04 Jul 14:00: Approaching precise device scale all-atom simulations of crystallisation of halide perovskites
Certified solar to power conversion efficiencies of perovskite solar cells are 27% for single-junction and 35% for silicon-perovskite tandem efficiencies. However, their industrialization is hampered by challenges in scaling efficiencies and ensuring operational stability. This relies on extensive trial-and-error synthesis processes. Where, an all-atom understanding of the synthesis process is crucial for designing stable and efficient perovskite electronics and accelerating industrialization. In this talk, I will present all-atom simulations of crystallization of halide perovskite, utilizing precise machine learning potentials.
- Speaker: Paramvir Ahlawat (Cambridge)
- Friday 04 July 2025, 14:00-15:15
- Venue: Seminar Room 3, RDC.
- Series: Theory of Condensed Matter; organiser: Gaurav.
Thu 10 Jul 14:00: Encoding Angular Information into Computational Imaging
Angular information is applied across domains such as navigation, virtual and augmented reality, and robotics to tackle research problems related to directions and orientations. It can be encoded into polarization to reveal hidden content, and it can also be encoded into parallax to track an object with high accuracy. This talk starts from exploring the potential of polarization and how angular information plays a crucial role in uncovering hidden phenomena, along with real-world applications. It then introduces two stable and precise visual methods for measuring directional information. The first approach was to design a passive marker, MoiréTag, that exploited the moiré effect to encode high accuracy angular information into moiré patterns generated by periodic binary structures printed on both sides of a glass wafer. We then extended the continuous tracking approach into a discrete fashion by introducing a scannable QR-design marker. High frequency information encoded in the QR-Tag can be reliably decoded by a phone camera from different positions at a certain distance.
- Speaker: Simeng Qiu, Swansea University
- Thursday 10 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
- Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.
Thu 03 Jul 13:00: Changing Climate, Changing Corals: Predicting Long-Term Climatological Suitability for Tropical Reefs
Abstract
Coral reefs are experiencing increasing stress as climate change warms and acidifies the oceans. This is causing mortality events in the least-suitable places, while areas at higher latitudes may become suitable for future growth of reefs and the biodiversity and ecosystem services they provide. Present-day conservation measures currently do not account for this biogeographical shift. This project looks for suitability signals in long-term historic and forecast climatological data in an effort to contextualise future conservations efforts. In the meantime, a number of side-quests will be explored, ranging from a quantitative meta-analysis of species’ responses to climatological shifts to a foray into remote sensing of shallow water habitats. This talk is an informal update of my thought processes so far, an invited sanity-check from anyone kind enough to provide it, and a search for future directions of exploration. Questions, criticisms, and suggestions highly desired!
Bio
Orlando is a second-year PhD student with the AI4ER CDT . Supervised by Oscar Branson (Earth Sciences), he is interested in the opportunities and limitations for modelling marine ecosystems – particularly coral reefs – posed by the data available today.
- Speaker: Orlando Timmerman, University of Cambridge
- Thursday 03 July 2025, 13:00-14:00
- Venue: Room GS15 at the William Gates Building and on Zoom: https://cl-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/4361570789?pwd=Nkl2T3ZLaTZwRm05bzRTOUUxY3Q4QT09&from=addon .
- Series: Energy and Environment Group, Department of CST; organiser: lyr24.
Mon 01 Sep 11:00: LMB Seminar - Mechanisms of Translational Control: From Viral Hijacking to Codon-Dependent mRNA Surveillance
In eukaryotic cells, the translation of mRNA into protein is tightly regulated at multiple levels. In this talk, I will present two complementary studies that explore distinct, yet mechanistically intertwined, aspects of translational control. The first part focuses on how the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) manipulates host translation machinery to drive cap-independent viral protein synthesis. Through a series of high-resolution cryo-EM structures, we reveal how the IRES restructures eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3), with its core subunits being displaced by tight interaction with the IRES while the non-core subunits remain positioned on the ribosome. Unexpectedly, the N-terminal domain of the eIF3c subunit interacts with the 60S ribosomal subunit during elongation, suggesting that eIF3 plays roles beyond initiation, potentially extending to elongation, termination, and ribosome recycling. In the second part, we uncover a novel function of the RNA helicase DHX29 in regulating mRNA stability based on codon optimality. Using genome-wide CRISPR screening, selective ribosome profiling, and cryo-EM, we demonstrate that DHX29 binds near the A-site entrance of translating ribosomes and senses the decoding efficiency of incoming aminoacyl-tRNAs. This ribosomal interaction allows DHX29 to recruit the GIGYF2 •4EHP complex, thereby linking slow translation caused by non-optimal codons to mRNA decay pathways. Together, these studies highlight how both viral elements and host RNA -binding proteins reshape the translational landscape—either to hijack the host machinery or to maintain transcriptome integrity—offering new structural and mechanistic insights into translational regulation.
- Speaker: Takuhiro Ito, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
- Monday 01 September 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/99123664675?pwd=QuOtE1AHmhFcUaaKGtkygBpeNsOUWh.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Mon 07 Jul 11:00: LMB Seminar - In vitro reconstitution of minimal cytoskeletal systems
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Marileen Dogterom - TU Delft, Delft University of Technology
- Monday 07 July 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95584842300?pwd=V2DAKEE0bQXA4bbbSUryiRPELlhmzP.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Fri 10 Oct 08:45: Investigation into the role of Poly ADP-Ribose (PAR) in intervertebral disc calcification in dogs
Carolina Malco Rullan graduated with a degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2024 and worked as a general practitioner in Spain before moving to the UK to begin her PhD at the University of Cambridge in October. Her doctoral research focuses on understanding the process of intervertebral disc calcification, with particular interest in the role of Poly ADP -ribose (PAR)—a molecule previously associated with vascular calcification in humans. Carolina is investigating whether this molecule could also be involved in disc calcification in dogs, with the ultimate aim of developing a treatment that targets its precursor, PARP , to reduce or even prevent disc calcification, a condition linked to an increased risk of disc herniation
- Speaker: Carolina Malco Rullan, Departmet of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 10 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.