Life Sciences, University of Dundee

29/05/2026

Huge congratulations to our colleagues in the School of Life Sciences on their fantastic success at the 2026 DUSA Student-Led Teaching Awards 🎉

We took home top honours in three categories, with others shortlisted across a range of categories. These awards are especially meaningful because they are driven by student nominations, recognising staff who go above and beyond to support, inspire and empower our community.

Well done to all our winners and nominees.

Read the full story: https://buff.ly/OZJWK0N

📷️ Module of the Year winners (from left): Dr Andy Howden, Dr Sharon Matthews, Dr Colin Crawford, Professor Doreen Cantrell, Dr Henry McSorley and Dr Amy Lloyd.
📷️ Lecturer of the Year winner: Dr Art Crossman and his dog Bracken who is well known to our students as she regularly features in Art's lecture slides!

19/05/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day at our free family-friendly Plant Power 2026 event! 🌿🌱

It was wonderful to see so many people exploring hands-on science, nature discovery, arts and crafts, and activities for all ages at the Botanic Garden, University of Dundee.

Visitors enjoyed a fantastic range of science activities delivered by researchers and staff from the University of Dundee, The James Hutton Institute, and the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, including:

🪴 Legumes display
🍅 Tomato transplanting and basic horticulture
🧬 DNA extraction
🌱 Plants and pathogens
✈️ Camelina and aviation fuel
🌾 Plant epigenetics
🕵️ Forensic investigations
🎨 Face painting

We were also delighted to be joined by a brilliant range of external organisations, artists, and community groups who helped make the day so special:

🐦 Dr David Martin and Dr David Lampard shared the wonders of local wildlife, including demonstrations from the Botanic Garden bird detector and displays of moths caught overnight.

🌿 Dundee Naturalists’ Society answered visitors’ nature questions and shared their enthusiasm for local biodiversity.

🥕 The MAXwell Centre Community Garden promoted GROW Dundee, the city-wide community garden network, and showcased how they grow food and connect communities through gardening.

🌼 Eco-Dundee shared their work towards making Dundee a chemical pesticide-free city.

🎨 Visual artist and Art and Nature Collective member Anna Rooney presented her exhibition Fabricate in the Green Gallery and led a nature-inspired cyanotype workshop.

Thank you to all our visitors, researchers, volunteers, partners, and contributors for helping create such an engaging and inspiring day celebrating the importance of plants, science, art, and nature in our lives.

19/05/2026

Pint of Science Dundee started last night!

A few tickets are remaining for some of the events taking place tonight and tomorrow! Be quick before they sell out!

Tickets: https://pintofscience.co.uk/events/dundee/

Only a week to go until Pint of Science Dundee 2026!
48 talks over 5 venues over 3 nights!

Whether you’re into neuroscience, climate science, gaming culture, forensic science, evolution, psychology, plants, AI, astronomy or the future of medicine — there’s something for everyone.

🕖️ All events start at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
🎟 Tickets are just £5 and events are open to everyone in venues across Dundee — no science background needed!

Check out the full programme and book your tickets here:
https://buff.ly/ZeTEcxv

15/05/2026

Our event, Plant Power, that is taking place tomorrow at the Botanic Garden, University of Dundee from 11am - 3pm.

You can still book your free tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/plant-power-2026-tickets-1983779432685

13/05/2026

🌿 It's almost time for Plant Power 2026 at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden! 🌱

Celebrate Fascination of Plants Day with a free family-friendly event packed with hands-on science, nature discovery, arts and crafts, and activities for all ages.

Enjoy a selection of refreshments and snacks available to purchase, or feel free to bring your own picnic and make a day of it.

📅 Saturday 16 May 2026
⏰ 11:00 – 15:00
📍 University of Dundee Botanic Garden

🎟️ Book your free tickets here: https://buff.ly/Qbv16Zk

Botanic Garden, University of Dundee, University of Dundee, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, The James Hutton Institute, Grow Dundee

11/05/2026

Only a week to go until Pint of Science Dundee 2026!
48 talks over 5 venues over 3 nights!

Whether you’re into neuroscience, climate science, gaming culture, forensic science, evolution, psychology, plants, AI, astronomy or the future of medicine — there’s something for everyone.

🕖️ All events start at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
🎟 Tickets are just £5 and events are open to everyone in venues across Dundee — no science background needed!

Check out the full programme and book your tickets here:
https://buff.ly/ZeTEcxv

11/05/2026

You may have spotted these stunning signs at the Walled Garden next to our Medical Sciences Institute building. They were designed by WhimSicAL LusH and funded by Dundee Climate Fund 3.0, and organised by the Art and Nature Collective.

07/05/2026

Pint of Science UK - Beautiful Minds - Psychology, Brain and Medical Research in Tayside

📍 Monday and Tuesday: CANVAS, 16 Ure St, Dundee DD1 5JD
📍 Wednesday: Bird and Bear, 2 Whitehall Cres, Dundee DD1 4AU
⌚ 7:00pm - 9:00pm, Doors open 6:30pm.

Join us on our two nights at CANVAS, and one night at Bird and Bear to discuss the cutting edge health and medical research putting Dundee on the map! We'll also be having a pub quiz each night, with prizes to be won!

🧠 Monday 18th May: 'Brain, Basics and Beyond', CANVAS🧠

https://buff.ly/z8dW9Bs

30 minute speaker: 'Dementia: it’s not just about your head', Dr Nicola Morrice (Postdoctoral Researcher in Neuroscience at the University of Dundee)

7 minute speakers:

1️⃣ 'Neuroscience of dancing: why moving to music is good to your brain', Daria Andrieieva (PhD student in Neuroscience, University of Dundee)
2️⃣ 'How do childhood factors influence pain outcomes in later life?',
Sam Singleton (Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'How Exercise Alters Depression Through Your Blood', Jamie Moir (Masters Student at the University of Glasgow)

🔨 Tuesday 19th May: 'When the Brain Breaks Down' , CANVAS🔨

https://buff.ly/EJgAxMh

30 minute speaker: 'Gone but not forgotten: Unlocking Dementia with donated brain tissue' David Koss (Lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Dundee)

7 minute speaker:

1️⃣ 'The brain's energy crisis: before symptoms even start', Lauren ONeill (Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Neuroscience at the University of Dundee)
2️⃣ 'Tiny cells, big clues', Athina Grigoriou (PhD student at the University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'A protein behind Parkinson’s Disease', Chloe Flitton (PhD student at the University of Dundee)

💃 Wednesday 20th May: 'Movement, Muscle and Mind', Bird and Bear 💃

https://buff.ly/bgHfpAH

30 minute speaker: 'Motor Neuron Disease: Insights from a galaxy (not too) far away', Christopher Henstridge (Senior Lecturer Neuroscience, School of Medicine at the University of Dundee)

7 minute speakers:

1️⃣ 'Studying Synapse Loss in Motor Neuron Disease using Drosophila Melanogaster', Anna McFarlane (PhD student in the department of Neuroscience, University of Dundee)
2️⃣ 'Supporters or enemies: Glial cells in neurodegeneration', Zsófia László, PhD ( Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Medicine, University of Dundee)
3️⃣ Dinja van der Hoorn (Postdoctoral Research Associate at the School of Medicine, University of Dundee)

01/05/2026

Pint of Science, Dundee: From the Page to the Stars: Science and Culture
📍 Giddy Goose, 2 Perth Rd, Dundee DD1 4LN
⌚ 7:30pm - 9:30pm, Doors 7pm

Join us on our three nights at The Giddy Goose Dundee to discuss everything science and culture related being researched in Dundee!

🌃 Monday, 18th May: 'In the Wonderland of Physics' 🌃

30 minute talk: 'Instabilities in sliding fluids and the effect of molecular tadpoles' - Dr. Anna Katsiavria (Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Medical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Dundee)

7 minute talks:
1️⃣ 'Detection and Identification of Point Defects in Energy Materials using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy Techniques' Aryaveer Singh (PhD student in the Department of Physics at the University of Dundee)
2️⃣ 'Searching the Sky - Stellar-Cluster Observations from Earth's Telescopes' Ernesto Giulio Mustienes Rando (PhD student in the Department of Physics at the University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'Exomoons: Where Are They Hiding?' Dr. Soko Matsumura (Lecturer in Physics at the University of Dundee)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/z3oGYKO

👷 Tuesday, 19th May: Crimaterials: Cracking Cases, Train Wires and Cooler Cooling 👷

30 minute speaker: 'Unseen evidence: the challenge of DNA recovery from metal surfaces' Caitlyn Amos (PhD student in Forensic Science)

7 minute speakers:
1️⃣ 'Absorption refrigeration: a cool solution to industrial waste-heat', Dr. Anna Katsiavria (Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Medical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Dundee)
2️⃣ 'Computer Modelling of Metal Casting', Wei Dou (PhD student in Mathematics at the University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'Engineering Next-Generation Phantoms to Advance High-Frequency Ultrasound Elastography', Amirhossein Pourali (PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, University of Dundee)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/2FuOWDX

📖Wednesday 20th May: Peeling Back the Layers of Pop Culture📖

30 minute speaker: 'Ready Watcher 1: Video Game Worlds in Television', Liam Brown (PhD Student in Management at the University of Dundee)

7 minute talks:
1️⃣ 'Dundee in the Artic, the legacy of Whaling', Matthew Ylitalo (Early Career Scholar in Modern History at the University of St Andrews)
2️⃣ Secret Identity: Revealing the Erotic Origins of Super Heroes, Dr. Hailey Austin (Lecturer at Abertay University)
3️⃣ The Courtroom, the Crime Scene, and in-between. Collaboration for Criminal Justice, Dr. Lucille Tetley-Brown, PhD (Research Assistant at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/wVCcfVk

01/05/2026

Pint of Science, Dundee: 18 - 20 May 2026
Our Body - Innovative Health Research in Dundee
📍 Clarks on Lindsay Street, 80 North Lindsay Street, Dundee, DD1 1PS
⌚ 7:30pm - 9:30pm, Doors Open: 7pm

Join us on our three nights at Clark's on Lindsay Street to discuss the cutting edge health and medical research putting Dundee on the map! We'll also be having a pub quiz each night, with prizes to be won!

🦠 Monday, 18th May: 'Drugs and Bugs: The Fight for Global Health' 🦠

30 minute speaker: From Petri Dishes to Parliament, Dr Helen Callaby (Wellcome Trust Clinician specialising in Infectious Diseases)

7 minute speakers:
1️⃣ 'Molecular Recyclers', Dr Dylan M. Lynch, PhD FHEA (Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Dundee, Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation)
2️⃣'Using Chemical Tools to Take Aim at Malaria', Rosie Street-Jeakings (PhD student in the Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Malaria?', Dr Christopher Bailey (Post Doctoral Researcher in the Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/UyxVRRT

🦵Tuesday 19th May: Busy Bodies🦵

30 minute speakers: 'The Beta Cell Comeback: A Grand Challenge', Greg Jackson and Morgan Shaw (PhD students from the University of Dundee)

7 minute speakers:
1️⃣ 'Decoding the Genetic Code', Marcela Bota (PhD Student at the School of Medicine, University of Dundee)
2️⃣ Elle Crawley (PhD Student in Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee)
3️⃣ 'Your health in your own hands', Professor Peter Mossey (Chair of Cranio Development and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, University of Dundee)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/Sgf1cK3

❓ Wednesday 20th May: What’s in It? Understanding Drug Safety and Risk ❓

30 minute speaker: 'What’s In Your Drugs? The Mystery of the Modern Drug Market', Dr Lorna Nisbet (Principal Investigator for Forensic Toxicology at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, and Programme Lead for the MSc in Drug Analysis and Toxicology programme)

7 minute speakers:
1️⃣ 'A Pint‑Sized Look at a Big Problem: From Pills to Pacemakers - Why Innovation Isn’t Cheap (and Definitely Not a Happy Hour)', Dr Nigel McLean (Translational Manager for Tay Health Tech)
2️⃣ Take some Paracetamol, Dr Giorgia De Paoli (Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, University of Dundee)

Information & tickets: https://buff.ly/WU3dYtq