A meeting of the minds: brain sciences celebrated at annual retreat

Dr Marco Brancaccio, Dr Sam Barnes, Professor Paul Matthews, Dr Nir Grossman

More than 100 members of the Division of Brain Sciences gathered for the annual retreat to celebrate the best of brain research.

Last month, the Division’s members from across research, administration and technical support retreated to South Kensington Campus for a day of inspirational talks in the field of brain sciences.

The programme featured a series of short talks by speakers that included the Division’s own researchers – from Fellows to PhD students – and distinguished guest speakers from the wider brain sciences community. A range of topics was discussed across the day, from inflammation and mental health to neuroscience in counter-terrorism research. 

A focus on dementia research

The College's involvement in dementia research was highlighted with all three Fellows of the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) at Imperial speaking about their research. Established last year, the Centre led by Professor Paul Matthews is part of the wider UK Dementia Research Institute which fosters new approaches and a diverse range of new research tools and directions to dementia research.

Founding Fellow, Dr Nir Grossman, spoke about a non-invasive technique for stimulating the brain with electrical fields – a prize-winning method that saw him awarded the 2018 Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation. The technique could hold the key to treating a range of brain disorder, such as the stiffness and tremors experienced in Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Sam Barnes, who was awarded a UK DRI Fellowship earlier this year, gave an insight into the role of key homeostatic plasticity processes – the overall strength of connections in the brain – in maintaining healthy network function.

New brains 

The third talk was delivered by Dr Marco Brancaccio who will be joining Imperial as the third UK DRI Fellow this October. Previously based at University of Cambridge’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Dr  Brancaccio will start his own research group to continue investigating circadian rhythms – the body’s own internal clock. Dr Brancaccio’s talk discussed whether astrocytes – the dominant glial cell in the brain – which acts as pacemakers play a role in Alzheimer’s disease.

 Transferring knowledge

Professor Simone di Giovanni, Chair in Restorative Neuroscience and one of the organisers of the retreat, emphasised the importance of collaborating outside of the Division of Brain Sciences and the potential of events such as these for establishing new connections. 

In that way, three external guest speakers were also invited to showcase senior researchers at the forefront of brain sciences at other institutions: Professor David Attwell from UCL; Professor Carmine Pariante from KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience; Professor Paul Grasby, previously MRC Cyclotron Unit and the Home Office.

 Neuroscience and counter-terrorism

Professor Paul Grasby, formerly Professor of Psychiatry at Imperial, brought the day to a close with an eye-opening talk titled, “Science, transition and terrorism – reflections on an academic journey from neuroscience to counter terrorism research.”

Professor Grasby reflected on his time as a senior scientist at the Home Office where he led a team of social scientists, economists and operational researchers, undertaking counter terrorism research and analysis for policy colleagues.

Closing the day, Head of the Division Professor Paul Matthews, noted Professor Grasby’s career as an example of the diverse roles available for early career researchers outside of academia: “Trained minds, creativity and energy can do anything.”

Inspiring early career researchers

With a number of postdocs and PhD students in attendance, the retreat was an opportunity for early career researchers to network with other members of the Division and communicate their research. Over 30 early career researchers took part in the afternoon session by either presenting a 3-minute ‘blitz’ talk of their research or a poster presentation.

During the coffee break, attendees voted for their top two talks or posters, which saw PhD student Nicola Davis and postdoctoral researcher Kirsten Barnicot scoop the prizes. Nicola is investigating amyloid production in Alzheimer’s disease and Kirsten's research focuses on borderline personality disorder with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Reflecting on the day, Professor Matthews recalled: “There was such a 'buzz' in the room - tremendous engagement by everyone. The day was a real testimony to the vibrancy of the Division!”   

Professor Matthews and Professor di Giovanni would like to thank the administration team who worked tirelessly to ensure that this event was successful.