Summary: Here’s a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.

From machine learning in hypertension, to recognition for Imperial’s university culture, here is some quick-read news from across Imperial. 

Tracking hypertension

Professor Dennis Wang, from Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute, has been awarded funding from a new UKRI grant scheme. The Cross Research Council Responsive Mode (CRCRM) scheme is aimed at encouraging interdisciplinary research. Professor Wang’s project will track the progression of pulmonary hypertension through longitudinal machine learning (ML). The grant will support the development of robust ML models capable of handling irregularly collected, high-dimensional data, facilitating more efficient and cost-effective longitudinal studies.

Professor Wang's research focuses on identifying biomarkers of health outcomes and using ML models to improve strategies for diagnosing and treating complex conditions. His multidisciplinary team, spanning medicine, biology, epidemiology and engineering, uses ML techniques by analysing health data globally and linking different cohort datasets across continents.

He said: "This award is a significant recognition of interdisciplinary research, reflecting the potential for new technological innovation and deeper insights into complex diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, which can greatly impact people's wellbeing. I hope this success will encourage other researchers to collaborate more regularly outside of their disciplines."

Studying asymmetry

A second project receiving UKRI CRCRM funding brings together the realms of particle and quantum physics to probe one of the biggest mysteries of the universe: why is there so much matter but virtually no antimatter?

This imbalance is termed a symmetry violation and is thought to arise from as-yet undiscovered forces. Many theories about these forces also predict that fundamental particles would have asymmetric shapes, but that has so far been impossible to confirm.

The funded team, consisting of Professor Michael Tarbutt, Professor Oliver Buchmueller, Professor Ben Sauer and Dr Jongseok Lim from our Department of Physics, aim to measure the shapes of electrons in enough detail to test some of these theories.

They will develop quantum science methods for ultra-cooling and trapping molecules, keeping them still enough to measure, and apparatus and analysis tools that minimise interference and eliminate errors, allowing real progress in unravelling this cosmic mystery.

Times Higher accolades

Three Imperial projects have been shortlisted for the 20^th annual Times Higher Education awards:

• Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category: the Imperial As One Media Academy.

The Academy is a partnership between the Communications Division and the Faculty of Medicine, which tackles the lack of researchers from under-represented backgrounds in the mainstream UK media through a series of workshops designed to provide participants with broad media skills.

• Outstanding Entrepreneurial University: Enterprise.

Anchored by three flagship initiatives - Enterprise Lab, Advanced Hackspace and White City Incubator - Imperial has developed one of the UK's leading university-based innovation ecosystems. It was recognised as the best large university in Europe (£1bn+) for start-up creation by the 2024 Redstone University Startup Index.

• Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year: My Imperial Campus app.

The My Imperial Campus app is a student-centred platform developed by DreamTeam, a design agency of Imperial students and alumni, with the ICT department. Now available in beta version, it centralises campus services and activities tailored to student needs, making campus life more connected and engaging.

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