Defining the Roadmap for Understanding the Physics of Life

27 January 2016
Natural History Museum, London

Final Summit

We invite you to join us for the Final Summit meeting of our Network, which will be held at the Natural History Museum in London. The central goal of the Network has been to identify the fundamental challenges that must be addressed if we are to understand the physics of life.

Through the Plenary Events we identified a list of important problems around which we based our Focussed Workshops. These meetings, with their emphasis on discussion, have provided a wealth of feedback and ideas from the community. At the Final Summit we will try to draw together some of the strands that have emerged from these activities and present a sketch of the path ahead for biological physics research in the UK.

We plan to present this “roadmap” to our funders, EPSRC and BBSRC, and we are anxious to garner the views of the community to ensure that we can represent its views as accurately as possible to the research councils. Please join us to learn about what we have been doing and to help shape our “roadmap”.

Confirmed speakers

Prof Ard Louis, University of Oxford
‘Algorithmic information theory and a systems level approach to biological evolution’
Prof Catherine Royer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
‘Biological Responses to Pressure: From Molecules to Live Bacteria’
Dr Cécile Sykes, Institut Curie
‘Mimicking cell dynamics’
John Hand, EPSRC
Prof Julia Yeomans, University of Oxford
‘Topology in Biology’
Prof Mark Leake, University of York
‘Using light to understand pathogens, and improve our attempts to kill them’
Prof Richard Morris, John Innes Centre
‘Nodule Organogenesis’

Draft programme

09:30	Registration and Coffee
10:00	Introduction Graham Leggett, University of Sheffield
10.15	The Physics of Bacterial Infection Introduction: Wilson Poon, University of Edinburgh Highlight: Mark Leake, York University ‘Using light to understand pathogens, and improve our attempts to kill them’
10.50	The Physics of Life in Extreme Environments Introduction: Lorna Dougan, Leeds University Highlight: Catherine Royer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ‘Biological Responses to Pressure: From Molecules to Live Bacteria’
11.25	Information flow in Biology Introduction: Tom McLeish, Durham University Highlight: Ard Louis, Oxford University ‘Algorithmic information theory and a systems level approach to biological evolution’
12.05	Pattern Formation and Morphogenesis Introduction: Jamie Hobbs, University of Sheffield Highlight: Richard Morris, John Innes Centre ‘Nodule Organogenesis’
12.40	Lunch
13.40	Compartmentalisation and Confinement Introduction: Graham Leggett, University of Sheffield Highlight: Cecile Sykes, Institut Curie
14.15	Bacterial Biofilms Introduction: Ramin Golestanian, Oxford University Highlight: Julia Yeomans, Oxford University ‘Topology in Biology’
14:50	A Roadmap for Understanding the Physics of Life: Graham Leggett, University of Sheffield
15:15	John Hand (EPSRC)
15:45	Coffee
16:15	Close

Registration

Our Final Summit is heavily subsidised by the Network, and the full registration fee is only £20 including lunch, private access to ‘From the Beginning‘ gallery and refreshments, or FREE for PHD students. Registration for delegates is now closed and joining instructions have been emailed to delegates.

The conference is due to start at 10am on 27 January (registration from 9.30am) and closes at 16:15pm.

If you have any further questions about this event, please do not hesitate to contact Christina Metcalfe, Network Coordinator at: c.metcalfe@sheffield.ac.uk

Directions

The conference will take place in the Flett Theatre within The Natural History Museum, London.  Access to the Flett Theatre is from the Exhibition Road entrance (Red zone on venue map) next to the Earth Hall.

For full directions on how to travel to the Natural History Museum click HERE.