Interdisciplinary approaches to harnessing light for diagnosis and treatment

Monday 7 December
​Nexus, University of Leeds
​

Event Overview

Light has the potential to transform many areas of healthcare including earlier disease detection and novel therapies.
This workshop is being held by the Physics of Life network jointly with the National Institute for Health & Care Research HealthTech Research Centre Network and is aimed at developing new partnerships between clinicians and physical scientists. Follow-on sandpit funding (£4K per project) for promising partnerships which emerge at the meeting, and funding for ECR secondments in support of these partnerships, may be available. The overall intention is to drive advances in healthcare which may be translated at pace into clinical practice and in which light-based technology is a key enabler.

​Who should attend?

This event is designed for academic, industrial and clinical research scientists interested in building new connections between the physical and life sciences to address real-world clinical questions. We particularly welcome researchers who are interested in developing new collaborations, exploring interdisciplinary approaches, and applying physical science expertise to investigate and solve challenges in clinical research.

Interested in joining?
Please complete the registration form below. This workshop is FREE to attend and we have a maximum capacity of 65 spaces. 

Provisional Programme

Day 1	Monday 7 December
From 10.00	Registration with Tea and Coffee  An opportunity to arrive, grab a coffee and begin meeting other participants.
10.45	Welcome from Organsiers
10.50	Networking Session 1: Mixer Activity  Chaired by Poppy Leeder (University of Leeds) and Inés Soria-Donlan (University of Leeds) from Horizons Institute ​Participants will work in small groups to develop an understanding of the work, interests and expertise of others in the room. This will provide an opportunity to build professional networks and identify potential areas of shared interest.
11.20	Project Spotlights Chaired by Professor Peter Weightman (University of Liverpool) Professor Hemant Pandit (University of Leeds) 'Trans-disciplinary collaborations for real world clinical challenges' Dr James Stone (University of Bath)  'Proteus: In vivo Fluorescent Lifetime Imaging in a human lung for disease diagnosis' Professor Chris Phillips (Imperial College London)  'Replacing Cancer Histology Using Advance mid-IR Spectroscopy'
12.15	Networking Session 2: Mixer Activity Chaired by Poppy Leeder (University of Leeds) and Inés Soria-Donlan (University of Leeds) from Horizons Institute ​ Working around tables and using provided materials, participants will explore the different interests, ideas and aims represented in the room, building on ideas emerging from the morning's discussions.​
13.00	Lunch and informal networking
13.45	Introduction to the Sandpit Discussions ​Chaired by Professor John Girkin (Durham University) & Professor Steve Smye (University of Leeds) An introduction to the sandpit format, including an overview of the process and what to expect from the afternoon collaborative discussions.
14.00​	Sandpit Discussions Facilitated by Physical scientists and Clinicians Participants will take part in collaborative sandpit discussions, working together to develop ideas and explore potential research collaborations.​
15.30	Refreshments and a short break
15.45	Feedback & Close ​​​Chaired by Professor John Girkin (Durham University) & Professor Steve Smye (University of Leeds) Groups will share feedback and reflections from the sandpit discussions, followed by a closing session and next steps.
16.30	EVENT CLOSE

Venue

Nexus is located on Discovery Way, on the edge of the University of Leeds campus.
Address:
Nexus
Discovery Way
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 3AA
Nexus is a short distance from Leeds city centre which you can reach by various means of transport.

Travelling to Nexus Leeds

By train 
Leeds train station has connections with all major UK cities and an efficient London service. For train information and timetables, visit the National Rail Enquiries website.  
The best ways to travel from the station to Nexus are on foot or by bus.
On foot
Nexus is a 0.8 mile walk from Leeds train station.
By Car
Parking on the University of Leeds campus is limited and chargeable. We encourage guests to travel by foot or public transport where possible. 
If you are travelling to Nexus by car, we recommend that you park in Woodhouse Lane multi-storey, Leeds LS2 3AX. 
Blue badge holders can pre-book on-campus parking by contacting [email protected].

Registration

Registration for this event is FREE, but please only complete this form if you are certain you will be able to attend.
If you register but subsequently find that you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing [email protected]. Our funding allows us to offer only a certain number of funded places, so letting us know if you can no longer attend will allow us to offer your place to someone else.