Imperial people

“I have coached younger scientists and organised STEM outreach activities for several years. Recently, I initiated a collaboration with the University of the Arts London, teaching art students basic scientific principles”.

I finished my MRes in Biochemical Research at Imperial and I was happy to return in August 2018 to work as a Research Associate at the Department of Chemical Engineering. Previously, I completed my diploma in chemical engineering and my PhD in microbial biotechnology at the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. During my career journey I have worked on diverse bioscience-related research topics and to complement my research, I have coached younger scientists and organised STEM outreach activities for several years. Recently, I initiated a collaboration with the University of the Arts, teaching art students basic scientific principles.

Currently, I am leading an innovative project around the characterization of host-construct interactions in mammalian cells in order to advance Bioprocessing with Synthetic Biology. This means that the aim is to understand cell-target protein (product) interactions to increase the target protein yield in mammalian cells using synthetic biology tools. Mammalian cells are important production vehicles for the pharmaceutical industry. What I mostly enjoy about this role is applying my knowledge and expertise to lead lab and project set-up, deliver exciting initial results, all the while bringing new approaches to the project. Working in a new lab, in a new project makes the output of my work very satisfying and rewarding for me.

As a junior member of staff at Imperial, apart from the extremely interesting research and the lovely friendly atmosphere, I appreciate the College’s policy to respect and support the personal development of the staff. The Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre offers the option to attend influential seminars and workshops on interesting topics. I believe these personal development opportunities at Imperial have contributed to my development as a well-rounded scientist and have helped me to identify and pursue new opportunities for my future.

Read Dr Dimitra Gialama, Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering in full

“The opportunity to work at Imperial has attracted some of the best young talents in the world to our team – they are the very bedrock on which our achievements are built.”

I received my BSc from Imperial in the 1980s, but then undertook a Master’s at Durham studying pyrophoric boranes, before returning to London and King’s College London to obtain my PhD in organic chemistry. Here I studied the synthesis of signalling phospholipids, and this became the key to my current position with Professor Livingston in the Department of Chemical Engineering. (more…)

Read Dr Piers Gaffney, Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering in full

“I really like being at Imperial. The best part is working alongside some of the most capable people in the world, who inspire me and make it truly enjoyable to work here.”

I came to Imperial in 2014 to do an engineering doctorate. My PhD project involved the research and development of a snake-robot to perform inspections of jet engines while the engine is on-wing, and was sponsored by Rolls-Royce. It was a really interesting project, where I conducted research on different types of miniature snake-robots – mostly concentric tube robots and soft robots. (more…)

Read Dr Arnau Garriga Casanovas, Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering in full