What a colourful world!

Nanotechnologies find countless applications in the healthcare setting for the diagnosis, monitoring, prevention and treatment of diseases. Despite still facing some technological and regulatory challenges, nanomedicines can provide benefits to patients and have found their way to clinical practice (e.g. for the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, and so on). In this talk, I will give an overview of the current scenario of this revolutionary technology and present some of my own research in the field of antimicrobial nanomedicine.

At the Chemistry Department, my group studies how living organism such as plants and insects use their internal structure on a very small scale (nano) to make colours. What we see in the natural world inspired us to find new ways to make colourful, sustainable materials. Come to our talk and eat our structurally coloured cellulose materials, they taste like paper but they are rich in fibers!

Stars have inspired philosophers, beckoned travellers and now help us navigate the Galaxy and grow our knowledge of the skies. They are the atoms of our Universe and drive many of its rattling events. They live eventful lives then fade away and die, donating matter back to the Universe, matter which may form new stars and planets one day. How do we study them? What do we know about these heavenly bodies and what mysteries do they still hold? This is a story for my talk to unfold, as well as my career journey through it all.

As part of the Creative Reactions project, these artists will be presenting their artwork inspired by the research of speakers in this talk series. The artwork will also be on display at our Creative Reactions Exhibition at St Barnabas Church, 24 - 25 May.