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PRO F ESSO R I A N WH ITEPRO F ESSO R I A N WH ITEPRO F ESSO R I A N WH ITE

Professor Ian White is one of the most prominent figures in the field of optoe-lectronics in Europe. Currently the Head of Photonic Research in the Engi-neering Department at Cambridge, he has published over 900 papers and holds 40 patents. He has made many notable innovations with immense com-mercial impact, such as the development of the first all-optical laser diode flip flop, the first negative chirp electroabsorption modulator, and the invention of the offset launch technique for enhancing the bandwidth of optical fibre links, which has been adopted within the Gigabit Ethernet standard. Through his renowned research career, Professor White holds a number of prestigious appointments, including Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University and Master of Jesus College. Tuesday 20 January, 8:00PM

A N D REW M I LLER M PA N D REW M I LLER M PA N D REW M I LLER M P

With the upcoming General Election this year, there is no more pressing time to consider the future direction of policy on science and technology. An MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston since 1992, Andrew Miller is the Chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, which over-sees government policy and ensures decision-making is underpinned by ro-bust scientific evidence. He thus has unrivalled experience and authority to offer insight into the progress made by the coalition government and remain-ing challenges in UK science. Thursday 22 January, 8:00PM

S I R A LA N F ERSH TS I R A LA N F ERSH TS I R A LA N F ERSH T

Sir Alan Fersht is widely regarded as a pioneer of protein engineering, which he developed as a primary method for analysis of the structure, activity and folding of proteins. He founded the method of phi value analysis for studying protein folding transition states and methods for high resolution analysis of protein folding in the sub-millisecond time-scale. Moreover, Sir Alan is distin-guished for his work on enzyme catalysis. For his instrumental work, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983, and won the Gabor Medal, the Davy Medal and the Royal Medal. He was appointed Master of Gonville & Cai-us College in 2012 and was named as one of the Times 100 leading scientists in the UK in 2014. His talk will focus on his current research to determine the structure of p53 and the discovery of small molecules which can rescue the activity of mutated p53 for the rational design of novel anti-cancer drugs, and will share highlights from his own career. Tuesday 27 January, 8:00PM

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S I R G REG WI N TERS I R G REG WI N TERS I R G REG WI N TER

Sir Greg Winter is a pioneer of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, he developed the technology to ‘humanize’ mouse monoclonal antibodies, and subsequently to make fully human antibodies by phage display. One of the most successful academic en-trepreneurs in Britain, Sir Greg founded the biotech companies Cambridge Antibody Technology (1989), Domantis (2000) and Bicycle Therapeutics Lim-ited, which have a combined worth of over £930 million. He developed the anti-TNFα antibody Humira, the best-selling drug in the world, used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. For his achievements, Sir Greg has been awarded the Royal Medal, the Louis Jeantet Prize for Medicine, and the Cana-da Gairdner International Award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Mas-ter of Trinity College. Tuesday 3 February, 8:00PM

PRO F ESSO R DAV I D HEY M A N NPRO F ESSO R DAV I D HEY M A N NPRO F ESSO R DAV I D HEY M A N N

As Chairman of the UK Health Protection Agency, Professor Heymann over-sees UK preparations for new and emerging health threats. He was previously Assistant Director General for Health Security for WHO. His distinguished career as a medical epidemiologist has included leading research in the WHO Global Programme on AIDS, eradicating smallpox in India in 1978, and work-ing at the forefront of international effort in the SARS epidemic. In a joint talk with Medsin Cambridge, Professor Heymann will discuss the current Ebola outbreak. As one of the investigators of the first Ebola outbreak in 1976 in Zaire, he is in a unique position to share his insights into the lessons learnt in managing Ebola and the outlook for ending the epidemic. Thursday 5 February, 8:00PM

CO N RAD WO LF RA MCO N RAD WO LF RA MCO N RAD WO LF RA M

Conrad Wolfram is a leading computer scientist and businessman. He found-ed and remains the managing director of Wolfram Research Europe, leading the effort to use Mathematica software as a development platform for prod-ucts that help communicate big ideas. This has instigated technology such as the Mathematica Player family and web Mathematica. Conrad is a vocal pro-ponent of Computer-Based Math – a reform of mathematics education to make greater use of information technology and in 2010 founded computer-basedmath.org to address this worldwide. His talk on ‘Computation, Technol-ogy and the new era of STEM’ will share experiences from his own career and explore how maths education can be made more relevant for its real world applications. Tuesday 10 February, 8:00PM

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PRO F ESSO R LEE C RO N I NPRO F ESSO R LEE C RO N I NPRO F ESSO R LEE C RO N I N

As Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and named as one of the EPSRC top 10 inspiring scientists and engineers in the UK in 2014, Pro-fessor Lee Cronin is one of the UK’s most exciting young researchers. His re-search is pioneering a new field of inorganic biology, constructing complex functional molecular architectures from non-biological building blocks and the potential of these to revolutionize modern technologies, with applications ranging from developing materials for solar fuel cells that effectively produc-es a liquid fuel suitable for transport use, to 3D-printing of drugs important for the developing world. His talk will reflect on the most important recent findings from his group, including making the first 3D printed electrochemi-cal device and finding a new method for hydrogen production for renewable energy. Tuesday 17 February, 8:00PM

PH I L I P C A M PB ELLPH I L I P C A M PB ELLPH I L I P C A M PB ELL

Dr Philip Campbell is the editor-in-chief of Nature, the world’s most cited journal. Originally a researcher of upper atmosphere physics, he joined Na-ture in 1979, became physical sciences editor in 1982 and was appointed edi-tor-in-chief in 1995. He heads a team of 90 editorial staff across the world, and has direct responsibility for Nature’s editorials and the long term quality of all Nature publications. From the experience of his long career in scientific publishing, he will discuss what makes a good story and the importance of good communication in research papers. Tuesday 3 March, 8:00PM

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S I R J O H N BA LLS I R J O H N BA LLS I R J O H N BA LL

Sir John Ball is a distinguished mathematician and the Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He is renowned for his work on elasticity theory and the mathematics of microstructure arising from phase transformations in solids, relating to calculus of variations, nonlinear partial differential equations and infinite-dimensional dynamical systems. Beyond his research, Sir John is a champion of international cooperation and the advancement of science and mathematics in developing countries, as a member of the Executive Board of the International Council for Science and the President of the International Mathematical Union from 2003-2006. Tuesday 24 February, 8:00PM

S I R SA LVA D O R M O NC A DAS I R SA LVA D O R M O NC A DAS I R SA LVA D O R M O NC A DA

Sir Salvador Moncada has made monumental contributions to pharmacology and medicine. He determined the mechanism of action of aspirin-like drugs and led the discovery of the enzyme thromboxane synthase and the vasodila-tor prostacyclin, thus laying the foundation for use of aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke. He identified nitric oxide as a biological mediator and es-tablished its significance in the cardiovascular system and nervous system. As Director of Research at the Wellcome Research Laboratories, he oversaw the discovery and development of many drugs now widely used, including lamotrigine (an anti-epileptic), atovaquone (an anti-malarial) and zomig (for migraine headaches), and initiated the work that resulted in the development of lapatinib for the treatment of breast cancer. Currently the Director of the Institute of Cancer Sciences at the University of Manchester and previously the Director of the UCL Wolfson Institute, Sir Salvador was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1988. In another chapter of an extraordinary career, he will discuss his most recent work in cell metabolism, which has led to the finding of the molecular mechanism that coordinates cell proliferation with the provision of metabolic substrates required for this process. Tuesday 10 March, 8:00PM

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All talks are in the Pharmacology Lecture Theatre on Tennis Court Road

Honorary Member: HRH The Duke of Kent

Patrons

Sir Paul Nurse PRS, Sir Aaron Klug OM FRS, Professor Antony Hewish FRS,

Professor Lord Martin Rees OM FRS, Sir Michael Atiyah OM FRS FRSE,

Sir Salvador Moncada FRS FRCP FRCS, Professor Heinz Wolff FRCP FRSA