Estranged Students Support Group (co-led by Underrepresented Student Support Team and Student Counselling and Mental Health Advice Service)
When? 25 February, 25 March, 29 April, 20 May, 1-2pm
Where? South Ken Campus, Chemistry Building, Level 8
What? A confidential space for students who are estranged from both parents to meet others in similar situations to share their experiences of studying without parental support.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/200486/estranged-students-support-group/
Our Advice Service and Working-Class Network are working collaboratively to ensure all students at Imperial College experiencing short term financial hardship have access to food banks across the UK.
If you’re struggling to afford food, especially given the current cost of living crisis, you can now reach out to our Advice Service who will be able to issue an e-voucher for your local The Trussell Trust food bank.
A typical food parcel may contain long life milk, pasta, tinned vegetables and fruit, tea or coffee, biscuits, and soup. If you cannot access your nearest food bank, delivery may be available although not guaranteed.
The Advice Service and Working-Class Network will also be able to signpost you to the relevant long term financial support services at Imperial College to help you get back on your feet. All requests are strictly confidential.
Please remember you are not alone and it’s okay to reach out for a bit of extra support – rising living costs are affecting students across the UK. We are here to ensure that you always have access to food and that you are not disadvantaged in your studies because of a lack of essentials.
How it works
President’s Address 2026
Join us on White City Campus for the annual President’s Address, delivered by Professor Hugh Brady, on Wednesday 11 March 2026 at 13.00
The Address will be followed by a lunch reception at The Works, Sir Michael Uren Hub.
|
We warmly invite you to attend the Imperial Fungal Science Network Seminar on
🗓️ Thursday 19th February, 12:00 – 13:00
📍 G47 Flowers Building, South Kensington Campus, Armstrong Road, London SW7 2AZ 3A on map
in-person (walk in; refreshments from 11:30am)
no registration required
|
Microsoft Teams Need help? Meeting ID: 337 087 815 982 04 Passcode: eg6Rc99x
>click here – live event info IFSN Seminar | 12noon Thurs 19 Feb | ECR Talks |
|
| Biotechnology and engineering
|
Louis Cohen (Stanley Lab, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London) “Mycorrhiza-on-a-chip” – developing microfluidic systems for studying root-fungal symbioses The relationship between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi is ancient and laid the foundation for terrestrial life on earth. Today, this relationship underpins agricultural yields and ecosystem stability. How individual mycorrhizal fungal hyphae initiate a symbiosis-specific response from plant hosts is still largely unknown. Microfluidic technology is a useful tool to engineer custom simplified microenvironments to monitor these pre-symbiotic interactions in real time, and gain insights into the mechanisms that drive symbiotic crosstalk.
|
|
| Pathogenesis of fungal diseases
|
Dr Lauren Dineen (Armstrong-James Lab, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London) Exploring tRNA diversity in yeast using machine learning and direct RNA sequencing approaches Up until recent decades, tRNA were thought to be passive molecules in translation. We now know that tRNA are important regulatory molecules that influence translation dynamics and other cellular processes. Despite leaps in the field, significant gaps in knowledge of fundamental tRNA biology remain. I will talk about my recent work focused on tRNA diversity within the Saccharomycotina yeast subphylum using both computational and direct RNA sequencing approaches.
|
|
| Ecology, evolution and the environment
|
Dr Marco Balducci (Savolainen Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London) Can symbiosis underpin local adaptation? Using metabarcoding and meta-transcriptomics, we examine how Howea palms and their arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities vary with host identity and soil environment. Metabarcoding reveals that AMF community composition is structured by both host species and habitat, while meta-transcriptomic analyses show coordinated shifts in fungal function, stress tolerance, and cross-kingdom gene co-expression across soils. Together, these patterns suggest that environmentally structured plant–microbiome interactions contribute to local adaptation in a natural system.
|
|
Imperial Fungal Science Network leadership team
Complete the REC Student Survey here
The survey should take less than 10 minutes and you have the chance to be entered in a prize draw for one of five £50 Love2Shop e-Gift cards which can be used in over 45 online high street shops.
The survey contains 20 multiple choice questions and is open to every student at Imperial, from all ethnicities. The more responses we receive, the better we can form a picture of how Imperial is supporting our students from Minority Ethnic backgrounds, where we can do better and what further initiatives we can explore in future.
The last REC Student Survey took place in 2019 and directly informed the launch of the Presidential scholarships for students of Black heritage, The Imperial as One Media Academy which delivers expert communications training for minority ethnic staff and students, the Shifting the Lens photo series inn partnership with the Royal College of Art. More information on many other projects Imperial has committed to as part of its race equality work, along with additional information is available on the REC Student Survey webpage.
Thank you in advance, your survey answers are very much appreciated and will help us shape a more equitable and inclusive university.
Library Services are excited to launch The Great Library Survey which is now open. This initiative is a key opportunity for us to hear directly from you – our users, whether you are a student or a member of staff.
Your insights are essential to our planning. This survey is your chance to tell us what works well, what could be improved, and what new services you would like to see.
The feedback we receive will directly shape our Library Services Strategic Plan, helping us continue to support excellence in learning, teaching, and research.
The survey will take about 10–15 minutes to complete. As a thank you for your time, you will have the option to enter a prize draw to win one of fifty £20 shopping vouchers. Additionally, for every response, Library Services will contribute to planting trees through the World Land Trust.
Help us shape your library’s future – complete The Great Library Survey now.
Looking for Imperial theses? Explore and download theses via the Library’s guide:
Stay updated with Spiral
How to subscribe (Imperial users)
dAIsy is Imperial’s new Generative AI platform, designed to give you safe, easy access to multiple AI models (such as GPT, Claude, Deepseek, and others) through a single interface.
dAIsy is built to support teaching, learning, and research while ensuring data protection and institutional compliance.
Why use dAIsy?
Imperial offers licensed AI models to promote equitable access and, alongside Microsoft Copilot, dAIsy supports our commitment to harnessing AI’s transformative potential responsibly and effectively.
Further support
Give your views on the workshops, groups, and courses currently on offer from the Student Counselling Mental Health Advice Service. Your feedback will help to ensure services are relevant, inclusive, and accessible to all students.
The team are especially interested in hearing from those of you who have not yet attended any sessions.
Complete the two-minute survey
Are you a researcher, engineer, or clinician working on or interested in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research? If you’re based at Imperial, Imperial NHS, or St Mark’s Hospital, we’re building an IBD research community to foster collaborations, support grant applications, and facilitate knowledge sharing and translation across all departments, career stages, and backgrounds.
Please take a moment to help us map this network by completing this short form: Join the IBD Research Community.
Save the Date for Our First Networking Event
📅 When: 24th April, 16:00
📍 Where: Hammersmith Campus
Let us know if you’ll be attending by filling out the form by 21st February, so we can secure the right venue size.