Written by Tina Lavithi, MSc Bioscience Futures student 2024/25
Student-led event showcases MSc Bioscience Futures programme and the next generation of biotech leaders.
Organised by the first MSc Bioscience Futures cohort on 11 March 2025, the inaugural Bioscience Futures Network Symposium at the Royal College of Science Building, Imperial College London marked the launch of a new cross-sector network aiming to connect bioscience research with industry, policy, and public health.
With the theme “Sustainability and Resilience in Bioscience Futures” focusing on “Innovating for Impact: AI-Driven Biotech for a Healthier World”, the symposium brought together 40+ attendees – including researchers and industry professionals from the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), NVIDIA, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to name a few. Featuring five sessions (both expert- and student-led), the symposium shed light on how AI can transform the future of biosciences.
Supported by the NHLI, MSc Bioscience Futures students collaborated across Imperial, engaging with the Imperial Policy Forum, Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication, Centre for Environmental Policy, School of Public Health, and the Enterprise Lab to bring the symposium to life.
Why does it matter? Rooted in Imperial’s mission of Science for Humanity, the symposium highlighted the MSc Bioscience Futures programme’s unique approach to postgraduate education. With 100% of attendees interested in future events, the Network, which will continue through future cohorts and alumni, is set to become a catalyst for impact at the interface of AI, health and society, fostering interconnectedness.
The student-led panel, voted “most impactful” by 50% of attendees in the post-symposium evaluation, uncovered the intersection of ethics, equity and innovation following the evaluation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Sustainability: The Golden Thread through MSc Bioscience Futures
From left: Junwon Hwang, Tina Lavithi, Anne Burke-Gaffney, Michael Weatherburn, Blerina Ahmetaj-Shala and Mark Pope at the Festival of Teaching and Learning 2025 at Imperial College London.
At the Festival of Teaching and Learning 2025, the session “Sustainability: The golden thread through the MSc Bioscience Futures” showcased how sustainability is embedded throughout the programme’s design and delivery.
Course Co-Director Dr. Anne Burke-Gaffney opened the session by introducing the MSc Bioscience Futures: Communication, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, highlighting its commitment to sustainability as a core element. She was joined by Dr. Blerina Ahmetaj-Shala, Dr. Mark Pope and Dr. Michael Weatherburn, who shared how interdisciplinary collaboration shapes the course’s innovative teaching approach.
Two current students reflected on how the programme has transformed their understanding of sustainability, inspiring them to apply it creatively across diverse contexts.
The session underscored the power of collaborative, future-focused education to equip the next generation of bioscience leaders.
To learn more about the postgraduate programmes offered by the National Heart and Lung Institute, please visit our Postgraduate taught website.