Division of Biosciences Staff Meeting Wednesday 4 th July 2018 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Division of Biosciences Staff Meeting Wednesday 4 th July 2018 3.30-5.00pm AV Hill Lecture Theatre Agenda State of the Division Frances Brodsky, Director Divisional Manager Update David Meech Mazumdar, Divisional Manager Update from
‘State of the Division’ Frances Brodsky, Director Divisional Manager Update David Meech Mazumdar, Divisional Manager Update from the Research Departments GEE – Andrew Pomiankowski SMB – Finn Werner CDB – David Whitmore NPP – Trevor Smart Education Update Andrea Townsend-Nicholson P Block & BSU Sandrine Géranton Director’s Q&A Frances Brodsky
Ongoing Recruitment and New Appointments
(GEE/CLOE)
Promotions and re-banding for 2018 still in progress
All employees are entitled to:
harassment or victimization
www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/equality-diversity-inclusion/dignity-work
Principal themes
Key enablers
www.ucl.ac.uk/2034/
Welcome to the Division/New Appointments
Recruitment
Steve Jones ZSL Silver Medal Richard Pearson ZSL Scientific Medal Francois Balloux Group (Science Paper) Recent Asian origin of chytrid fungi causing global amphibian declines Mark Thomas Group (BBC Extravaganza) Revealface of Cheddar Man Seirian Sumner Group (Nature Paper) Altruism in a volatile world
Pomiankowski & Fowler – NERC £792k Mate choice and meiotic drive Tim Newbold – NERC £745k Biodiversity change and agriculture Telford & Yang – BBSRC £425k Deep coalescence in ancient radiations Nazif Alic – BBSRC £524k Lifespan and insulin-like signalling Jurg Bahler – BBSRC £518k Cellular ageing & non-coding RNAs Linda Partridge – Alzheimers Research £420k Lane & Reuter – BBSRC £950k Mitochondria flux generator Max Telford – Leverhulme £190k Deep homology of spiral cleavage Duncan Greig – Leverhulme £200k Yeast speciation genes
Professor Sam Berry 1934-2018 Dr Ben Collen 1978-2018
Division of Biosciences Staff meeting July 4th, 2018
Finn Werner
Deputy HoRD SMB
Evolution of our department
Department
Biochemistry (-2006)
David Saggerson
Institute and Research Department
Structural and Molecular Biology* (2007-2019)
Gabriel Waksman
Institute or Centre (in planning phase!)
Mechanisms of Molecular Machines (2019-)
active search successor
*currently 34 Pis [13f:21m]
Broad portfolio of research activities beyond structural biology
RNA regulation Signal transduction Metal metabolism Bioremediation Cancer Membrane shape Endo/exocytosis Stress responses Structural immunology Epigenetic markers Antibodies Redox processes Secretion Algae and biotech Bio-orthogonal and synthetic biology
Multidisciplinary and Multiscalar analyses
Healthy research income… Grant income in 2017/2018: £9,367,038
Provided by project grants >100K including Lisa Cabrita (140K, Alpha-1 foundation) Flemming Hansen (210K, BBSRC) Matilda Katan (620K, MRC) Christine Orengo (725K, BBSRC) Saul Purton (890K, BBSRC) Kostas Thalassinos (705K, Wellcome*) Giuilia Zanetti (100K, Acad Med Sci)
* out of £2.6M in total
Contributed by program grants
Andres Ramos
MRC programme £1.6M ‘Molecular mechanisms regulating mRNA transport and local translation in neurons'
Finn Werner
Wellcome Investigator £2.1M ‘Mechanisms and regulation of RNAP’
John Christodoulou
Wellcome Investigator £2.1M ‘Integrative structural biology of protein folding’
Technical capabilities
general purpose biochemistry, chromatography and detection
two analytical ultracentrifuges (AUC), one with fluorescent detection [one of the best AUC setups in the UK], BIAcore, dual polarisation interferometry
800 MHz TXI, 700 MHz, 600 and 500 MHz with cryogenic probes
Brickbeck College) Titan Krios 300kV microscope (K2 and Falcon III detectors), Polara 300kV microscope (DE20 and K2 detectors) and T10/12/F20 microscopes
Publications
the plasma membrane for Fast Endophilin-Mediated Endocytosis’ in Nature Cell Biology
Tra1 at 3.7 angstrom resolution’ in eLife
Recognition and Additional Roles for Cdc37 in Hsp90 Chaperone System’ in Structure
to the Type 4B secretion system’ Nature Communications
Molecular Basis of DNA Unwinding during Bacterial Conjugation’ Cell
RNA polymerase inhibitor’ Nature Communications
recruitment to archaeal RNA polymerase’ Nature Microbiology
SMB scientists published 80+ research articles in 2017/2018
Recognition
ELIXIR European Core Resource (there are only 3!)
SMB–led wider initiatives
MICROBIOLOGY@UCL
London RNA Club
London Metabolism Club
International Association for Cellular Coenzymes
http://www.ccpsas.org Collaborative Computational Project in Small Angle Scattering
Meetings and symposia
‘…to celebrate the wonders of the microbial world and the diversity of microbiology research at UCL’
‘…to promote basic and applied research on cellular coenzymes in health and disease’
‘…to showcase multi-disciplinary research in structural, computational and chemical biology’
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/food- metabolism-society/microbiology-ucl/symposium
Tom Blundell, UK and Birte Höcker, Germany
Kenneth Holmes, Germany and Eva Nogales, USA
Jody Puglisi, USA and Petra Schwille, Germany
Andrea Musacchio and Friedrich Förster, Germany
Jill Banfield
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/food- metabolism-society/events\iacc-ymposium http://www.ismb.lon.ac.uk/2018/06/15/18-19june2018/
Outreach and Public engagement
themselves in virtual reality. Embracing immersive content will aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together'
Festival: ‘Building a Virtual Human. CompBioMed shows the promise of supercomputer-facilitated personalised medicine’
[funded by H2020]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZrAaDsfBYY
Awards, Prizes and Honours
Hoppel Prize for Outstanding Contributions in Mitochondrial Research
Order of Australia
New recruits:
Retirements:
Funding achievements
million.
Chris Barnes – ERC. Chris Barnes – Wellcome Trust Saverio Tedesco - ERC Claudio Stern – Wellcome Trust Roberto Major – BBSRC Arantza Barrios – Wellcome Trust Vil Fernandes– Wellcome Trust Sandrine Geranton-Brain Research UK
David Attwell elected member of
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Academy, founded in 1857, is a non-governmental, nationwide body which embraces all fields of learning. Its main purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway
Tony Dickenson awarded Honorary Membership of
the International Association for the Study of Pain Highest accolade Outstanding contributions to this field of study as well as service to the IASP Awarded at the World Pain Congress in Boston (Sept)
Marco Beato Lecturer - Optical imaging and electrophysiological recordings in neuroscience’ course, Paris, France 11th meeting of the International MotoNeuron Society, Boulder, Max Delbruck Center, Berlin Lecturer - Cell Physiology Workshop, Plymouth, UK Tony Dickenson World Osteoarthrtis Congress, plenary Liverpool World Institute of Pain, Pat Wall lecture, Dublin South African Pain Congress, Johannesburg plenary Pain Therapeutics Conference, lecture and chair, Sicily Pain Expert Nordics Congress, plenary, Stockholm Spinal drugs and patient therapy meeting, two lectures, Barcelona Forum Futoro, lecture, Lisbon June Annette Dolphin Chair European calcium channel conference Alpbach Austria Sophion Ion Channel meeting Cambridge. BPS sponsored symposium at the World Congress of Pharmacology in Kyoto.
Maria Fitzgerald Pain Mechanisms and Therapeutics Conference Sicily Tara Keck Seminar Weizmann Institute, Seminar Edinburgh University Neil Millar Seminars at Universities in Beijing, Nanjing and Wuhan. Paola Pedarzani Seminar Anatomical Neuropharmacology and Drug Discovery Seminars, University of Oxford University Grants Committee, Hong Kong Trevor Smart Keynote plenary, & meeting overview on GABA receptors Schaffhausen Switzerland Keynote speaker, Boston, SAGE therapeutics Stefan Trapp Speaker at Neuroscience of Obesity Symposium Aberdeen Paola Vergani Speaker 41st European Cystic Fibrosis Society Meeting, Belgrade
Marco Beato Beyond the neuromuscular junction: dysfunction of spinal synaptic targets
MRC £577,469 Frances Edwards Gene expression throughout development of pathology in APPKI mice Cure Alzheimer's Fund 137,232 Francesca Cacucci Sensation to Cognition: Vestibular Integration and Directional Navigation BBSRC £471,157 Guy Moss New tools in the fight against cystic fibrosis CFF Cystic Fibrosis Foundation £103,087 Maria Fitzgerald Nociception and pain in the developing rodent cortex BBSRC £539,579
Academic Session 2017-2018
All undergraduate Exam Boards have met and marks have been uploaded to Portico - Congratulations to all!!! Late Summer Assessments: deferrals and resits 23 July: timetable published 20 August to 7 September: LSA period (managed by SRS) 14 September: LSA marks to be in Portico 28 September: sub boards confirm UG awards relating to LSAs on Portico (virtual, minimum of Chair + 1 internal examiner/subject)
UK Visa and Immigration UCL-wide visit May 2018
Staff audit passed Student audit not passed but not failed- being processed at Home Office in Sheffield Potential for second audit with up to 17% of students audited (up to 2000) Auditor indicated that once weekly face-to-face academic engagement should be sufficient This will place an additional burden - we are working on the detail but compliance is a statutory matter and is vital for UCL’s future
Subject-level TEF- coming 2019-20
Currently being piloted (not UCL, results 2019) with two models Model A: University gets a rating then subjects that deviate from that initial rating are additionally assessed Model B: All subjects assessed and UCL receives a weighted rating In both models- all 35 subjects get a bronze, silver or gold rating Submissions from 7 groupings Detail is being worked out- Biosciences contributed to government consultation via Royal Society of Biology
Initial estimates are Silver for Biosciences - devil in details yet to be worked out
New and Exciting: for 2018-19
Academic Model Project: how data are structured and linked in Portico new module codes: e.g. BIOL1002, BIOL1002A BIOL0001 New Moodle: Migration from July to September 2018 To align with new module codes, be GDPR-compliant and ‘buffed’ Assisted migration: “lift & shift”, “fresh start” or “just drop it” Lecturecast: bookings starting 01 August 2018, recordings start 27 August 2018 To align with AMP & Moodle and linked with SITS, CMIS & UPI System Will be an ‘activity’ in new Moodle (no Connector Block) LC bookings never rollover in the way that Room Bookings requests do
Outreach Activities
Academic Lead: Yoshiyuki Yamamoto Coordinator: Josephine McNally Proposed major activities via UCL Widening Participation team (they have a budget and track student progress) Website being redesigned to populate other activities across the Division We shall be asking for information about staff activities for the website
Outreach Activities: Year 8 Sutton Scholars Programme (May 2018). Over 100 pupils attended a structured Biology Day based around discussing research on ageing, obesity, plastic pollution and cell migration Plan to bring back Summer School activities for 2018-19
Thanks to Miroslava Katsur, Paola Handal Marquez, Charmian Dawson, Chih-Yao Chung, Adam Britton, Jessica Williams, Maryam Clark and Laila Al-Khatib for their efforts
Other news:
FLS BME Attainment Lead: Charmian Dawson (SMB) Congratulations to Les Dale, Tom Hawkins, Pam Houston, Margaret Mayston, Julie Pitcher, Nidhi Rathod, Richard Tunwell and Talvinder Sihra for Provost’s Education Team award Congratulations to Kathryn Ball, Pam Houston and Richard Tunwell for FLS Education Award
Time line
central breeding facility at Clare Hall, South Mimms, known as P Block
CCTech, to understand PPLh needs
following the consultation to improve services provided by Biological Services
with experienced staff in place
update on progress and FAQs. Biological Services strategic working group
Chair: Geraint Rees
Academic Chair: Maria Fitzgerald m.fitzgerald@ucl.ac.uk Academic Chair: Sandrine Géranton s.geranton@ucl.ac.uk Academic Chair: Ben Seddon benedict.seddon@ucl.ac.uk
Posted online on BS website:
Block
unique)
help with grant costings
researchers’ grant costings before submission
Starting later on this year, an external finance consulting team will fully review the financial structure of BSUs.
4 (out of 42) recommendations from CCTech report directly related to pricing/charging A2 – Transparency of charges A3 – The need for an improved charging structure A4 – The effect of P Block UCL must guarantee to all PPLhs that the introduction of P Block will not cause any increase of the net project charges that users would have received prior to the acquisition of P Block. A5 – Supporting grant applications
SAG
LAMIS group
2017
compare LAMIS with other available software (report recently received)
This programme of work is now underway to address 2 more of the recommendations from the consultation report: RECOMMENDATION B1 - BSU Rationalisation planning
Biological Services management should take the opportunity presented by the advent of P Block, and the movement of many breeding colonies out of on-campus BSUs, to consider the rationalisation possibilities created by these changes.
RECOMMENDATION B2 – Scoping the role of each BSU
The Project outlined below should be implemented. This will allow UCL to make informed and sustainable decisions on the investment needed to meet the needs and long term strategy of its biomedical research.
Review of UCL’s BSUs and designated rooms/spaces
Review of UCL’s BSUs and designated rooms/spaces
room owners)
consultants (30-60 minute meeting)
decisions on the investment needed to meet the needs and long term strategy of Biomedical Research at UCL.
Please ensure that you make time to fill out the survey and meet with CCTech! You can shape the future of your BSU(s) and designated spaces!