Nicola Mingotti 
On Tuesday 20 May, 60 Year-4 children from our local primary school visited the Earth Sciences department. They explored different volcanic processes and new technologies for the energy transition in the IEEF Flow Labs, and discovered fossils from the chalk sea that covered Cambridge 90 million years ago at the Collections Research Centre.
Professor Ljiljana Fruk has been studying the design principles and biomedical applications of organic and hybrid nanomaterials. These can be used for real-time detection of senescent cells in the body. Large concentrations of senescent cells in an organ might be a precursor to cancer, and so detecting these cells in the body might help early
Parkinson’s disease is linked to the aggregation of the intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein (aSyn), but the precise triggers and mechanisms driving this process remain unclear. Local environmental factors, such as ion concentrations, can influence aSyn’s tendency to aggregate. A team of researchers including professor Alex Routh have explored how physiologically relevant ions, mainly Ca2+ and
On Saturday 17 May, alumni from the Department of Earth Sciences visited the Institute and the Bullard Laboratories. Professor Andy Woods presented some of the research which is currently being developed at the Institute, including work on carbon and hydrogen storage, CO2 dissolution in aquifers, and electrolysis. Andy also discussed our recent experiments on the
The coastal ocean is a highly dynamic and vital biogeochemical mediator between land and sea. Coastal waters frequently experience poor water quality: this is partly due to submarine groundwater discharges, in which polluted water is released at the bottom of the ocean. These discharges are relatively poorly understood, and research is ongoing to characterise them.
During the first seminar of Easter term, PhD student Dan Toy presented his recent work on building ventilation. Over the last few years, Dan has been studying how the temperature profile in a room with displacement ventilation evolves when the ventilation rate is increased. He ran laboratory experiments, which showed that a layer of hot
Dr Quentin Kriaa is joining the Institute as a new Assistant Professor in Climate and Environmental Fluid Dynamics, a joint position between the Department of Earth Sciences and DAMTP. Before coming to Cambridge, Quentin studied in Marseille and Toulouse, France, and then worked as a postdoc at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands. Quentin
Professor Alex Routh has recently been awarded the Thomas Graham Lecture. The Graham Lecture is awarded to researchers working in the UK, who are in the prime of their research careers, have established an international reputation in colloid science, and have already made distinguished contributions to the field of colloid science. On Tuesday 1st April,
On Friday 21 March 2025, professor Andy Woods returned from a 2-day visit to the Japan Academy. The visit was organised with the Royal Society to discuss issues relating to the energy transition, with particular focus on hydrogen generation, use and storage and carbon capture and storage. The visit included discussions of the research being
Microencapsulation is used across multiple industrial sectors to immobilise fragrances, flavours, and bioactive compounds. It offers numerous advantages, including enhanced stability and prolonged shelf life of the product, which is safeguarded from harsh environments, pH fluctuations and ultra-violet (UV) radiation. Synthetic materials like polyurethane, polyurea, and polystyrene have emerged as popular choices for microcapsule shells