Our 2023-2024 Review report presents a summary of highlights, performance and achievements, celebrating the contributions our community has made to advancing our understanding of human biology and communicating and translating these findings to researchers, industry and the public.
As described in the Director’s welcome, 2023-2024 were milestone years. A key focus of 2023 was the Institute’s quinquennial review by our strategic funder BBSRC. After shaping our research focus over the next four years, research programme leads share their perspectives on the work ahead as research features, while summarising the current work ongoing in their respective research programmes in their research updates.
Additional spotlight features also introduce new faces to the Institute, such as Professor Kai-Michael Toellner, and reflect the rising prominence of a research focus on proteostasis and how the Institute is catalysing the development of a UK-wide network of researchers working on proteostasis across disciplines. The transformation of the Institute’s approach to public engagement is presented and a special moment is captured when former Director Richard Dyer reflects on Babraham past and present with Simon Cook.
You can browse the 2023-2024 report in the sections set out on Explore the 2023-2024, explore the full document using the reader below or download the PDF version in full. The downloadable pdf file includes the following accessibility features: alternative text for images and symbols, auto tagging, and a manually curated reading order to ensure that screen readers follow a logical reading order. If you have any questions about the report or feedback on how the accessibility of the report can be improved, please contact comms@babraham.ac.uk.
Joining a new organisation and building your research team during a pandemic isn’t ideal but new group leader Dr Ian McGough is pleased he’s found his niche, and gorgeous trail running routes, alongside a very warm welcome.
Dr Philipp Voigt joined the Institute in December 2021 to set up a new group in the Epigenetics programme. But on leaving school he wanted to teach maths and Latin. Here, he explains the biological conundrums he aims to answer – and why Latin grammar could yet come in handy.
Dr Arianne Richard talks about T cells, how knowing more about how they operate could open up new vaccines against viruses and new therapies for cancer, and why the Institute is the best place for her to tackle these questions.
Dr Della David reflects on her first 12 months at the Institute, reveals the roots of her own scientific curiosity, and explains how a tiny, transparent, short-lived worm is enabling her to discover new ways of promoting healthy ageing.
Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn talks about the challenges of studying early human development, his group’s groundbreaking discoveries, and why he believes the Human Development Biology Initiative – a five year, £10m project funded by Wellcome – will lead to a step change in the field.