NMG Lunchtime Seminar Series: Focus on Biomaterials

 

You are invited to join us for our monthly virtual event where the focus will be on Biomaterials.

You will hear from

Lauren Eggleton

Doctoral Student, University of Sheffield

Trail Watch: Investigating Gastropod Mucus Trails Using Optical Profilometry

• Gastropods use a costly method of locomotion, known as adhesive locomotion, to successfully traverse a range of substrates by adapting the properties of a thin mucus layer.
• Traditional sample collection methods can disrupt the native mucus structure, so to investigate this system effectively a method for visualising the native deposition of gastropod mucus trails in situ is needed.
• Optical profilometry and video analysis can be used to uncover how animal behaviour impacts mucus structure and analysis of the dried trail topography provides insight into the true cost of adhesive locomotion.

Liz Lee 

CEO and Co-founder, Carbon Cell

Is Black the New Green? Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Functional Biochar-based Materials

• Liz Lee will share insights from her team's journey developing carbon-based foam materials from biochar – an ancient material poised to help with a modern problem, capable of covering up to 35% of the world's carbon removal needs necessary to meet climate mitigation targets.

 Julian Pietrzyk

Technical Consultant, MiAlgae

• As MiAlgae's Technical Consultant, Julian has been key to the development and scale-up of the company’s fermentation platform, guiding it from concept to commercial production.
• Since joining MiAlgae in 2018 after completing a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Edinburgh, he has co-developed the patented process that recycles whisky by-products to grow Omega-3-rich microalgae.
• Julian is also focused on expanding the biotech platform for alternative products, working closely with internal teams and external partners to scale fermentation and address the challenges of commercialisation.

Preliminary agenda

13:00 – Start and greetings
13:05 – Presentations
14:00 – General discussion
14.30 – Close