Early Career Researchers' Winter Symposium 2025 

3 December 2025, Durham University  

Free to attend 

Our 2025 ECR Symposium builds on the success of our ECR symposium and is a free, in-person, one-day event based at Durham University. It will bring together early career stage researchers (ECR), established academics and industrialists to explore the power of interdisciplinary life sciences research and foster new collaborations.

What is an ECR? 

For the BSI ECR group we include undergraduates, Masters, PhDs, PDRAs, Fellows and academics in the first few years of their first academic role. Although the symposium is organised by ECR for ECRs, attendees are welcome to attend from across all levels, from undergraduates to senior academics. The event will provide an opportunity to share and learn about fascinating discoveries within biomathematics, biophysics, biological chemistry, chemical biology and bioengineering.  

Submitting an Abstract 

Presentations at the symposium will include keynote lectures as well as ECR short talks, flash presentations and posters selected from abstracts. To submit an abstract or to register as an attendee, please complete the online registration form: https://forms.office.com/e/cQHTFSVZjH 

Symposium Timings

Location: John Snow, Durham University 

Start Time: 10 am (3 December 2025) 

End Time: 5.30 pm (3 December 2025) 

What is included: All refreshments and food during the symposium times. 

What is not included: Accommodation or travel (for attendees). 

Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/Eh8cRASS9b 

Past Symposia 

BSI ECR Winter Symposium 2024

The Early Career Researchers' Winter Symposium 2024, hosted at Durham University, marked an exciting event for the next generation of researchers at the boundaries of the life sciences and the other physical sciences. With over 50 attendees from eight institutions and companies, the one-day event focused on presenting cutting-edge research, and showcasing interdisciplinary discoveries from across biomathematics, biophysics, biological chemistry, chemical biology and bioengineering.

2023 ECR Symposium 

Our January 2023 symposium was the BSI’s first in-person ECR symposium. It attracted around 40 participants from across the UK and Europe, including the Universities of Padua, Amsterdam, Strathclyde, York and Sheffield.  The attendees were a mixture of PhD students (32), postdoctoral researchers (19) and others including undergraduates and PIs. 

The one-day event, held in St Mary's College, provided participants with an opportunity to get together and to share their physical biology research. It featured short talks, key-note talks and posters selected from abstracts by the ECR panel. 

Organising Committee

• Nathan Gavin
• Ruth McTiernan
• Will Trewby

The 2020 Symposium

Our very first research symposium was held at the end of July 2020. The symposium was held virtually and attracted more than 50 participants from 45 different institutions, 13 different countries and 3 continents. To mark the occasion the 2020 ECR Symposium’s keynote talk was the Howard Prize Lecture. This was given by Professor Silvia Marchesan (University of Trieste) “Heterochiral Peptide Assembly: Entry in Wonderland through the Looking-Glass” an Alice in Wonderland themed journey through peptide chemistry. Below is a screenshot of some of the symposium's attendees.