QMUL Faculty of Science and Engineering News

Why averages fail for bacteria in the open ocean

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0100

How can bacteria that forage on organic particles survive in vast ocean regions where such particles are extremely sparse? A new study by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and ETH Zurich shows that variability at the level of individual bacteria plays a central role. Using a probabilistic population model linking mathematics and microbiology, the team demonstrates that rare, high-impact encounters sustain bacterial populations even when average conditions suggest decline. Sinking organic particles, often called "marine snow", transport carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, accounting for roughly half of the ocean's total organic carbon export. As these particles sink, bacteria colonise and degrade them, influencing how much carbon ultimately reaches the deep ocean. For bacteria that rely on these organic particles, the open ocean presents a major challenge. After leaving one particle, they may spend long periods searching for the next one. Reasoning based on average encounter times has long suggested that this "particle hopping" strategy should rarely succeed, as most individual bacteria would exhaust their energy before reaching another particle. When averages fall short To probe this paradox more deeply, the research team combined environmental microbiology with stochastic modelling to derive a generalized branching-process model of bacterial foraging. Rather than relying on average encounter rates, the model represents the distribution of search times and particle interaction outcomes, including rare rapid encounters with large particles that generate many offspring. Although such encounters are infrequent, their outsized contribution can reverse what averages would predict for population growth. The authors describe this effect as "stochastic resilience". The results indicate that variability allows motile, particle-foraging bacteria to persist across a much broader range of marine environments than average-based reasoning would suggest, including parts of the open ocean and deep (bathypelagic) waters. Crucially, this persistence does not require bacteria to endure years-long periods of starvation. While many individuals fail to find another particle, a small number succeed quickly and generate enough offspring to sustain the population. Variability that shapes ocean-scale processes It is still difficult for ocean scientists to connect tiny microbial behaviours, such as movement or attachment to particles, to the much larger ecological and chemical processes in the ocean. Large-scale models necessarily describe microbial dynamics in terms of aggregate or average rates. Yet variability and rare events can influence population-level outcomes in ways that mean behaviour alone does not capture. By combining mathematical theory with environmental microbiology, this study shows how probabilistic frameworks can make those effects explicit. Sinking particles form the backbone of the ocean's biological carbon pump, transporting organic matter toward the deep sea. As bacteria colonize and degrade these particles, they influence how much carbon is respired back to CO₂ and how much continues downward. By highlighting encounter variability, the study suggests that models based solely on average rates may underestimate microbial contributions to carbon export. Dr Natasha Blitvic, Reader in Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary, said: "It's counterintuitive that populations can persist when most individual searches fail. Rare rapid encounters make the difference, but you only see that when you step away from averages and think probabilistically. Bringing mathematics and marine microbiology together made that perspective possible." Professor Roman Stocker, Head of the Environmental Microfluidics Lab at ETH Zurich, added: "We have investigated the movement behaviour of marine bacteria quite extensively to date, but it was only thanks to the mathematical framework that Natasha and Vicente contributed that we were together finally able to scale up the effect of that behaviour from single cells to the ocean ecosystem and thereby demonstrate that the probabilistic nature of that behaviour is a key ingredient in understanding microbial foraging strategies and ultimately the important ecological and biogeochemical processes they underpin". Stochastic resilience enables particle foraging in oligotrophic marine environments, published on PNAS can be viewed here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2508238123

Three women leading research in Science and Engineering

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0100

To mark International Women's Day, we spotlight three women leading research in Science and Engineering. Meet Silvia Liverani (Head of the Centre for Probability, Statistics and Data Science) Mona Jaber (Head of the Centre for Networks, Communications, and Systems) and Ana Sobrido (Head of the Centre for Centre for Sustainable Engineering). Silvia Liverani I love uncovering the structure hidden in messy data using statistical models to find those patterns. My research focuses on developing advanced statistical methods for complex datasets, and one aspect I really enjoy is that I get to collaborate with researchers in other fields, including biologists, psychologists, clinicians, etc. I have been the Head of the Centre in Probability, Statistics and Data Science since 2023. The Centre is an exciting group of academics, PDRAs and PhD students, spanning from pure mathematics to applied statistics and image processing. Mona Jaber As a child, I was fascinated by how engineering could solve real-world problems and I knew then that I wanted to be an engineer. That early curiosity has grown into a lifelong passion that now drives my research in artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies, accelerating our progress toward more sustainable urban environments. Today, as Head of the Centre for Networks, Communications, and Systems, I have the privilege of working alongside exceptional colleagues on truly inspiring projects. What excites me most is not only the individual breakthroughs, but the possibility of bringing these innovations together, connecting ideas, systems, and disciplines, to then help shape a more sustainable future. Ana Sobrido My love for science started as a kid in school, when watching chemical reactions unfold felt like witnessing magic, sparking a curiosity to understand the hidden rules behind them. This led me to pursue a career in Chemistry where I developed a particular interest in materials for energy. My research pioneers sustainable materials and innovative manufacturing approaches to enable the next generation of energy storage and conversion technologies, helping accelerate the transition to a more resilient and low-carbon future. As Head of the Centre for Sustainable Engineering, I am excited about building on strong existing foundations to address the most pressing sustainability challenges. I look forward to working with fantastic colleagues, driving innovation and impactful research and excellence in teaching and learning, while fostering an open, inclusive, and inspiring environment for all.

Meet one of our academics: Stefaan Verbruggen

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0100

I am a lecturer in Medical Technology and a member of the Centre for Bioengineering at Queen Mary University of London. My research focuses on biomechanics and organ-on-a-chip technologies, particularly how mechanical forces influence musculoskeletal health and disease. My work sits at the intersection of biomechanics, mechanobiology and advanced in vitro modelling. I develop microphysiological systems and organ-on-a-chip platforms that allow us to model human joints, tendons and cartilage in the laboratory. I am especially interested in how cells sense and respond to mechanical loading, and whether we can model joint ageing in a controlled, predictive way. A key question in my research is whether ageing and degeneration are predetermined or whether they can be influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors. Ultimately, I want to build better, more human-relevant models that reduce reliance on animal experiments and accelerate the development of new therapies for musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis. I have always been fascinated by how physical forces shape biology. The musculoskeletal system is a perfect example of this: our bones, cartilage and tendons are constantly adapting to the loads we place on them. Bioengineering allows me to combine engineering principles with biology to answer fundamental questions about health and disease, and to translate those answers into technologies that can have real clinical impact. For me, scientific excellence and inclusive culture are inseparable. Diverse perspectives make research stronger, more creative and more impactful. I lead Pride@ORS within the Orthopaedic Research Society (the world's largest orthopaedic research society) where I work to increase visibility and foster community for LGBTQ+ researchers in orthopaedics. I also serve on the EDI panels of the UK Biomedical Engineering Society and the European Society of Biomechanics, and I am an academic representative on the SEMS EDI Committee at Queen Mary. Through these roles, I advocate for equitable practices, inclusive leadership and meaningful structural change. Creating environments where everyone feels they belong is not separate from research, it is fundamental to doing research well. I enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of our community and the opportunity to mentor students and early-career researchers from diverse backgrounds. Watching students grow in confidence, scientifically and personally, is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. At Queen Mary, I feel part of a community that values both research excellence and social responsibility, and that balance is very important to me.

QMUL Researchers Help Advance Practical Quantum Computing with New Low-Depth Algorithms

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0100

A new study published in Science Advances presents a major step forward in the development of quantum algorithms that are more accurate, more efficient, and better suited to the capabilities of early quantum computers. The research from Queen Mary University of London focuses on improving the way quantum computers calculate the fundamental properties of quantum systems—known as eigenstates. These calculations are essential for progress in fields such as chemistry, materials science, and physics, where understanding how particles behave at the quantum level can lead to breakthroughs ranging from new medicines to advanced materials. Traditional quantum algorithms can be highly demanding: they often require deep, complex circuits and large numbers of qubits, making them difficult to run on today's noisy or early fault‑tolerant quantum hardware. The team behind this new work addresses these challenges by designing high‑precision algorithms that significantly reduce circuit depth and minimise the number of difficult controlled operations, making them far more practical for current and near‑future machines. A key innovation explored in the study is the use of randomised linear-combination-of-unitaries technique for realising general quantum operations. This approach allows an efficient implementation of spectral filtering—a technique that allows the quantum computer to 'filter out' the information it needs with high precision. Combined with advanced quantum dynamics simulation methods, the approach lets researchers estimate properties like ground‑state or excited-state energy with near‑optimal efficiency, all while keeping hardware demands low. The work offers rigorous theoretical guarantees and detailed analysis of how these algorithms perform, demonstrating advantages over existing methods. Crucially, the work provides concrete resource estimates for both noisy quantum devices and early fault-tolerant quantum devices. This offers a realistic roadmap for quantum usefulness. With quantum technologies progressing quickly, these findings bring the scientific community a step closer to real‑world quantum simulations that could transform multiple research fields. This advancement highlights the growing impact of quantum algorithm research and its crucial role in unlocking the potential of emerging quantum hardware. This work is led by Dr Jinzhao Sun at the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary, in collaboration with academics at Imperial College, University of Cambridge, and University and Chicago. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb1622

Queen Mary Spinout Dragonfly AI Secures £5m to Accelerate Global Growth

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Queen Mary University of London is celebrating the success of its spinout company Dragonfly AI, which has secured £5 million in new investment to fuel its next phase of international expansion and product innovation. Dragonfly AI, co-founded by Dr Hamit Soyel, Chief Scientist and inventor of the underlying technology, has rapidly become a market leader in predictive visual analytics. The technology is rooted in neuroscience research carried out at Queen Mary, where Dr Soyel and colleagues developed a biological algorithm that predicts human attention in real time. Today, the platform is used by major global brands including Nestlé, Coca-Cola and L'Oréal to optimise the performance of their creative content across digital, in‑store, and omnichannel environments. Speaking about the company's continued success, Dr Soyel said: "Marketing teams compete for three things: attention, emotion and memory. Dragonfly AI is built on a biological algorithm we developed at Queen Mary University of London which allows global brands like Nestlé, Coca‑Cola and L'Oréal to optimise their creative performance across digital, in‑store, and omnichannel environments." He added: "Our science‑led approach can predict how people will see, feel, and remember creative content before it goes live. Crucially, because we rely on neuroscience and not training data, we can avoid the biases which plague many generative AI models. It's why we're trusted by some of the most valuable brands." The new £5m investment—led by 24Haymarket with participation from Guinness Ventures, Foresight for Growing Companies, and others—will enable Dragonfly AI to expand globally and further strengthen its product suite.

Queen Mary Astronomy Unit awarded £1.5 million for astrophysics and space science research

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Researchers in the Astronomy Unit (AU), in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary, have been awarded a total of £1.5 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to fund 3 research projects over the next 3 years. The research grants cover Queen Mary's internationally leading research in space plasma physics, planetary science, and cosmology and will support 3 postdoctoral researchers and 4 academic staff in the AU. The funded projects are: a project, led by Dr Christopher Chen (PI), Dr Heli Hietala (Co-I), and Dr Davide Manzini (RIA), to understand how multi-scale plasma processes in near-Earth space work together to shape the energy transfer and control the dynamics in this key environment. a project, led by Dr David Mulryne (PI) and Dr Laura Iacconi (RIA), to connect inflationary cosmology to observations on all scales by confronting the interplay between predictions for large-scale structure observations and small-scale gravitational waves and primordial black holes. a project, led by Prof Richard Nelson (PI) and Dr Eleftheria Sarafidou (RIA) to investigate how planets interact with the protoplanetary discs in which they are born during the epoch of planet formation. This project is an essential step in understanding what determines the architectures of planetary systems and will play a central role in comparing the predictions of models of planet formation with forthcoming discoveries of exoplanet systems. In a funding round that was particularly competitive this year, this is a significant achievement that reflects Queen Mary's leading Astronomy research.

Claudia Garetto receives Suffrage Science Award for Maths and Computing

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Many congratultons to Claudia Garetto who has been awarded the 2026 Suffrage Science Award for Maths and Computing, a prestigious peer-to-peer award recognising outstanding women in science for both research excellence and their commitment to inspiring others. The Suffrage Science Awards are unique in their format and ethos: each recipient nominates another woman to receive an heirloom award, creating a growing network of inspiring and supportive women across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The nomination says "Professor Claudia Garetto is a leading scholar in Partial Differential Equations and Mathematical Analysis. Claudia has shaped the field with clarity, depth, and originality, inspiring colleagues and students to think boldly and rigorously. [...] This award celebrates not only her scholarly achievements but her tireless efforts to make the mathematical sciences community more equitable, vibrant, and welcoming".

Meet one of our academics: Nadine Lavan

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Centre for Brain and Behaviour, where I study how humans perceive voices. Human voices don't just tell us what someone is saying, voices also convey a lot of information about a speaker's intentions, feelings, and attitudes. Crucially, voices also help us make sense of who we are talking to. My research tackles questions such as: - How do we form first impressions from a voice within a fraction of a second and what shapes these impressions? - How do we become familiar with a voice, and what changes in our perception as we get more familiar? - How do we recognise someone purely from the sound of their voice? This work has become especially exciting in the era of rapidly advancing voice technology and AI voice synthesis. Alongside studying human voices, I now also get to investigate how people perceive increasingly realistic AI‑generated voices, and what it means for our interactions (be they human-to-human or human-computer interactions), when AI-generated voices and content become part of our everyday lives. One of my recent papers can be found here. Beyond my research, I am an EDI co‑lead for the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences. With LGBTQ+ History Month approaching and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I am always impressed with the university's a busy programme of events for both LGBTQ+ History Month and Pride Month. The kinds of events and QMUL's commitment to push forward important policies, including QMUL's trans‑inclusion statement, help make the university a supportive place for all

Meet one of our PhD students: Daniel Gill

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

To celebrate Disabilty History Month we introduce one of our PhD students: Daniel Gill. "I am a PhD Student primarily based in the Cognitive Science Research Group within the School of Electronical Engineering and Computer Science, though I am also associated with the Centre for Brain and Behaviour. My own research spans a few areas, specifically robotics, psychology, and human-computer interaction. Through a robotic interface, I am investigating how adults perceive, process, and combine different sensory inputs to create a motor output. I'm doing this specifically with autistic individuals whose sensory experiences and processing may be different in various ways. For example, when humans perceive the world, they do so by predicting what they expect to sense next based on what they've just sensed, and their own knowledge of how the world operates. In autistic people, it is theorised that they rely less on their prior knowledge of how the world works, but more on their current sensory information (see Predictive Coding in Autism) - this might mean that autistic people are more "in the moment" which could impact task performance in specific ways which we aim to test. I'm also autistic myself, meaning this research and work is very close to my heart, and drives me to work with neurodivergent people and other stakeholders to ensure that the aims of this research are in line with the desires of this population. As part of this goal, I co-run a network called MINDS (Mutual Inclusion through Neurodiversity in Science) which aims to bring together neurodivergent people, researchers, and neurodivergent researchers to discuss how we can include neurodivergent voices in research. I also try and share my work with neurodivergent non-academics who wouldn't otherwise see it through public engagement activities, including doing science-themed stand-up comedy, and via blogs/podcasts. I also support disabled and neurodivergent students here at QM as president of the Society for Neurodivergent and Disabled Students (SANDS). To celebrate Disability History Month, we're hosting an event to highlight the work and experiences of disabled and neurodivergent PGR students, to which I'd like to extend an invite to anyone reading this (including non-PGRs - everyone is welcome!). More info here."

Musician Will Young visits Queen Mary to explore alternatives to Animal Testing

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

A group of high-profile guests visited Queen Mary's Centre for Predictive In Vitro Models on Tuesday 11th November, to explore the university's cutting-edge organ-on-a-chip facilities. The delegation included musician and animal advocate Will Young, a Director and Toxicologist from Lush cosmetics, and representatives from the charity Animal Aid. The group took part in presentations and workshops showcasing how organ-on-a-chip technology has the potential to revolutionise personalised medicine, speed up drug discovery, and significantly reduce the need for animals in scientific research. Professor Martin Knight led hands-on demonstrations of the technology in action, assisted by post-doctoral researchers, who showed the group commercial organ-chip platforms from Emulate, CN Bio and Mimetas, which are used for different applications. The visitors enjoyed pipetting into the chips and learning about how the different models work to mimic the environment of the human body. Organ-on-a-chip innovations have the potential to revolutionise treatments for cancers, heart, liver and kidney diseases, and much more. The visit took place on the day the Government announced a new strategy to reduce the use of animals in science, which names organ-on-a-chip technology as a priority area for future investment. Professor Hazel Screen, Head of the School of Engineering and Materials Science, said: "It was incredibly exciting to host the visit on the day the new strategy was announced, and we're equally excited to continue sharing our understanding of this technology with a wide range of stakeholders." Speaking at the visit, Karl Bygrave, Director at Lush, said: "Given that the Government announced its strategy for phasing out animal testing today, it was an amazing time to be here to see new models being developed, and the future of non-animal labs." "This technology is very exciting for Lush, what we're seeing is the future. As a cosmetics manufacturer, this technology will filter down to us, and in a number of years we will be using this for our own purposes, to check the safety of our products." Will Young said: "I feel very excited about the future. The aim is to have better science, better medicine and no abuse to animals – and today has shown me that that's possible." Queen Mary has recently launched the world's first taught master's degree in organ-on-a-chip technology, along with a Centre for Doctoral Training that will equip the next generation of specialists in the field. The university's organ-on-a-chip research is carried out in close collaboration with more than 150 affiliate organisations across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and regulatory sectors, ensuring that the technologies developed directly address industry needs.

Queen Mary Bioengineers provides expert comment on new Government strategy

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Bioengineers at Queen Mary University of London, have provided expert comment to the BBC about the new alternatives strategy launched today (11 November) by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Watch Queen Mary experts speak to the BBC about the Government's new alternatives strategy on 11 November from 6.10am. This new strategy outlines the Government's vision of eliminating the use of animals in research and development in all but exceptional circumstances, and sets out a plan to achieve this by replacing animals with alternative methods wherever possible. To explain more about this strategy, what these alternatives are and how they work, BBC's Pallab Ghosh spoke to Queen Mary academics Professor Hazel Screen, who co-directs the Queen Mary's Centre for Preventative in vitro Models (CPM) with her colleague Professor Martin Knight, and Professor Fran Balkwill, Deputy Lead at the University's Centre for Tumour Microenvironment. Listen to Professor Hazel Screen and Professor Fran Balkwill speak about the strategy on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on 11 November at 7.30am-7.40am. Professor Screen spoke to Pallab about the world-leading research work she and her colleagues are carrying out at Queen Mary. Researchers use state-of-the-art organ-on-a-chip technology to develop the next generation of predictive in vitro models that can be used to reduce the use of animals in research. Researchers are developing a wide range of approaches to study conditions such as arthritis, inflammation, cancer and cardiovascular disease. By working with pharmaceutical companies and other end users, researchers aim to maximise the adoption of these alternative methods in order to drive human-relevant science and accelerate the development of better medicines. Professor Balkwill spoke to Pallab about her research into complex multi-cellular models of ovarian cancer, which include the tumour microenvironment. These models, often referred to as organoids, provide a 3D multi-cellular model of ovarian cancer which allows Professor Balkwill and her team to understand things like cell-to-cell communication in the tumour microenvironment, test new biological therapies and study sensitivity and resistance to T cell killing. As well as delivering world leading research developing and using these alternative methods, Queen Mary is also pioneering in the UK and globally when it comes to educating and training the researchers in this field. They are doing this via their EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in next generation organ-on-a-chip technologies, which has welcomed its first cohort of PhD students, and the world's first Master's Degree Programme for organ-on-a-chip technology, which has recently opened to applications. Through these education programmes, world leading research and industry engagement, Queen Mary is ideally placed to help achieve the Government's aim of reducing the use of animals in science.

Research work in the Centre for Brain and Behaviour explores the pathways from neurodivergent ...

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

To mark UK Disability History Month, which runs from November 20 to December 20, we showcase the research of Giorgia Michelini, a senior lecturer in the Centre for Brain and Behaviour. Dr Michelini leads research on the lived experience of neurodivergent adolescents and young adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds, in collaboration with QMUL Disability and Dyslexia Services. A recent paper, soon to appear in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Phychiatry, written in collaboration with colleagues from the Centre for Brain and Behaviour and King's College London, explores the pathways from neurodivergent traits to mental health outcomes, highlighting the role of sleep as an important factor influencing mental health in neurodivergent young people. To learn more about disability, particularly the support provided to staff, visit the Staff Disability Networkpages.

From biodiversity to artificial intelligence

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 23:00:00 +0100

We showcase the research work of Kabiru Abubakari, a PhD student in the Centre for Probability, Statistics and Data Science, and the research work of Dr David Mguni, a lecturer in the Centre for Multimodal AI. Kabiru Abubakari Kabiru's research focuses on Bayesian spatial modelling for biodiversity. His PhD project is devoted to developing and applying Bayesian spatial and spatio-temporal modelling techniques to enhance understanding of the association between plant species at risk of extinction and areas in need of protection in the face of climate change, changing land use (especially agriculture), and pollution. Working together with his supervisors — Prof Silvia Liverani (SMS), Prof Andrew Leitch (SBBS), and Dr Ilia Leitch (Royal Botanic Garden, Kew) — Kabiru combines statistical modelling and ecology to develop methods that better capture uncertainty in biodiversity data. His academic journey began with a degree in Economics at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale, Ghana, where he graduated in 2020. Since joining Queen Mary, Kabiru has also been very active in supporting students of Black heritage as a tutor in Levelling Up Maths and as a panellist at the Black Heroes of Mathematics Conference. Read more about Kabiru's research in this poster. David Mguni David is a Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence. His research spans reinforcement learning, game theory, and optimal control, with a focus on developing self-improving, cooperative learning systems. His work contributes to a broader vision of building AI that can reason, adapt, and learn autonomously in an open-ended world. Together with his PhD student Yaqi Sun and master's students, David is working towards one of the grand goals of artificial intelligence: creating systems that can not only learn from existing training data but also learn how to learn and invent their own challenges. The group's research on the Recursive Meta-Learning Framework explores how intelligent systems can evolve their own learning rules and generate and solve new problems that push them beyond the limits of human-derived data. A central focus of the group's work is reinforcement learning — particularly understanding how multiple intelligent systems can cooperate, compete, and coordinate in open, dynamic environments. The group's research seeks to overcome the limitations of traditional reinforcement learning algorithms by enabling AI to learn the rules of learning itself. This approach has far-reaching implications. By allowing AI systems to invent new challenges, discover hidden structures, and maintain stability as they learn together, the research moves toward the long-term goal of artificial general intelligence: machines capable of generalising knowledge, adapting creatively, and cooperating safely across domains. Possible applications range from AI programs that autonomously generate novel mathematical proofs to agents that continually refine their understanding of molecular structures for drug discovery. The group's work blends theory with practical experimentation, drawing on dynamical systems, game theory, category theory, stochastic control, and variational optimisation. These mathematical foundations ensure that the learning mechanisms they develop are not only powerful and flexible but also grounded in principles that make them interpretable, stable, and safe. To learn more about David's research, read also here.

Dr Christopher Chen appointed as a Fellow of the American Physical Society

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 23:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to announce that Dr Christopher Chen, Reader in Space Plasma Physics in the Astronomy Unit of the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, has been made a Fellow of the American Physical Society. This prestigious honour recognises Dr Chen's "…outstanding use of in-situ solar-wind spacecraft observations to probe the detailed physics of turbulence and kinetic processes in astrophysical plasmas, bridging observational space plasma physics and fundamental plasma theory." Dr Chen was selected to be an APS fellow for his research in Plasma Astrophysics - an interdisciplinary field at the intersection between fundamental plasma physics and astronomy. His research involves using spacecraft throughout the solar system to study how the different processes in the solar wind work at a fundamental level, how these control the variety of conditions in the space environment, and how they impact space weather. He said: "It's a great honour to be selected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. I'd like to thank the APS Topical Group in Plasma Astrophysics and my colleagues for supporting my work through the years. I will continue to do my best to advance Plasma Astrophysics and promote the values of the APS for the benefit of science and society."

Queen Mary hosts the UK Organ-on-a-chip Symposium

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Queen Mary's Centre for Predictive in vitro Models hosted a fastic afternoon of science and bioengineering at the UK organ-on-a-chip Annual Symposium. The event was attended by nearly 300 people, including 100 online, with representatives from academia, industry, Government, charities and other stakeholders. There were flash talks from four talented Early Career Researchers at the Centre, and then four inspiring keynote presentations from: Professor Ignacio Ochoa (University of Zaragoza) Professor Rocky Tuan (Chinese University of Hong Kong / University of Pittsburgh) Professor Roisin Owens (University of Cambridge) Professor Cathy Merry (University of Nottingham) Dr Anthony Holmes from NC3Rs gave an excellent presentation. His talk entitled "Innovate, Integrate, Regulate: MPS technologies in the global life sciences arena" explored initiatives across the World which are building momentum in the drive to deliver more human relevant science and replace the use of animals. Prof Martin Knight and Prof Hazel Screen, presented the journey from running the UK Organ-on-a-chip network, to co-directing the Centre for Predictive in vitro Models, which now has over 70 academics, the most extensive organ-chip facilities in the UK, industrial affiliates from over 100 organisation, and a new Centre for Doctoral Training. The Centre hosts the Annual Symposium and will soon be running a eSymposia series enabling researchers from across the Globe to join monthly online seminars sharing exciting research associated with organ-on-a-chip technology, organoids, and other forms of predictive in vitro models. Finally, Dr Emily Richardson from CN Bio presented some of their lovely work on the development, qualification and validation of microphysiological systems for translating safety risks to the clinic. The Symposium also celebrated the launch of Queen Mary's new EPSRC Centre for doctoral training in next generation Organ-on-a-chip Technology (COaCT). We have a fantastic group of 15 new PhD students, all with industry sponsors, tackling a wide range of projects associated with the development of innovative organ-chip models and underpinning technology. The PhD students, joined with supervisors, and industry partners for a launch party after the symposium, and are now beginning an intensive few weeks of events including an organ-chip training course in our in vitro models facilities.

Weini Huang invited to give the prestigious 2025 LMS Mary Cartwright lecture

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Dr Weini Huang, a reader in the Centre for Complex Systems, will be the 2025 LMS Mary Cartwright lecturer. The Mary Cartwright Lecture is an annual event organised by the London Mathematical Society to celebrate the achievements of distinguished women mathematicians The event was established by the LMS in 2000 and is named after Dame Mary Lucy Cartwright, the first female mathematician FRS, the first woman to receive the Sylvester Medal, the first woman to receive the LMS De Morgan Prize and the first female President of the LMS. Dr Huang is the first QMUL academic to give this prestigious lecture. The lecture will take place online on November 7. More details here.

EPSRC Grant Success: "Zeros, Algorithms, and Correlation for Graph Polynomials" led ...

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0100

An EPSRC standard grant has been awarded to Viresh Patel (Project Lead) and Mark Jerrum (Project Co-lead) for the project "Zeros, Algorithms, and Correlation for Graph Polynomials". Read on to find out more about their plans. This project is at the interface of theoretical computer science, mathematics and statistical physics. It aims to establish and leverage formal connections between different notions of phase transitions in these three different areas to make breakthroughs on long-standing questions. A phase transition is the phenomenon where a small change in some measure of a system (e.g. its temperature) results in a large change in its macroscopic behaviour (e.g. a material turning from a solid to a liquid). Phase transitions are currently at the forefront of study in several disciplines. We study phase transitions in spin systems. Spin systems are networks where each node is randomly placed in one of several possible states but where the states of neighbouring nodes tend to influence each other. These spin systems exhibit remarkably rich behaviours; they originate in statistical physics, where they model gases, magnetism and other physical phenomena, but they can also help explain complex group behaviours like voting (here the vote of an individual in a social network may be correlated with the votes of their neighbours). The partition function of a spin system is a polynomial that encodes much of the system's behaviour. A major goal in theoretical computer science and of this project is to develop fast algorithms to approximate these partition functions. The existence of such algorithms has recently been connected with the location of the zeros of partition functions, a topic of independent interest in mathematics and statistical physics since the 1950s. The project addresses several challenges here including that of understanding how strong spatial mixing for a spin system, that is the extent to which the state of a node influences the state at other distant nodes, affects the location of the zeros of its partition function. Some of the specific highlights of the project are to attack the intensely studied problem of finding a an approximation algorithm for counting proper colourings in graphs (a.k.a configurations in the zero-temperature antiferromagnetic Potts model), to understand the algorithmic behaviour of the hardcore model when the underlying graph has some structure, to develop deterministic algorithms for approximating the Ising and monomer-dimer models, and to do all of this by understanding the zeros of the partition function in each of these cases. We have an international project partner, Dr Guus Regts, at the University of Amsterdam, and there are several research visits planned in both directions between the groups at Queen Mary and Amsterdam, starting with PhaseCAP, a research semester programme at CWI, Amsterdam. We will also soon be advertising for a postdoc to join the project.

Animals in Science Committee visit to Queen Mary

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0100

We were delighted to host a visit from the UK Government's Animals in Science Committee and the associated policy unit at the Home Office. The group visited the Queen Mary in vitro models facilities, part of the Centre for Predictive in vitro Models, where we were able to demonstrate some of the organ-on-a-chip platforms in use within the Centre. These platforms enable researchers to build complex in vitro models which provide an valuable alternative to the use of animals in science, and help to deliver highest quality human-relevant science, and to accelerate the delivery of new therapeutics. Queen Mary's Centre for Predictive in vitro Models and Centre for Bioengineering are at the forefront of this field, leading exciting research, training and translation. We host the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in next generation organ-on-a-chip technology providing world leading PhD training, delivering over 60 highly skilled PhD graduates through 4 successive cohorts. And we work closely with industry and other stakeholders through our affiliates club which has representatives from over 100 companies and organisations in this rapidly developing field.

Prestigious Simons Foundation grant awarded to Dr Katy Clough for black hole research

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Dr Katy Clough has been named Principal Investigator (PI) in the newly established $8-million Simons Collaboration on Black Holes and Strong Gravity. This highly competitive grant will bring together 12 co-PIs from institutions worldwide, alongside a wider network of experts, to develop a robust theoretical framework for deciphering secrets encoded in gravitational wave (GW) data. Queen Mary Professor Pau Figueras and postdoctoral researcher Aron Kovacs will also act as associates in the grant's wider network of collaborators, underscoring the university's key role in cutting-edge gravitational research. Gravitational wave science offers an unparalleled opportunity to probe the physics of strong gravity – the extreme conditions found in the vicinity of black holes. With planned upgrades to the Advanced LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA gravitational wave detectors set to double their sensitivity in the coming years, the volume of the universe accessible through GW data will increase by a factor of eight. This advancement ushers in an era of precision gravitational wave physics, demanding a deeper understanding of non-linear gravity. "It's a great honour to be part of this international collaboration and to be recognised by the Simons Foundation," Dr Clough commented. "These grants are very competitive, and I'm proud that Queen Mary is playing a key role. This is an exciting moment in the study of non-linear strong gravity, and we are looking forward to contributing to the discoveries that await us." The collaboration's ambitious goals include developing the theoretical framework necessary to demystify persistent astrophysical puzzles and shedding new light on the fundamental nature of black holes. This work could lead to breakthroughs in understanding the universe's matter-antimatter asymmetry, the nature of dark matter, and physics that extends beyond Einstein's theory of general relativity. The research will involve analytical calculations, extensive computer simulations, and rigorous testing against observational data. The ultimate aim is to develop sophisticated models of "smoking-gun signals" that will enable scientists to decipher the profound secrets hidden within gravitational wave observations. Queen Mary will play a leading role in the numerical simulations of gravity that are required to build and test these models. Dr Clough, Professor Figueras and Dr Kovacs are members of the Centre for Geometry, Analysis and Gravitation in the School of Mathematical Sciences, and experts in the formulation of theories beyond Einstein gravity and their study using computer simulations – the field of numerical relativity. They have used some of the largest supercomputers in Europe to study extreme dynamical gravity as a way of shedding light on problems in fundamental physics and play a lead role in the UK-based GRTL Collaboration that develops software to test the limits of Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The Simons Collaboration aims to bridge disciplines, drawing on expertise in theoretical physics, mathematics, numerical computation, AI-assisted data analysis, and gravitational wave observation. Professor Nicolás Yunes of Illinois Physics, who will serve as the collaboration's director, emphasised the timely nature of this multidisciplinary effort. "We're moving toward the era of precision gravitational wave physics," he notes. "This new era must be accompanied by a multidisciplinary effort to deepen our understanding of non-linear gravity. Otherwise, we will miss secrets encoded in the gravitational wave data, or worse, misinterpret our observations and be led in the wrong direction." The Simons Foundation grant will support postdoctoral and graduate-student positions, foster travel and collaboration between member institutions, and facilitate numerous meetings throughout the year. Queen Mary's involvement ensures its continued prominence in the global effort to understand the most extreme astrophysical environments in the universe, and the fundamental nature of strong gravity. The 12 co-PIs include Nicolás Yunes at Illinois, Emanuele Berti of Johns Hopkins University, Vitor Cardoso of the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark, Katy Clough of Queen Mary, University of London in the UK, Neil Cornish of Montana State University, Jonathan Gair of the Albert Einstein Institute (a Max Planck Institute), Daniel Holz of the University of Chicago, Gary Horowitz of the University of California Santa Barbara, Luis Lehner of the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics in Canada, Alex Lupsasca of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, Matias Zaldarriaga of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, NJ, and Mihalis Dafermos of Princeton University. These co-PIs are physicists and mathematicians, who specialise in strong gravity from theoretical, computational and observational perspectives.

Queen Mary researchers awarded MRC funding to develop human tendon-on-a-chip technology

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Queen Mary University of London has secured funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to launch a pioneering research project aiming to transform the understanding and treatment of tendinopathy—a painful and often chronic tendon condition affecting millions worldwide. The three-year project, Human Tendon-CHIP, will combine cutting-edge bioengineering, materials science and cellular biology to develop novel human-relevant, vascularised organ-on-a-chip models of tendon disease. The interdisciplinary team is led by Professor Hazel Screen alongside Dr Nidal Khatib at the School of Engineering and Materials Science, as well as collaborators Professors John Connelly and Dr Liisa Blowes at The Blizard Institute, and clinical liaison Professor Xavier Griffin at Queen Mary and Barts Health. Dr Nidal Khatib, Postdoctoral Research Associate and researcher co-lead on the grant, said: "Our goal is to develop tendon models which capture how tendons function and get injured using cells extracted directly from human tendon placed in microengineered environments. These 'tendon-chips' will allow us to recreate the physical, cellular, and immune landscape of tendon tissue, giving us an unprecedented window into human disease progression and ways to explore possible new treatments." The project will be delivered at Queen Mary's new state-of-the-art in vitro models facilities, which provides access to a range organ-on-a-chip platform technologies as well as the CREATE Lab for advanced tissue engineering. The project will create two advanced organ-on-a-chip systems. One will use an existing commercial platform to model how tendon cells interact with blood vessels. The other will be a custom-made, three-channel chip developed in-house. This will allow researchers to study different tendon cell types and how they interact with blood and immune cells, which is important due to new findings in tendon biology. By recreating key physical and inflammatory stimuli that drive tendon disease, the team hopes future research will be able to leverage these novel platforms to identify new disease pathways and potential drug targets. These platforms could offer a breakthrough in drug discovery for tendon disorders, accelerating progress towards effective regenerative treatments while reducing reliance on animal models. Professor Hazel Screen, lead investigator, commented: "This project marks a major step forward in tendon research. Our tendon-chips are designed not just to simulate disease but to actively drive it, enabling us to probe its causes and test potential treatments in a controlled, human-relevant system. The initiative also supports Queen Mary's broader commitment to replacing animal models with more predictive, ethically responsible alternatives for biomedical research." The research builds on Queen Mary's world-leading expertise in organ-on-a-chip technologies, facilitated through its Centre for Predictive in vitro Models. The outcomes have the potential to benefit patients, clinicians, and the wider healthcare system by improving diagnostic precision and supporting the development of targeted, effective therapies.

Queen Mary Professor secures £1.2 million British Heart Foundation programme grant

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Professor Thomas Iskratsch, Professor in Cardiovascular Mechanobiology and Bioengineering, has been awarded a highly coveted Programme Grant of £1.2 million from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). This significant funding will support groundbreaking research into how mechanical forces contribute to cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Professor Iskratsch's research aims to understand why our blood vessels sometimes change the stiffness and contribute to heart disease. Imagine your arteries as flexible pipes that carry blood. When blood flows through them, it creates pressure and stretches the pipe walls. This research focuses on special cells in these walls, called vascular smooth muscle cells. "We're trying to figure out how these everyday mechanical forces like the pressure from blood flow or the stiffness of the artery wall itself cause these cells to change," explains Professor Iskratsch. "Normally, these cells help the artery contract and relax, but in disease, they lose this ability and start to remodel the artery wall, making the problem worse. Our new data suggests that increased blood pressure alone can trigger a change, and we believe it's linked to alterations in the fats (lipids) within the cells, which then affect how genes are controlled. This grant will allow us to investigate this crucial connection between increased pressure and these lipid changes." Understanding this fundamental process is vital. By uncovering the precise molecular pathways involved, the team hopes to identify new targets for drugs and therapies that could prevent or reverse the progression of cardiovascular diseases, ultimately improving heart health for millions globally. This ambitious project is a truly collaborative endeavour, bringing together leading experts from various institutions. Key collaborators include Professor Qingzhong Xiao from Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, Professor Duncan Graham and Dr Nicholas Rattray from Strathclyde, and Professor Cathy Shanahan from King's College London. Crucially, the project also benefits from an industry partnership with AstraZeneca, who are providing specialised analysis methods, including high-resolution mass-spectrometry imaging. This collaboration enhances the project's capabilities, allowing for deeper insights into the complex cellular changes. The research programme is poised to make significant discoveries. The team anticipates uncovering the molecular pathways that link hypertensive pressure to the formation of lipid droplets within cells. They will also investigate how these lipid droplets might fuel the detrimental changes in cell behaviour, their effect on cell and nuclear mechanics, and ultimately, how these processes lead to altered gene regulation. These findings are expected to pave the way for innovative new therapeutic strategies. "I'm really excited about the news that this project will be funded," Professor Iskratsch concluded. "The role of vascular smooth muscle cell mechanosensing in cardiovascular disease onset and progression has been a key area of research interest in my group that previously received funding from the BHF and industry partners. Receiving longer-term funding in form of a highly prestigious programme grant marks a key step in my career as researcher in cardiovascular mechanobiology and bioengineering."

UK Ash Trees Evolve to Resist Dieback

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Research (published in Science) led by Profs Richard Nichols and Richard Buggs has uncovered early-stage signs of natural resistance to ash dieback—a fungal disease expected to kill half of the UK's 80 million ash trees. By comparing the DNA of older trees, present before the fungus arrived in 2012, with younger saplings, the team identified subtle genetic shifts across thousands of locations around the ash genome. These shifts suggest that the natural selection is favouring variants that confer greater disease resistance in young trees regenerating on the woodland flour under the dying mature trees. This adaptive response offers hope that future generations will be able to enjoy ash woodlands, and the research will be used to design human interventions to accelerate the adaptation, including avoiding unnecessary felling to maintain the populations' genetic diversity. The Guardian and the BBC reported on this story.

Prestigious Network Science Award for a former PhD student in the School of Mathematical Sciences

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Federico Battiston, currently an Associate Professor in Network Science at the Central European University, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Erdős-Rényi Prize. The Erdős–Rényi Prize is awarded each year to a selected young scientist (under 40 years old on the day of the nomination deadline) for their research achievements in the area of network science, broadly construed. Federico has a strong link with the School of Mathematical Sciences, since he did his PhD here at QMUL under the supervision of Prof Vito Latora that has been highly praised in the award acceptance speech for his inspirational role. Congratulations to both Vito and Federico!

Queen Mary presence at the International Meeting of the Society of Molecular Biology and ...

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 23:00:00 +0100

The project on diversifying the curriculum in SBBS has been presented at this year international meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) in China. Matteo Fumagalli, who co-leads the project together with Sally Faulkner, has also taken part in a roundtable on inclusion, equality and diversity in molecular evolution, and in academia and science in general. This activity is in the remit of CAISE and our Faculty EDI strategy.

Dr Florian Koller Awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship to work in the QMUL Astronomy Unit

Thu, 29 May 2025 23:00:00 +0100

QMUL Astronomy Unit member Dr Florian Koller has been awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue working in the AU's space plasma group. Dr Florian Koller, a current postdoctoral researcher in the Astronomy Unit of Queen Mary University of London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been awarded a highly competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project titled SHOCKWAVE – Spacecraft Heliospheric Observation of Collisions and Kinetic Wave Analysis in Various Environments. The MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships, awarded by the European Commission, support scientists' careers and foster excellence in research. A record number of 10,360 proposals from researchers across multiple disciplines applied for the fellowship in the latest call, making Dr Koller's selection a significant achievement. Dr Koller's project will investigate plasma shocks—ubiquitous phenomena in space that form when fast plasma flows encounter obstacles such as planetary magnetic fields or slower wind regions. These shocks vary in strength depending on the Mach number of the flow. While strong shocks have been extensively studied using spacecraft in Earth's vicinity, the lower Mach number range—characteristic of many astrophysical shocks—remains underexplored, particularly at high time resolution. This work will not only enhance our understanding of shock physics in the solar system but also contribute to broader astrophysical applications, including insights into the drivers of space weather events and geomagnetic storms. Commenting on the award, Dr Koller said: "I am beyond excited to receive this award and thank the European Commission for this opportunity. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Heli Hietala for agreeing to supervise this fellowship, and to my current supervisor, Dr Christopher Chen, for supporting my development as a space scientist at Queen Mary. I also thank my PhD supervisor, Dr Manuela Temmer from the University of Graz, for the invaluable mentorship that brought me to where I am today." The SHOCKWAVE project will be carried out over 24 months at QMUL in the Space and Astrophysical Plasma Physics group of the Astronomy Unit, a growing and dynamic research group tackling core phenomena that shape the behaviour of plasmas across the heliosphere and beyond.

Professor Ginestra Bianconi wins Euler Award for pioneering work in Network Theory

Wed, 07 May 2025 23:00:00 +0100

Professor Ginestra Bianconi from the School of Mathematical Sciences has been awarded the 2025 Euler Award by the Network Science Society. This esteemed award recognises Professor Bianconi's groundbreaking contributions to the field of network theory. The Network Science Society cited Professor Bianconi "For pioneering contributions to the theory of generalised networks, encompassing both the structural and dynamical aspects of multiplex and higher-order systems." This recognition highlights her innovative work in developing a deeper understanding of complex systems by moving beyond traditional pairwise interactions to explore the intricate relationships within multiplex and higher-order networks. The Euler Award is granted to one network scientist each year who has made outstanding research discoveries in the field of network science, especially those that changed paradigms or assumptions. It is named in honour of the prolific Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, whose work laid foundational principles for network analysis. The prize recognises fundamental contributions that have significantly advanced the field. Professor Bianconi's research focuses on network theory and is fundamental to shedding light on brain research, a new generation of AI algorithms, and the relation of the theory of complex systems with theoretical physics. Besides her foundational work on the entropy of multiplex networks and the critical phenomena unfolding on them, Professor Bianconi has recently proposed a paradigm shift for understanding higher-order network dynamics. By combining algebraic topology with non-linear dynamics, this new research field is profoundly transforming our understanding of the interplay between structure and dynamics in complex systems, which is foundational for the theory of complex systems. Upon receiving the news, Professor Bianconi said: "I am truly honoured to receive this very prestigious prize from the Network Science Society. It is fantastic to be recognised for the research that, together with my collaborators, I have conducted in these last ten years. Uncovering the deep connections between network topology, geometry and dynamics has been simply a great scientific journey. Together with the information theory of networks rooted in network entropy, I am sure this theoretical framework will give rise to a comprehensive understanding of complex systems. I am looking forward to our further collective exploration of network theory and the positive impact of this research on science and society." This award further solidifies Queen Mary's position as a leading centre for network science research and highlights the exceptional talent within its School of Mathematical Sciences. The university community extends its warmest congratulations to Professor Bianconi on this well-deserved achievement. For more information about the Euler Award, please visit the Network Science Society's webpage.

A vast molecular cloud, long invisible, is discovered near the solar system

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 23:00:00 +0100

An international team, including members from the QMUL Astronomy Unit, uncovers a hidden celestial structure using innovative far-ultraviolet techniques. An international team of scientists, led by a Rutgers University-New Brunswick astrophysicist and including Dr Thomas Haworth of Queen Mary University of London, has discovered a potentially star-forming cloud that is one of the largest single structures in the sky and among the closest to the Sun and Earth ever detected. The vast ball of hydrogen, long invisible to scientists, was revealed by looking for its main constituent – molecular hydrogen. The finding marks the first time a molecular cloud has been detected using far-ultraviolet light and opens the way to further explorations with this approach. The scientists have named the molecular hydrogen cloud "Eos," after the Greek goddess of dawn. Their discovery is outlined in a study published in Nature Astronomy. Professor Blakesley Burkhart, associate professor at Rutgers University and research scientist at the Flatiron Institute, led the study. She said: "This opens up new possibilities for studying the molecular universe. The data showed glowing hydrogen molecules detected via fluorescence in the far ultraviolet. This cloud is literally glowing in the dark." Dr Thomas Haworth of Queen Mary University of London, a key contributor to the research, added: "In astronomy, seeing the previously unseen usually means peering deeper with ever more sensitive telescopes – detecting those smaller planets... those more distant galaxies. Yet here we had completely missed a cloud right on our cosmic doorstep, one that would appear huge in the sky if visible to the naked eye. The key to this discovery was searching for UV light, and it makes me excited about the future of UV space telescopes. Following this discovery, Suryansh Saxena, one of our fantastic MSc Astrophysics students, is now working with me and the team to determine whether star formation has already taken place within the Eos cloud." Dr Thavisha Dharmawardena, NASA Hubble Fellow at New York University and shared first author of the study, remarked: "The use of the far-ultraviolet fluorescence emission technique could rewrite our understanding of the interstellar medium, uncovering hidden clouds across the galaxy and even out to the furthest detectable limits of cosmic dawn." The crescent-shaped Eos cloud is located about 300 light-years from Earth, on the edge of the Local Bubble – a vast cavity of gas surrounding our solar system. Measuring roughly 40 moons in width across the sky and weighing about 3,400 times the mass of the Sun, Eos is expected to dissipate in six million years. The discovery was made using data from the far-ultraviolet spectrograph FIMS-SPEAR aboard the Korean satellite STSAT-1. Unlike traditional methods that rely on carbon monoxide signatures, this technique directly detected molecular hydrogen via far-ultraviolet fluorescence – a first in astronomical research. Eos provides a rare opportunity to study star formation up close. As Professor Burkhart explained: "When we look through our telescopes, we catch whole solar systems in the act of forming, but we don't know in detail how that happens. Our discovery of Eos is exciting because we can now directly measure how molecular clouds are forming and dissociating, and how a galaxy begins to transform interstellar gas and dust into stars and planets." The team is now searching for more molecular clouds using this technique, including potential discoveries with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Burkhart noted: "Using JWST, we may have found the very furthest hydrogen molecules from the Sun. So, we have found both some of the closest and farthest using far-ultraviolet emission." Other members of the scientific team included researchers from: Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; Queen Mary University of London and University College London, both of London; University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, University of Science and Technology, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, all of Daejeon, South Korea; Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany; University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas; University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.; University of California, Berkeley; Université Paris Cité, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Columbia University, New York; and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass. See here for an Astronomy & Geophysics article on the discovery: EOS: hiding in plain sight