SynbiCITE Academics meet Imperial Alumni in Beijing
Imperial’s SynbiCITE academics (L-R: Guy-Bart Stan, Karen Polizzi, John Heap, Tom Ellis) address the alumni reunion
On 12th September, 200 alumni, students, parents, and friends gathered in Beijing to meet Imperial’s President, Professor Alice Gast, and hear from leading synthetic biologists.
Addressing the audience, Professor Gast remarked, “A great university has great people: incredibly talented academics, brilliant students, and amazing alumni. Many of you in this room are pioneers and risk-takers. Please share your stories with us so we can inspire the next generation.” She also outlined the College’s recently published Strategy and its four key themes: foundations, people, partners, and enablers. Professor Gast highlighted that Imperial was the UK’s leading university in research and industry collaboration with Chinese partners.
Four of Imperial’s leading synthetic biologists, who had recently presented at the prestigious World Economic Forum in Dalian, were introduced by Professor Maggie Dallman, Associate Provost (Academic Partnerships). She described synthetic biology as a ‘brave new world’ aimed at benefiting society, and praised the researchers for their work on the frontiers of science.
Dr Tom Ellis explained how synthetic biology applies engineering tools and methods to design customised cells, noting that his laboratory had succeeded in producing penicillin from yeast. Dr John Heap spoke about his work on exotic microbes, which possess special properties—such as the ability to convert waste into useful chemicals—as a way to overcome the limitations of conventional organisms like yeast. One of the main challenges, he explained, was recreating in the lab the extreme environments in which these organisms naturally thrive.
Dr Karen Polizzi discussed the role of biosensors in detecting when cells become ‘unhappy’, a development that could help translate laboratory results into scalable commercial applications. Dr Guy-Bart Stan followed with a presentation on feedback control—borrowed from engineering—and how it enables the creation of controlled cell-based systems. These systems could release drugs or nutrients on demand, for example, to regulate blood sugar or cholesterol levels, treat metabolic disorders, or enhance bodily functions.
Fangliang Li (BSc Earth Science 2009, MSc Environmental Engineering 2010) commented, “It’s wonderful to see the changes at Imperial and all the new innovations. Every year I come to see new graduates and old friends – this is my fifth reception!”
Hongze Zou, a current Mechanical Engineering student, said, “I think it’s a terrific event. I wanted to meet the President in person because she’s the figurehead of Imperial, and I liked having the opportunity to ask her some questions.”
Nicola Pogson, Director of Alumni Relations, addressed the crowd, saying, “We’re delighted to be here – Imperial has over 180,000 alumni, including 6,000 in China and 1,000 in Beijing. It’s an exciting time for alumni relations at Imperial, with the creation of the Advancement team. We are working to strengthen our alumni community, helping it to benefit from—and take pride in—a lifelong connection with the College.”
The evening was organised in partnership with the Imperial College Alumni Association of China, particularly the Beijing chapter. The event received support from numerous alumni volunteers, including Zhuohui Luo (MBA 2001), Secretary of the Beijing chapter, who returned to China after completing his MBA to manage manufacturing operations within the Planning Department of China National Petroleum Corporation. Also in attendance was Frank Scheibe (MEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering 2003), who pursued his passion for cars with McLaren and BMW in Munich, and now serves as Senior Manager for R&D at BMW Beijing.