On 7 February, Cambridge University Biological Society joined forces with the Oxford and Imperial College biology societies to host Varsity Life Science 2026 at the Old Divinity School, St John’s College.
The conference brought together undergraduate and master’s students from Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial to share their research, meet fellow aspiring scientists and explore the breadth of work taking place across the life sciences.
Sharing undergraduate research
Across morning and afternoon poster sessions, students presented projects from a wide range of biological disciplines. The sessions gave presenters a chance to explain their methods and findings, receive questions and feedback, and discover research being carried out by students at the other universities.
Just as importantly, the informal poster format created space for conversations between students with different academic interests and experiences. It was wonderful to see so many early-career scientists exchanging ideas and enthusiasm for their work.
Keynote speakers
We were delighted to welcome two distinguished Cambridge scientists as keynote speakers.
Sir Alan Fersht FRS spoke on Protein Engineering: from the basics of enzyme catalysis and protein folding to application in the clinic, tracing how fundamental insights into proteins can contribute to medical applications.
Sir Gregory Winter FRS, recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, presented The development and commercialisation of antibody pharmaceuticals: a personal perspective. His talk offered an illuminating account of the scientific ideas and translational work behind therapeutic antibodies.
Bringing three universities together
Varsity Life Science was created to foster communication between undergraduate scientists beyond the boundaries of a single university. The day combined formal talks with the open exchange of a poster conference, giving students opportunities to present, ask questions and make new connections.
We would like to thank our speakers, presenters and attendees, as well as the Oxford and Imperial biology societies and everyone who helped organise the conference. We hope the event will inspire further collaboration between student scientists across the three universities.