Theme: Untangling Networks

Now more than ever, we are interrogating the connections and bonds that tie us literally and figuratively to other people, places, objects and concepts. We are reconceptualising these networks in response to changes in our world, whether this be in our daily lives, medicine, education, or geopolitical changes. How can we forge more resilient and equitable networks and connections, and what new approaches and challenges will we encounter along the way? Innovations come from considering many perspectives, and by ‘Untangling Networks’ we will explore a range of issues to highlight how understanding ourselves and our world involves ‘untangling’ a myriad of connections, knots, and stories. Ranging from the local to the global, from humanities to science, we will delve into how we can better understand, and begin to change, the structures, systems, and beliefs that tie us together.

Online
Your Laptop!
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB30AG
United Kingdom

Alexia Lamorgese

MSc Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems

Growing up a multilingual, classics and music-oriented student in Italy, I unexpectedly fell in love with Biomedical Science at the University of Brighton. My passion for research awoke when Santander Universities awarded me a research scholarship. I investigated how improving the viability of articular cartilage might advance osteoarthritis treatment. I am now furthering my findings to answer whether inhibiting certain proteins may prevent osteoarthritis.

Ariana Alexander-Sefre

Co-Founder and CEO of SPOKE

As an activist and entrepreneur, Ariana is on a mission to enhance mental health through music. She believes that vast improvements can be made to society's mental health if the culture and interpretation of mental wellness tools had better resonance with those who need it most. Especially young men, whose suicide rates (as well as substance abuse, violence, and other mental health-related issues) far exceed female. Ariana founded SPOKE, a global movement and app merging lo-fi hip-hop, lyricism, and artistically produced sounds with meditation/mindfulness. Through working with their community of notable UK artists, producers, and creatives, SPOKE aims to make taking care of the mind & emotions more accessible and relevant for the millions of people currently missed out.

Dr. Dora Alexopoulou

Linguistics Fellow at the University of Cambridge

Dora Alexopoulou is a researcher at Cambridge University and a Fellow in Linguistics at Murray Edwards College, currently the PI of the EF Education First Research Lab for Applied Language Learning. She works with large datasets from online learning platforms to investigate learning from different linguistic, educational and cultural backgrounds. She is the co-founder of the Cambridge Bilingualism Network and founding Editor of Languages, Society and Policy.

Dr. Mark Kotter

Entrepreneur, Stem Cell Biologist, Neurosurgeon

Mark pursued a career in medicine when he was 19 and is still a practicing neurosurgeon today. His curiosity led him into laboratory based discovery focused on stem cell biology. He established a research group at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, where opti-ox was discovered. opti-ox is a synthetic biology approach that enables control of biology. Applied to stem cells, it enables the rapid and precise production of any human cell through reprogramming the cell's DNA, unlocking the potential of human cells for research, drug discovery and cell therapy. The technology forms the basis of bit.bio, a synthetic biology company focussed on human cells of which Mark is co-founder and CEO. bit.bio's mission is coding cells for health to enable accelerated biological research, new generations of cures and increased sustainability through transitioning biology to engineering. Mark also founded Meatable, a cultured meat startup, and is co-founder and trustee of the charity myelopathy.org.

Dr. Olivia Ahn

CEO & Co-Founder of Planera

Olivia is the co-founder of Planera - a femcare start-up with the market’s first flushable sanitary pads. Having founded Planera in her final year of medical school, Olivia went full-time into business after completing her medical foundation training in 2019. As a strong public speaker and passionate about the impact of sustainability on consumers and businesses, Olivia has spoken at the World Economic Forum, London’s City Hall as the Mayor’s Entrepreneur, taught business students and entrepreneurs at universities, as well as speaking about Planera to media and press.

Dr. Peter Bush

Principal Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton

I graduated from Portsmouth with a degree in Pharmacology, followed by a PhD at the University of Aberdeen, post-doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh. Since 2008 I have been a lecturer in physiology at the University of Brighton, where I am the programme lead for Biomedical Science. I try to keep an active research laboratory, investigating articular (joint movement) and growth plate cartilage (bone lengthening) in health and disease.

Dr. Sheen Gurrib

Social entrepreneur

Sheen has recently finished her PhD in back pain research at the University of Cambridge. She is originally from Mauritius and being the first girl from the island to have attended both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, she has been very active in breaking down the barriers to access to education. She is the co-founder of Project Access for Refugees, an Ambassador for Women in STEM and hosts the women empowerment podcast ‘Dream, Girl’. She is also the co-founder of ReShape Co., a not-for profit consulting company and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.

Dr. Vanessa Marcie

Founder & CEO of Leading with Humour

Dr. Vanessa Marcié is the founder and CEO of Leading With Humour, an innovative consultancy and Leadership Development firm that help leaders and organisations to harness the power of humour for more productive, inclusive and funnier workplaces. She is a leadership coach, international speaker, an academic and a stand-up comedian. Her research work on Humour and Leadership has been published in The Financial Times, The European Business Review, La Tribune and Harvard Business Review France. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange and a Cambridge Wo + Men's Leadership Center Associate.

James Breiding

Author and CEO of S8nations

James Breiding is author of Swiss Made - the untold story behind Switzerland's success. Available in 10 languages, the book has become the most authoritative work on 'Swissness'. Many of the leading Swiss companies, foundations, and high net worth individuals have supported the Swiss Made initiative, designed to raise awareness of Swiss achievements at home and abroad. His latest book is Too Small To Fail: Why Some Small Nations Outperform Larger Ones and How They Are Reshaping the World (Harper Collins). His writing appears in The Economist, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. He was elected a fellow at Harvard's Center for International Development, and is the founder and owner of Naissance Capital, a Zurich investment firm. Inspired by his latest book, Too Small to Fail, Breiding co-founded with the help of various supporters the non-profit organization S8nations, headquartered in Zurich, in 2020.

Nirosha Balakumar

Graduate Student at the University of Cambridge

Nirosha is a Canadian graduate student at the University of Cambridge, pursuing an MPhil in Education, Globalisation and International Development as a Marty Memorial Fellow and a Mackenzie King Scholar. Her current research surrounds the decolonization of education and understanding the experiences of immigrant youth in Eurocentric educational spaces. Having worked for a variety of non-profits, as well as the United Nations, Nirosha is committed to operating through an anti-racist framework. Nirosha finds importance in embracing her cultural identity as an Indo-Trinidadian and Tamil Sri Lankan woman, allowing it to be reflected in her work as a spoken word artist and advocate.

Rosie Wright

MsT student in Social Innovation at the Cambridge Judge Business School and Innovation Consultant

Rosie Wright has dedicated her career to developing tech for social good; from improving development education to fighting financial crime. She is now a freelance consultant working with social entrepreneurs and charities alongside pursuing her MSt in Social Innovation at the Judge Business School. In her spare time she is a wildlife photographer, game designer and passionate disability rights advocate.

Rupert Scofield

President, CEO & Co-Founder of FINCA International

Rupert Scofield co-founded global microfinance pioneer FINCA International in 1984 and has served as its President & CEO since 1994. He now leads the organization in supporting the rise of social enterprises delivering basic service and financial innovation. An agricultural economist and microfinance, social enterprise and impact investing expert, Rupert is an author, podcast presenter and speaker, offering insights on market-based solutions to global poverty.