UCL Kinesis Podcast

Need some dissertation inspiration or motivation?With graduation season upon us we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the hard work and important research that students have done throughout the year with most students culminating this work in a final dissertation project. Now when we say dissertations, you may feel a sense of dread, think of sleepless nights, or boredom in the library… We want to tell a different story. This year UCL undergraduates have been conducting some fascinating and diverse research and to dispel the stereotypes and to get you excited about maybe conducting your own projects, we thought we would share a spotlight on these exciting projects. We hope this might make the world of dissertations seem less intimidating and more within your reach. Hopefully, by the end of this series, those of you who’ll have to start your dissertations can feel inspired and take away some advice for your own research. In this episode, we’re speaking to students from Biological Sciences. Find the timestamps below for each interview if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in. We’ve also included our interviewees’ contact details if you want to connect or find out more. 01:29 Erin Walker (MSci Biological Sciences - Computational Biology, 4th year) - Automated Classification of Shark Teeth: A Comparative Evaluation of Shape Representations and Machine Learning (https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-walker-308471294/)16:33 Belis Yener (BSc Biological Sciences - Human Genetics, 3rd year) - Single-cell transcriptomic characterisation of dormancy-associated resistant states in HR+ breast cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/belis-yener-90558a420) 27:29 Berra Aydin (MSci Biological Sciences - Cell Biology, 4th year)  - Characterising the Role of ASCL1 in the Thymus: Implications for Thymic Epithelial Cells and Function (https://www.linkedin.com/in/berra-aydin/) Interviewers:Madeline Ross (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-ross-4188b2287/) Sarah Gu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gu-35821524b/) Emily Sims (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-sims-55a73b297/)  Editors:Lois Ng (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lok-sze-ng-563184296/) Madeline RossSarah GuEmily Sims Director: Sarah GuWant to get involved?Check out our instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

Need some dissertation inspiration or motivation?With graduation season upon us we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the hard work and important research that students have done throughout the year with most students culminating this work in a final dissertation project. Now when we say dissertations, you may feel a sense of dread, think of sleepless nights, or boredom in the library… We want to tell a different story. This year UCL undergraduates have been conducting some fascinating and diverse research and to dispel the stereotypes and to get you excited about maybe conducting your own projects, we thought we would share a spotlight on these exciting projects. We hope this might make the world of dissertations seem less intimidating and more within your reach. Hopefully, by the end of this series, those of you who’ll have to start your dissertations can feel inspired and take away some advice for your own research. In this episode, we’re speaking to Master students from Health Psychology, Human Sciences, and Dementia. Find the timestamps below for each interview if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in. We’ve also included our interviewees’ contact details if you want to connect or find out more. 01:29 Amrit Gill (MSc Health Psychology) - Exploring differences in onward referrals between Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs): A cross-sectional secondary analysis of NASP’s 2025 survey (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/amrit-gill-psychology)10:09 Nel Jolly Jones (MSci Human Sciences and Evolution, 4th year) - Lab project investigating chromatin dynamics in the zebrafish presomitic mesoderm (PSM) during posterior axis elongation (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nel-jolly-jones-812669290/)21:02 Megan Turner (MSc Dementia: from Neuroscience to Clinical Practice) - Investigating Peripheral Immune Cell Infiltration Across FTLD-TDP3 Subtypes (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/megan-turner-288755213)Interviewers:Madeline Ross (www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-ross-4188b2287) Darja Kozevnikova  Editors:Lois Ng (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lok-sze-ng-563184296/) Madeline RossDarja Kozevnikova Director: Sarah Gu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gu-35821524b/) Want to get involved?Check out our instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

Need some dissertation inspiration or motivation?With graduation season upon us we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the hard work and important research that students have done throughout the year with most students culminating this work in a final dissertation project. Now when we say dissertations, you may feel a sense of dread, think of sleepless nights, or boredom in the library… We want to tell a different story. This year UCL undergraduates have been conducting some fascinating and diverse research and to dispel the stereotypes and to get you excited about maybe conducting your own projects, we thought we would share a spotlight on these exciting projects. We hope this might make the world of dissertations seem less intimidating and more within your reach. Hopefully, by the end of this series, those of you who’ll have to start your dissertations can feel inspired and take away some advice for your own research. In this episode, we’re speaking to students from Biological Sciences. Find the timestamps below for each interview if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in. We’ve also included our interviewees’ contact details if you want to connect or find out more. 01:23 Louisa Stefani (BSc Biological Sciences, 3rd year) - Does increased awareness and understanding of wasps change public perceptions of their importance and utility? Analysing the impact of the Grant Museum’s ‘World of Wasps’ exhibition (https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisastefani)10:31 Maadhav Ram (MSci Biological Sciences - Human Genetics, 4th year) - Understanding the impact of chronic social stress on hypothalamic pathways in an adolescent mouse model (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maadhav-ram-064bb11b1/)18:27 Lucas Espitia (MSci Biological Sciences - Cell Biology, 4th year) - Expression of Pluripotency-associated factors during Amphipholis squamata arm regeneration (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-espitia/)Interviewers:Sarah Gu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gu-35821524b/) Madeline Ross (www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-ross-4188b2287)  Editors:Lois Ng (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lok-sze-ng-563184296/) Madeline RossSarah GuDirector:Sarah GuWant to get involved?Check out our instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

You may have seen the recent news that from the start of the year England is now vaccinating children against chickenpox. This chickenpox vaccine, formally known as the varicella vaccine, will be added to the current MMR jab becoming MMRV. This was a long awaited announcement from the JCVI (short for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) as adding a vaccine to the childhood schedule is a significant move. So why now? Why did England wait so long to vaccinate against chickenpox when other countries have been doing so for years? How does this fit into current measles outbreaks in the country, and how can we improve vaccine uptake in general? Madeline and Sarah spoke to Professor Helen Bedford, a leading expert on UK childhood vaccinations and professor at the UCL Institute of Child Health, to find out more. Interviewers:Madeline RossSarah Gu Editors:Lois NgResearchers: Darja Kozevnikova Emily Sims Polina MarkovaDirector: Sarah GuCheck out our Instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

From antibiotic producers to decomposers, fungi are central to our ecosystems yet are often overlooked and can have a darker side. With antimicrobial resistance on the rise, will there ever be a fungal pandemic? In this episode, hosts Vedika and Aaditya speak with Dr Neil Stone, a consultant at UCLH specialising in infectious diseases and microbiology. Together, they explore the double-edged nature of fungi, the risks they pose, and how current therapies are holding up.🎙️ Listen now via the link on our Linktree or search “UCL Kinesis Podcast” on Spotify.

Missing your wasp neighbours at a summer barbecue this festive season? Fear not, today we will be diving into the fascinating world of wasps. These very misunderstood insects actually play some vital ecological roles that are easy to overlook. We are delighted to be joined by Professor Seirian Sumner, who shares insights from her exciting research on wasps and explores why they so often get such bad press. Professor Sumner also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the World of Wasps exhibition at the Grant Museum of Zoology, where science meets art through some very cool VR experiences. Do check it out before it closes on 24th January!Interviewers:Madeline RossSarah Gu Editors:Lois NgResearchers: Darja Kozevnikova Emily Sims Polina MarkovaDirector: Sarah GuCheck out our Instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com  Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

Need some dissertation inspiration or motivation?With graduation season upon us we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the hard work and important research that students have done throughout the year with most students culminating this work in a final dissertation project. Now when we say dissertations maybe you think of stress, hours in the library, and failed experiments. But despite this classic mental image of thick dissertation books collecting dust in a supervisor’s office, UCL undergraduate students have been conducting some fascinating and diverse research that we thought would be really interesting to share a spotlight on and also to make the world of dissertations seem less intimidating and more within your reach. Hopefully, by the end of this series, those of you who’ll have to start your dissertations can feel inspired and take away some advice for your own research. In this episode, we’re speaking to students across Biochemistry and Biological Sciences. Now we know this is a long episode but we just had so much to talk about! Find the timestamps below for each interview if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in. We’ve also included our interviewees’ contact details if you want to connect or find out more. 01:58 Casey, 3rd Year MSci Biochemistry (Molecular Biology) - Reprogramming-induced Rejuvenation: Miracle in the Making or Overstated Promise?(https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-teo-901614253/) 25:13 Cwen, 3rd Year MSci Biochemistry - B-Cell Interactomics: Towards Constructing Specific Networks for Immune Response to Vaccination (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cwen-li-683826263/)31:17 Hannah Jessel, 3rd Year BSc Biological Sciences (Cell and Developmental Biology) - Exploring the ecological factors affecting wild Saccharomyces isolation frequency across bark and soil substrates (collaborative project)(https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-jessel-272025373/)44:00 Cansu, 4th Year MSci Biological Sciences (Computational Biology) - A Computational Approach to Molecular Mimicry: Integrating MHC Binding Prediction and Sequence Similarity to Explore Autoimmune Mechanisms(Email: cansu.oktem.21@alumni.ucl.ac.uk)Interviewers:Casey TeoMadeline Ross Editors:Teni GomezMadeline RossCasey TeoDirector: Sarah GuWant to get involved?Check out our Instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine

Need some dissertation inspiration or motivation?With graduation season upon us we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the hard work and important research that students have done throughout the year, with most students culminating this work in a final dissertation project. Now when we say dissertations maybe you think of stress, hours in the library, and failed experiments. But despite this classic mental image of thick dissertation books collecting dust in a supervisor’s office, UCL undergraduate students have been conducting some fascinating and diverse research that we thought would be really interesting to share a spotlight on and also to make the world of dissertations seem less intimidating and more within your reach. Hopefully, by the end of this series, those of you who’ll have to start your dissertations can feel inspired and take away some advice for your own research. In this episode, we’re speaking to Human Sciences students.  Now we know this is a long episode but we just had so much to talk about! Find the timestamps below for each interview if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in. We’ve also included our interviewees’ LinkedIns if you want to connect or find out more. 02:06 Madeline Ross - Impact of NHS charging for maternity healthcare on undocumented female migrants, taking a medical, political, and economic approach(www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-ross-4188b2287)15:58 Carlotta Ceccarelli - Uterus transplantation: anatomical, psychological, and ethical explorations of a life-making technology(https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlottaceccarelli/)41:19 Alexandria Pu - Cosmological phenomenology of health and illness in Greater China(https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriapu/)54:19 Nel Jolly-Jones - Effect of anaesthesia on human foetal brain development and ethical implications (Lab-based project)(https://www.linkedin.com/in/nel-jolly-jones-812669290/)Interviewers:Madeline RossCasey Teo Editors:Lois NgMadeline RossDirector: Sarah GuCheck out our podcast Instagram: @uclkinesispodcastAnd our award-winning magazine: https://kinesismagazine.com  Magazine Instagram: @uclkinesismagazine