The Linacre Seminar Series enjoyed another fantastic year, marked by fascinating talks, an engaged audience, and stimulating conversation over wine and cheese!
Our chairs brought unique flair to each event, our speakers welcomed us into their diverse worlds, and our audience approached every topic with open-minded curiosity. Exploring diverse topics such as AI in science, historical and modern geopolitics, cutting edge research in medical treatment, and our understanding of fun, the Series had something for everyone.
We have compiled this booklet to celebrate our outstanding researchers and their contributions, and to thank everyone who participated in and attended the Seminars throughout the year.
The series will continue in MT26 as the Linacre Research Seminars. With gratitude, Sebastian Lund, Jonas Thorup Thomsen, Stephanie Volder, and Lena Vosding
ListofSpeakers&Chairs
28OCTOBER
11NOVEMBER
25NOVEMBER
20JANUARY
Gurdeep Mannu | Maria Kiourlappou | Chair: Nadiya Ivanenko
03FEBRUARY
Nadiya Ivanenko | Matthew Weightman | Chair: Alex Lau-Zhu
17FEBRUARY
Paul Guajardo | Caroline Nettekoven | Chair: Matthew Edmans
03MARCH
Christine Ahrends | Matthew Edmans | Chair: Haichen Hu
28APRIL
Shyama Vermeersch | Riadh Salem | Chair: Franziska Braendle
Sne Scott Hansen | Hannah Shrader | Chair: Matthew Edmans
October 28
DOROTHÉEBOULANGER
“The “vegan unconscious” as a strategy of care and repair in African literature”
Examining texts by the Mozambican writer Paulina Chiziane (Niketche. Ume história da poligamia), Algerian writer Tahar Djaout (Les chercheurs d'os) and Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera ('The Cristmas reunion' in House of Hunger), I would like to investigate how the "vegan unconscious", a concept coined by the literary scholar Evan Mwangi (The Postcolonial Animal, 2019), can foster ecologies of care and repair by questioning predation and vulnerability as conditions straddling the human / more-than-human divide, thus hinting at new forms of solidarity and attention to the other in conflict or post-conflict African societies. I am particularly interested in the ways the aforementioned texts tackle hunting, killing and meat-eating, going beyond metaphors of violence or sexism to convey how those processes affect multiples species. I want to emphasize the ethical and aesthetic possibilities contained in these texts' poetic language, as they powerfully convey the material, embodied connexion between humans and other forms of existence. Putting in conversation fiction from different regions of Africa, written in different languages by male and female writers, taking place in countries which have all shared violent processes of decolonization which eventually led to civil wars, I want to suggest that African writers have early on channelled African traditions of attentiveness to the environment to highlight the shared vulnerability of humans and non-humans, suggesting reparative pathways that celebrate multiple agencies and forms of interdependence.
WILLIAMSUMNER
‘”What Is a Myth? Graeco-Roman, Norse, Celtic, and Huichol Mythologies in a Global Context”
We were delighted to be joined by alumnus William (Bill) Sumner at this event. Bill studied Theology at Linacre 1965-1968 and has remained academically active since, teaching and self-publishing many books on the topics of religion and science. Bill spoke about Graeco-Roman, Norse, Celtic, and Huichol Mythologies in a Global Context.
November 11
YAMAFAROOQMUJADIDI
“When Data Thinks for Itself: AI and the Future of Clinical Trials Data Management”
ADRIANSUTTON
“The ductile-brittle transition in metals”
Many materials are malleable and ductile at higher temperatures, but become brittle when they are cooled to low temperatures Some metals such as copper and aluminium remain ductile even at temperatures approaching absolute zero. In metals showing a ductile to brittle transition (DBT), the transition is often very abrupt, occurring over less than 10 degrees C There is no change in the structure of the metal, only its response to an applied stress. Ever since the liberty ships disasters of WW2 there has been intense research on the DBT in metals Current understanding stems from research carried out by Soviet scientist Abram Joffe’s on common salt (NaCl). His ideas remain widely accepted to this day. I will describe experimental research that shows the current thinking about the DBT in metals cannot be correct Some of that research has existed for more than 50 years, but has been overlooked or ignored. Very recent experiments by Stan Lynch at Melbourne have revealed aspects of brittle fracture that are completely inconsistent with current thinking. Using these recent experimental discoveries I will describe a model for what I think is going on at the DBT.
November 25
VIBENIELSEN
“Palms
and Prestige: Displays of Plants in the Age of Empire”
In the late-nineteenth century, collecting art and plants were prestigious projects, which in Denmark were characterised by collectors such as the brewing magnate Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914), whose collections have been displayed in the halls of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek since 1897. The Palm House in the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen was built in 1872-74 with the father of Carl Jacobsen, the brewer J.C. Jacobsen (1811-1887), as one of the driving forces. It was inspired by London's Crystal Palace, built for the World Exhibition in 1851, and similarly aimed to accommodate a display of the world under its dome. In this presentation, the ideas behind these two prestigious architectural projects are unfolded in a discussion of the ways in which contemporary British glasshouses inspired the Jacobsen benefactors. The initiatives to create palm houses in Copenhagen are thus revisited and analysed with a socioeconomic and cultural political lens: It is argued that in addition to bringing sculptural beauty and green lushness to the visiting public, the plant collections of the Glyptotek and Botanical Garden were also examples of how private benefactors self-positioned themselves in a world, which was characterised by imperial exploitation and representations of Europe as the only true civilisation.
FRANZISKABRÄNDLE
“Understanding
Fun: Using Games to Study Intrinsic Motivation”
In our daily lives, we engage in many activities not for extrinsic rewards, but because we enjoy them. Why do we do this, and what makes an activity intrinsically rewarding? Researchers have explored these questions for decades, but their reliance on simple paradigms and extrinsic incentives has potentially obscured the dynamics of intrinsic motivation. We propose a novel approach: using video games. Their intuitive and engaging nature makes them ideal paradigms for studying not only intrinsic motivation but also cognition more broadly. In this talk, I will present insights into using video games as experimental paradigms and discuss two projects on intrinsic motivation. In the first, we analyzed the behavior of 30,000 players of the game “Little Alchemy”, and found the previously unexplored strategy of empowerment. In the second, we examined players’ preferences across three large-scale video game data sets, revealing signatures of learning progress alongside two additional factors. Together, these studies demonstrate the potential of video games as tools for studying intrinsic motivation in ecological and engaging settings
January 20
GURDEEPMANNU
“Understanding pre-invasive breast cancer”
MARIAKIOURLAPPOU
“ChatMDV: Democratising Bioinformatics Analysis Using Large Language Models”
The rapid advancement in single-cell sequencing, spatial omics, imaging and genomic technologies has produced high-dimensional biological datasets that demand accessible tools for analysis and interpretation. Existing visualisation platforms, such as the Multi-Dimensional Viewer (MDV), offer comprehensive interfaces for data exploration but often require advanced computational expertise and manual configuration. We developed ChatMDV, a naturallanguage interface integrated with MDV, enabling users to generate interactive visualisations and analyses through natural language commands. ChatMDV leverages a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architecture combined with large language models (LLMs) to translate user queries into reproducible Python code and interactive output. ChatMDV enables efficient and reproducible analysis of single-cell transcriptomic data across three datasets: (1) the PBMC3K single-cell RNA-seq dataset, (2) the Human Cell Atlas lung cancer atlas, and (3) the longitudinal TAURUS scRNA-seq study. Across all cases, ChatMDV successfully produced high-quality visualisations from simple natural language questions, achieving accuracy above 95%. ChatMDV reduces technical barriers, enhances reproducibility, and supports more inclusive scientific inquiry.
February 3
MATTHEWWEIGHTMAN
“Sleeping on Recovery: Unlocking the Role of Sleep in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation”
Sleep is often disrupted after stroke, and growing evidence suggests that poorer sleep is linked to worse motor recovery. At the same time, we know that sleep plays a crucial role in consolidating motor learning a key process in regaining lost functions after stroke What remains unclear, however, is whether the negative impact of disrupted sleep on recovery is due to direct interference with these sleep-dependent consolidation processes. My research aims to test that possibility by examining whether measures of motor consolidation mediate the relationship between sleep quality and clinical motor outcomes in stroke patients. By clarifying these links, we hope to shed light on the role of sleep in shaping recovery, ultimately informing new strategies to optimise rehabilitation.
NADIYAIVANENKO
“Between Brain Drain and Brain Gain: Academic Mobility Trends in Wartime Ukraine”
This study explores the phenomenon of academic im/mobility in Ukrainian higher education since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 It examines the patterns, challenges, and consequences of academic im/mobility in this context. It discusses the forced mobility of students and scholars both within Ukraine and abroad, as well as the conditions of those unable to relocate The discussion highlights the challenges of displacement, institutional adaptation, and brain drain while assessing emerging opportunities for international collaboration and academic resilience The session aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how conflict transforms educational systems and knowledge flows in times of crisis.
February 17
CAROLINENETTEKOVEN
“A Mapmaker’s Guide to the Little Brain”
The cerebellum - latin for “little brain” - sits at the back of the head and has long been known as the part of the brain that helps us move with balance and coordination. But recent studies show it plays important roles in thinking, language, and even social interaction. Yet exactly how it contributes to these behaviours remains unclear One difficulty is that the cerebellum is not a uniform structure: it is made up of many different regions, each with its own special role. Until now, researchers have lacked a detailed map to tell these regions apart.
In this talk, I will introduce a new functional atlas of the cerebellum, created by combining data from seven large-scale studies. This atlas outperforms existing maps and can even be adapted to the level of individual brains, greatly improving our ability to detect boundaries between regions. I will also compare different ways of identifying functional areas and consider what this work means not only for mapping the cerebellum but also for understanding the brain as a whole.
PAULGUAJARDO
“Franco and Freemasonry in Equatorial Guinea”
This presentation will explore the intersection of Freemasonry, colonial policy, and political repression in Equatorial Guinea during the Francoist regime. Through an examination of various colonial Spanish legal trials of Freemasons, my research investigates the ideological contradictions within the Spanish colonial administration. While Freemasonry was treated as a subversive threat punishable by lengthy prison terms or execution in metropolitan Spain, colonial officials often adopted a more paternalistic and racially informed stance toward African Freemasons. Through an analysis of archival sources, legal records, and colonial rhetoric, my research demonstrates how the Francoist state's obsession with legality, image management, and the narrative of the civilizing mission led to inconsistent applications of justice and revealed the fractured nature of the regime. As the first exploration of this topic in the literature, this study contributes to the broader historiography of Equatorial Guinea and Spanish history by situating African Freemasonry in those traditions. It further connects to the history of Francoism by situating Spain’s African empire within debates on political repression, colonial hypocrisy, and the limits of ideological coherence in imperial governance.
March 3
CHRISTINEAHRENDS
“The resting brain”
In the absence of a task or an external stimulus, the brain does not simply “switch off” but its function across different brain areas fluctuates in complex dynamic patterns as the mind wanders. In addition, areas across the whole brain spontaneously synchronise and desynchronise their activity, forming large networks of interaction. Such networks allow different brain areas to communicate, forming the basis for higher-level cognition. The specific configuration of these patterns of brain function carries information about an individual’s cognitive function, their behaviour and mood, as well as potential neurologic or neuropsychiatric disease. But how can we describe these complex patterns? And how can we use this description to learn about an individual? My research focuses on describing brain dynamics, i.e., patterns of brain activity and interaction as they evolve over time, and leveraging these descriptions from big neuroimaging data for machine learning
MATTHEWEDMANS
“Vaccine
development for Hepatitis C Virus eradication”
Although modern antivirals can cure most chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, around 58 million people remain infected worldwide, causing roughly 290,000 deaths each year. This persistent burden is driven by low diagnosis rates, alongside persistent reinfection in high-risk populations.Early infection often causes no symptoms, and limited national screening programs restrict access to treatment. Therefore, to achieve global elimination, an effective preventive vaccine is urgently needed to complement antiviral therapy
Previous vaccine efforts have not prevented infection in high-risk groups, primarily due to the virus’s extreme genetic diversity and the challenge of triggering strong, lasting immune responses. Our research group, in collaboration with international partners, is developing next-generation viral vector and mRNA-LNP vaccines designed to stimulate robust T cell and antibody responses that recognise the full breadth of HCV’s genetic variation. In this presentation, I will share our recent progress toward this goal.
April 28
SHYAMAVERMEERSCH
“Food Systems Past and Present: Insights from Archaeology for the Future”
My research consists of two parts: 1) understanding past food systems and 2) using this knowledge to find solutions for the crises we face today, e g , biodiversity, sustainable farming, and climate change. For the first part, I combine the study of past animal and plant remains, biochemical analyses, and archaeological literature research to understand people’s diets and farming practices in southwest Asia during the Bronze and Iron Ages. I also explore whether this changes, and if so, what the possible reasons are. I am keen to determine what influences past empires had on the areas they conquered, and to what extent wealth inequality developed in subjugated areas. The second part of my research involves active collaboration with non-academic stakeholders to see if and to what extent this knowledge can help find solutions to these crises. I am especially interested in the rise of regenerative farming and crop rotation integrating livestock. This work is ongoing, but I advocate that archaeology has the major benefit of providing a deep-time chronological overview of humanity’s successes and failures, and how these affected our environments.
RIADHSALEM
“Standardising Surgery? A Video Based Assessment Tool for Quality Assurance”
May 12
EMILYCARROLL
“Development of gene therapy approaches for Parkinson’s disease”
My current work involves designing and testing potential new gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease. I use a modified herpes simplex virus to deliver genetic material encoding proteins that are missing or dysfunctional in patients with Parkinson’s disease. I test these therapies in human stem cell neuronal models derived from patients with Parkinson’s disease and see if I can rescue disease associated phenotypes.
KASPERJUELPETERSEN
“Emergent properties in complex fluids”
Emergent properties arise when the collective behaviour of many interacting components cannot be inferred from the dynamics of individual constituents alone. In fluids, phenomena such as cavitation, boiling, and phase separation emerge from microscopic molecular fluctuations acting across multiple length and time scales. This talk presents a mathematical framework that bridges these scales through a hierarchy of Langevin, Fokker-Planck, and Navier-StokesFourier descriptions. Starting from stochastic particle dynamics, I showed how coarse-graining leads naturally to kinetic and continuum equations, highlighting the role of thermal noise in macroscopic fluid behaviour. I then introduced a lattice Fokker-Planck framework that enables efficient numerical simulation while retaining the underlying statistical physics. By incorporating a van der Waals equation of state into the kinetic model, the method captures liquid–vapour phase transitions and spinodal decomposition within a unified framework. Numerical examples demonstrated the spontaneous formation of phase-separated structures and illustrated how microscopic fluctuations give rise to complex macroscopic dynamics.
May 26
GOVINDGOUR
“Titanium alloys and its application: Understanding Deformation and Failure Under Extreme Conditions”
Titanium alloys are widely used across aerospace, automotive, defence, and medical industries credit to their strength and reliability. This study explores their behaviour under extreme loading such as bird strike events that can lead to partially or complete failure of jet engine structures. These high velocity impacts occur over microseconds and are replicated in controlled laboratory conditions, including cryogenic (-70 °C) to elevated temperatures (200 °C- 800 °C). The study involved advanced diagnostic tools including high speed camera and infrared thermal camera operating at one million frames per second. A novel apparatus was also developed to study combined stretching and twisting at high deformation rate replicating the realistic impact condition and mapping out how material would behave under different complex loading. These results enable accurate material characterisation and improved numerical models, supporting the design of safer, faster, and more reliable engineering components.
ULRIKLYNGS
“‘How to beat digital distraction: Practical lessons from solutions-based research with 3,000+ students & staff in higher education”
Smartphones and computers are essential for how we study, work, and connect — but they are also a source of endless distraction that undermines our focus and eats into our time. In this talk, Dr Ulrik Lyngs presents practical lessons from the Reduce Digital Distraction (ReDD) Project, which has helped more than 3,000 students and staff across 30+ universities and organisations take back control of their digital lives. Drawing on the most effective strategies identified by university staff and students including hiding distracting features such as newsfeeds, blocking distracting apps and websites — Ulrik shows how simple redesigns of our digital environments can make a striking difference: workshop participants report a 58% improvement in digital selfcontrol and 1.5 fewer hours per day of wasted screen time. The talk ends by zooming out to AI, Big Tech, and policy, discussing how the most effective solutions are easy to apply on the open web but much harder on closed mobile platforms controlled by Apple and Google — and what that means for the design of digital infrastructure that works for everyone.
June 9
HANNAHSHRADER
“Unraveling How Lung Immunity Can Be Harnessed For Protection Against Pnuemococcal Pneumonia & Other Respiratory Pathogens”
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumococcal pneumonia, with current licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccines offering limited long-term protection against mucosal diseases. While the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) induces IgG responses for up to four months, the longevity of cellular responses remains unclear. Understanding the mechanisms behind vaccine- and exposure-induced immune memory is essential for nextgeneration vaccine development
SNESCOTTHANSEN
“Revisiting the concept of noise in everyday AI: technological promises and the lived experiences of health self-tracking”
Wearable technologies that incorporate AI are often framed as being beneficial for optimising individual health, and their popularity reflects broader promissory imaginaries around AI in health (Watson & Wozniak-O’Connor, 2025). Such framings are particularly pronounced in the case of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which are now marketed to general consumers interested in improving their health. This chapter presents a case study of Lingo, a CGM launched in the UK in summer 2024, and offers a thematic analysis of how Reddit users reflect on their experiences of using Lingo Situating these reflections alongside the speculative narratives of AI in health, we turn to the concept of noise, drawing from and moving beyond Shannon & Weaver’s (1975) classic model of communication, to explore the tensions between the promises of AI in health and the perceived challenges of using Lingo. By analysing Reddit engagement we show how noise manifests as physical and emotional discomfort, material and infrastructural fragility, and data interpretation uncertainty, and argue that it is inherent to the relation between humans and such technologies. In doing so, the chapter contributes to understanding the social consequences of AI in everyday health data practices by showing how optimistic narratives are practically resisted and reinterpreted.
