Overview
A series of short talks by early-career researchers at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½, showcasing innovative work across a range of disciplines. The event features a dynamic lineup of speakers sharing fresh insights from their cutting-edge research, offering a concise and engaging overview of emerging ideas and discoveries.
Speakers
- Dr Yanyan Zhao - Imaging the Earliest Events in Alzheimer’s Disease: Targeting Soluble Oligomers
Alzheimer’s disease is traditionally characterized by the presence of amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles. However, recent evidence suggests that the most neurotoxic species are not the large, visible aggregates, but rather the small, "invisible" soluble oligomers that form long before clinical symptoms appear. These oligomers are considered the "earliest events" in the disease cascade, yet they remain notoriously difficult to detect in a living brain due to their transient nature and low concentration.
In this talk, Dr Yanyan Zhao explores the development of novel PET imaging tracers designed specifically to target these elusive soluble oligomers. By bridging biophysical principles with advanced molecular imaging, her research aims to provide a window into the pre-clinical stages of neurodegeneration. This presentation will cover the challenges of tracer design, the transition from biophysical protein-interaction studies to neuroimaging, and the potential for these tools to revolutionize early diagnosis and the monitoring of therapeutic efficacy in Alzheimer’s disease.
Biography
Dr Yanyan Zhao is a dedicated researcher specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on developing pre-clinical Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging tracers and investigating protein misfolding in disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Dr Zhao earned her PhD in Food Science and Engineering from China Agricultural University, where she studied biophysical interactions between polyphenols and proteins, producing multiple first-author publications. Transitioning to neuroscience, she joined Cambridge in 2014 and has since contributed to pioneering research on imaging techniques and protein aggregation, resulting in high-impact publications in journals such as Nature Communications, Chemical Science, and ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
- Dr Anthony Torres-Ruesta - From Pipettes to Policy: A Pandemic Pivot for Global Health Security
This talk traces a personal transition from laboratory-based research to working at the intersection of science, policy, and global health security. It begins with a familiar starting point for many early-career researchers: deep specialization, technical expertise, and a focus on discovery at the bench. But the COVID-19 pandemic exposed something many scientists had not been trained to confront—the limits of science alone.
The talk also explores what it means to move into interdisciplinary spaces working with policymakers, international organizations, and global frameworks.
Biography
Dr Anthony Torres-Ruesta is an interdisciplinary researcher whose work explores how science, governance, and technology can better protect societies from biological risks. He is particularly interested in identifying and addressing inequities that shape the world’s preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.
Anthony completed his BSc in Biological Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Piura in Peru, before moving to Asia to pursue a PhD at the National University of Singapore. Following his PhD, Anthony joined A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs as a Postdoctoral fellow, contributing to Singapore’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Mpox outbreak. The marked disparities in global preparedness and response exposed during these global health emergencies motivated him to pivot toward the global health security field, undertaking an MPhil in Population Health Sciences at the University of Cambridge in 2024. He joined ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ as a JRF in January 2026.
- Dr Erik Jansson - Preserving the Structure of Motion
When simulating Hamiltonian systems, such as the solar system, on a computer, continuous motion must be approximated with discrete steps. Do this naively, and the Earth spirals into the Sun or is hurled into space. The problem is not a lack of precision but a failure to respect the geometric structure underlying the physics. This talk presents geometric integration: the idea that a good simulation should preserve the fundamental mechanical properties of physical systems. We then give an outlook of where Hamiltonian systems can appear, both in my research and elsewhere.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Biography
Dr Erik Jansson completed his PhD at Chalmers University of Technology in geometric numerical analysis and stochastic differential equations. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at DAMTP, University of Cambridge, working broadly at the intersection of geometry, probability, and computation, with applications ranging from geophysical fluid dynamics to inverse problems and protein imaging.
- Dr Daniel Whitehouse - Diagnosis and outcomes in traumatic brain injury
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the most common neurological disorder worldwide, yet its long-term consequences are only now being fully appreciated. Beyond the immediate effects of injury, growing evidence points to serious long-term harm, including a significantly increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. This talk will discuss the acute and chronic effects of TBI, with a particular focus on the use of blood tests taken in the emergency department for diagnosis and outcome prediction following injury.
Biography
Dr Daniel Whitehouse is a Junior Research Fellow at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ and is employed as a clinical lecturer in Emergency Medicine, splitting his time between researching brain injury and working clinically in the emergency department. He completed his medical degree at the University of Aberdeen in 2016, and completed his PhD in Cambridge in 2025 alongside training as an emergency medicine doctor.
Details
The event is open to all, is free to attend and there is no need to book.
Access
This event will take place in the Gatsby Room on the first floor of the Chancellor's Centre. It has step-free access with a lift and there is an accessible toilet located each floor of the building.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Science Society
The Science Society is a welcoming, supportive and open community of scientists and science enthusiasts. Through their events, they aim to bring people together across disciplines, listen to amazing speakers, make connections, spark discussions, and have some fun.
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