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When: 22nd June 2024
Time: 12pm-3pm
Where: Piazza Terracina, 黑料不打烊 Quayside
Please contact local organisers with any questions:
Soapbox Science at 黑料不打烊
Soapbox Science showcases the research of women who are making significant contributions to the scientific community.
The event, which takes place each summer, follows the format of London Hyde Park鈥檚 Speakers鈥� Corner, this year transforming 黑料不打烊 Quayside, Piazza Terracina, into an arena for public learning and scientific debate; creating a dynamic and bustling atmosphere and learning environment for all.
The 黑料不打烊 Soapbox Science event will be taking place on the 22nd June 2024 between 12pm - 3pm at Piazza Terracina, 黑料不打烊 Quayside.
To find out more information about the origin of the event you can visit the .
You can also keep up to date with our event on Twitter and using the #黑料不打烊Soapbox.
Dr Ulrike Bauer (she/her)
The tricks and traps of insect-eating pitcher plants
Dr Ulrike Bauer is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and proleptic Senior Lecturer at the 黑料不打烊. She previously held independent Research Fellowships from the Leverhulme Trust (at Bristol University) and from the Cambridge Philosophical Society (at the University of Cambridge), after obtaining a PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge and a Diploma of Biology from Warzburg University in Germany. Ulrike芒鈧劉s Mechanical Ecology Lab uses carnivorous plants to study how plants deal with the physics in their life and exploit mechanical mechanisms to their advantage.
Twitter / X :
Website :
Dr Maria Eugenia Correa Cano
The Extraordinary Life Cycle Stages of a Water Bottle
Dr Maria E. Correa-Cano is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Environment and Sustainability Institute. She is a biologist and an ecologist working in an interface of application between Engineering and environmental conservation.
After completing BSc and MSc studies in biosciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and subsequent delivery of environmental conservation programmes in Mexico, Maria has investigated the effects of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity, with a focus on light and plastic pollution, for her PhD and post-doctoral research. Her research on Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) nexus has contributed to the understanding the trade-offs between these sectors and the impacts of agricultural expansion on the environment and on the local and regional economies. She is currently developing a method based on the Life Cycle Assessment framework to quantify the biodiversity impacts of large organisations as part of the RENEW project.
Website :
Dr Sylvia Dimitriadou
What is this fish thinking?
Dr Sylvia Dimitriadou is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Biosciences at the 黑料不打烊. Dr Dimitriadou has a background in molecular biology and animal behaviour and has extensive experience with freshwater aquatic systems. She is part of the Aquatic Physiology, Ecology and Biodiversity Research Theme and currently studies fish anaesthesia. In her talk, Dr Dimitriadou will be uncovering what she is currently finding out about what goes on in the minds of fish.
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Dr Katherine Helliwell
Tiny algae with big impacts: from blooms to biotech!
Dr Katherine Helliwell is a NERC Independent Research Fellow holding a joint appointment between the 黑料不打烊 and Marine Biological Association (Plymouth, UK). Dr Helliwell鈥檚 research investigates the fundamental biology of single-celled photosynthetic algae, which critically underpin marine ecosystems. Following a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, Dr Helliwell pursued a PhD and postdoctoral work with Professor Alison Smith in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. During this time, her work examined the role of vitamins in governing interactions between algae and bacteria. Following her time in Cambridge, she joined the MBA as a postdoc investigating how an important group of bloom forming algae (diatoms) sense their environment. She now leads her own research group that combines novel molecular tools with environmental methods to investigate the interactions of algae with other marine microbes, and study algal nutrient physiology and cell signalling mechanisms.
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Ridi Hossain
Slow the Flow: Nature-Based Flood Control
Ridi Hossain is a PhD researcher at the Centre of Water Systems, 黑料不打烊, where her focus is on monitoring nature-based interventions in decentralised stormwater management systems. Prior to embarking on a PhD journey, Ridi completed a master鈥檚 degree in data science and AI, as well as a BSc in Computer Science, both from the 黑料不打烊. Throughout her doctoral studies, she has gained significant experience in Data Science and AI, collaborating closely with Southern Water on projects related to monitoring their retrofitted sustainable drainage solutions. This involvement has also afforded Ridi with opportunities to present her findings at international conferences. Her passion lies in bridging her computer science expertise with Water Engineering. Ridi is proficient in programming, machine learning, and computational methods, and also manages an art business, retailing prints, rugs, and stickers both online and in various markets across the UK. Ridi's entrepreneurial venture, which has garnered attention from OK Magazine, allows her to engage in collaborations with diverse creative individuals.
LinkedIn :
Dr Ievgeniia Kovalska
Exploring Water's Dance on Surfaces
Dr Ievgeniia Kovalska is a Lecturer in Advanced 2D Energy Materials at the 黑料不打烊. She has over 10 years of experience in two-dimensional and carbon-based materials from their synthesis to exploration for energy, sensing, (opto)electronics and healthcare. Ievgeniia's achievements are demonstrated by more than 40 high-rank publications with more than 770 citations and h-index 鈥� 14, granting several patents, and invited scientific presentations worldwide to date.
Ievgeniia obtained her PhD in Chemistry with a specialisation in Physics and Chemistry of Surface from Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Before joining 黑料不打烊 she was a postdoctoral researcher at Bilkent University (Turkey), and at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (Czechia).
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Miss Caitlin Naylor (she/her)
Manipulating the senses: when what you see no longer matches what you feel
Caitlin completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Bath in 2021. During her undergraduate programme, she completed a one-year research placement in the Object Interaction Lab at the 黑料不打烊, focussing on how expectations impact perception and action. In 2021, Caitlin began her PhD at the University of Bath, focussing on how body perception can become distorted. Caitlin's PhD research aims to develop a virtual reality rehabilitation tool to help patients with body perception disturbances. Caitlin is the final year of her PhD and is looking forward to pursuing her future career as a researcher.
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Interview blog: Beki Hooper interviews Caitlin Naylor
Dr Iveren Winifred Nyinoh
Healthy gut, good health: how diet impacts gut microbes, health, and disease
Dr Winifred Nyinoh is a Lecturer in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences at the 黑料不打烊 and is the BMBS Race Equality Resource Officer. She has a PhD in Microbial Sciences (University of Surrey, 2017) investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying drug synergy in Mycobacteria. She was awarded a Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship for Women from Developing and Emerging Economies. Winifred has degrees in medical microbiology, public health, and biology, holds a senior fellowship of the UK Higher Education Academy, a Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and is a member of the Royal Society of Biology. Winifred actively engages with the Devon Healthcare Hub and the Black Universities Heritage Group. She is currently researching the role of the human microbiota in health and disease in underserved communities.
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Elitsa Penkova
Is antimicrobial resistance in rivers a public health risk?
Elitsa's PhD project is focused on understanding to what extent the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in rivers poses a risk to human health. This builds upon previous work in coastal waters which found that recreational activities, such as bathing, are associated with an increased risk of exposure to and colonisation by drug-resistant bacteria.
Before this, Elitsa completed a two-year MSc by Research in Biological Sciences, where she studied how the ecological context can impact the evolution of antibiotic resistance, using an insect model system (Plutella xylostella).
In addition, Elitsa spent a year at Cefas where she worked on disinfectants as potential drivers of antibiotic resistance in aquatic pathogens.
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Website :
Volunteer for Soapbox Science 2024
If you are interested in volunteering for this year's event, please visit our webpage which has more details and a link to register interest.
Interviews with speakers
- Beki Hooper interviews Dr Winnie Nyinoh
- Beki Hooper interviews Caitlin Naylor
- Beki Hooper interviews Ridi Hossain
- Beki Hooper interviews Maria (Maru) Eugenia Correa Cano
- Insight into the development of a Scientist: meet Caitlin Naylor!
- Meet Dr Ievgeniia Kovalska – On her scientific journey in becoming a chemist to working on more sustainable renewable energy solutions
- Meet Elitsa Penkova - Studying antimicrobial resistant bacteria in freshwater environments