Our Heritage
Formed in 2007, the Biophysical Sciences Institute is a community of over 150 academics and researchers united by an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the fundamental systems of life. Our collegiate and enthusiastic interdisciplinary community is drawn from across 7 departments and multiple disciplines.
The Origins of the Biophysical Sciences Institute
The Biophysical Sciences institute was formed by Professors Judith Howard CBE FRS (Durham University Chemistry), Martyn Chamberlain FInstP (Durham Physics) and Roy Quinlan (Durham Biosciences) with support from the Wolfson Trust. The Wolfson investment of £1.5 Million was used to establish the BSI and to convert laboratories on the top floor of the Department of Chemistry into biosciences laboratories. This location built on the enthusiastic Bioactive Chemistry research group in the Department of Chemistry and gave Durham both a physical space for interdisciplinary biosciences research and a network to connect researchers working in this area. Since they were officially opened in 2009 the Wolfson Laboratories have provided a physical focus to the wider BSI community across the University. They have become an exemplar for interdisciplinary research have stimulated further interdisciplinary biophysical research across the Faculty of Science.
- 14 Biosciences group leaders embedded in Chemistry (total since 2008)
- £27 M funding since 2008 for these embedded academics
- 14 awards between Chemistry and Biosciences since 2008
- £30.2M Linked to the Wolfson Laboratory since 2008
- £38.2 M in total linked to all Biosciences staff embedded in Chemistry since 2008
Wolfson Laboratories 2018
Opening of the Wolfson Laboratories 2009
Biophysical Sciences Institute Timeline
Year | Key Events |
---|---|
2007 | £1.5 million Wolfson Trust award to establish the Biophysical Sciences Institute and create the Wolfson Laboratories |
2007 | Biophysical Sciences Institute officially launched |
2008 | Biosciences staff move into the Wolfson Laboratories |
2009 | Wolfson Laboratories official opening |
2012 | British Biophysical Society Conference hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2012 | Institut Curie – Durham Biophysical Sciences Institute Postgraduate Conference |
2012 | BSI Judith Howard Lecture Prize launched |
2013 | The first of the BSI 1+1 Fellows welcomed to Durham |
2013 | Special Interest Group founded supported by the BSI and Wolfson Research Institute: Filling the Void |
2013 | BSI host a public lecture linked to the Lumiere installation I by Gina Czarnecki in collaboration with Professor John Girkin (Department of Physics) |
2014 | International Study Group for Systems Biology (ISGSB) Conference hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2014 | British Society for Rheology Mid-Winter Meeting - Active and Complex Liquids hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2014 | Members of our community, led by Professor Tom McLeish FRS and later Professor Colin Bain secure funding for EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces (SOFI CDT) |
2015 | RSC Soft Matter Symposium hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2015 | British Society for Research on Ageing annual conference hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2016 | BSI & IOP workshop: Nanofluidics |
2016 | British Society of Parasitology Conference “Bug Bitten”, held in Durham with BSI support |
2016 | Members of our community, led by Professor Ehmke Pohl, secure investment through the Virus X project |
2017 | International Workshop: Automated Analysis of Ageing in C. elegans and Beyond |
2017 | Members of our community, led by Professor Tom McLeish FRS secure funding for PoLNet2 |
2017 | BSI first sponsor Pint of Science Durham |
2018 | Physics of Life (PolNet2) Summer School: New Approaches to Biomolecular Structure, Dynamics and Function supported and sponsored by the BSI |
2018 | Members of our community secure the UKRI GCRF Award: A Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (known as the NTD Network) PI Professors Graham Sandford and Paul Denny |
2018 | Members of our community secure funding for the MosMed CDT led by Newcastle University. |
2018 | Members of our community, led by Professor Colin Bain secure additional funding for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces (SOFI2 CDT) |
2019 | Virus X meeting hosted by the BSI in Durham |
2019 | Biomathematics and biocomputation Special Interest Group launched, supported by the BSI |
2020 | BSI host the Online Peptoid Symposia, which runs from 2020-2022 attracting over 600 people in the first year alone |
2020 | BSI Early Career Stage Researchers host the first ECR Symposium online |
2021 | BSI Create – our art-science collaboration programme is launched |
2021 |
In-person events resume with the Judith Howard Prize Lecture by Dr Rivka Isaacson (KCl) |
2022 |
First visit from Central St Martins (UAL) staff and students |
2023 |
BSI Early Career Stage Researchers host the ECR Symposium in St Mary’s College |
2023 |
BSI Grant Writing and Mentorship programmes introduced |
2023 |
Animate Materials MSc launched |