Research at the E-Lab
At the E-Lab we support research and innovation through our College Research Associates, knowledge exchange conferences, and core team’s research activities..
Research Associates
Our E-Lab Research Associates are postdocs at the University of Cambridge who we support to pursue entrepreneurship or innovation relevant to their research.
Our current CRAs come from the subject areas of plant sciences, zoology, material science, cognitive neuroscience, synthetic biology, and physics.
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“The E-Lab plays a crucial role in translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact by supporting early-stage commercialisation...it provides a dynamic space to test and challenge new ideas, offering invaluable feedback from a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.”
- James Beattie
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“As an E-Lab Research Associate I’ve had the opportunity to attend numerous events with high profile individuals who have shared experiences on their journeys. These have provided deep learnings which I have applied to my own spinout journey. The Lab has provided an ecosystem unlike any other in Cambridge with a non-hierarchical system where students can understand entrepreneurship. This is not possible anywhere else in Cambridge.”
- Ismail Sami
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“The E-Lab has helped tremendously by providing the space and time to work on parts of my research which are essential to building a solid foundation for my venture. It has also provided me with a community during challenging times. Having the other RAs, each in the same position, helps immensely – I know that I'm not alone in this journey.”
- Nadia Radzman
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“Through exposure to world-class entrepreneurs, conversation with other E-Lab associates, and access to funding, the E-Lab is strengthening my entrepreneurial skills, ultimately enabling me to translate my research into actionable solutions in the field.”
- Charles Emogor
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“The E-Lab has been a central part of my Cambridge journey in the last two years. It has broadened my thinking, introduced me to valuable networks, and connected me with key contacts both within and beyond the university. I feel a real sense of community and support that I don't get anywhere else in Cambridge.”
- Coco Newton
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“The E-Lab has been transformative for me personally; the support I have received has provided the security, environment, network and expertise to really explore the industrial translation of my research. It is accurate to say that, were it not for the E-Lab, I would not be in a position to do this. As research with potentially far-reaching implications, beyond benefitting me personally, this may one day also translate to major societal benefits.”
- Chris Micklem
Read from our CRAs
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Tackling the Hidden Costs of Food Insecurity
Nadia Radzman
The current state of global food security requires urgent attention. In countries across the world, we are failing to act in ways which ensure not just that we can grow “more” food, but that we can grow nutritious food in sustainable ways. Plant biotechnology can help us tackle these pressing problems and, if we embrace innovation, we can pioneer resilient and socially beneficial food systems. Read more about Nadia’s research to do just this as she works with new technologies to tackle insecurity. -
A Mindset Shift to Balance Academia and Grassroots Conservation Work
Charles Emogor
A few months into his postdoc monitoring wildlife hunting in Nigeria, Charles and his team spent many hours travelling narrow tracks and stopping in remote forest communities to hold tense but hopeful meetings with hunting groups. By night, he scrambled to keep the pangolin conservation organisation he’d founded running. Physically and mentally drained, he began to wonder: was his vision of combining a research career with directing a grassroots non-profit unrealistic? -
Solving the Dementia Dilemma with a Radical Rethink
Coco Newton
Only 1 in 10 people know that dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK; we are only beginning to comprehend the complex causes of this silent global trend. In fact, the magnitude of recent discoveries mean researchers, doctors, and public health bodies alike are struggling to agree on what dementia even means and how we should diagnose it. Yet our choice of definition can have a potentially devastating impact; a radical rethink on traditional approaches is required. -
From Intelligent Toilets to Viable NHS Frameworks
James Beattie
Healthcare start-ups often encounter an implicit message: to work with the NHS, you must implement full medical-grade compliance from the outset. This complexity creates friction, reduces the diversity of innovation, and disengages aspiring innovators. While the NHS must be cautious, the current system results not in safer innovation, but stalled innovation. Institutional clarity in public healthcare is essential to widen participation, support innovators, and ultimately strengthen the NHS.
News
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Nadia Radzman featured in UK Magazine 'Chew'
MONTH, DAY
Our brilliant CRA, Nadia, the resident ‘Bean Queen’ was featured in the Chew a magazine for children and their families that is on a mission to inspire and reconnect children with the universal foods that we take for granted: fruits, grains, vegetables.
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Coco Newton secures £400k from ARIA for ethical frameworks in neurotechnology.
JANUARY, 2025
Coco and her team were awarded £400,000, by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), to expand their work to include neurotechnologies like brain computer interfaces and deep brain stimulation.
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Charles Emogor receives award for "best PhD thesis in zoology and conservation”
JANUARY 2025
In January 2025, Charles received the ZSL Thomas Henry Huxley Award and Marsh Prize, presented annually for the "best PhD thesis in zoology and conservation science submitted to a UK university".
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Chris Micklem receives largest award size possible for the grant ARIA grant
MONTH, YEAR
Chris has received £500,000 for ARIA’s Programmable Plants Opportunity Seed. His project aims to pioneer a new direction in synthetic biology through stochastic synthetic biology: the design of gene circuits that use noise, instead of suppressing it. -
Coco Newton I was recognised with UK Women in Neuroscience Postdoctoral Rising Star award in January 2025.
NOVEMBER, 2024
The Rising Star of the Year Awards recognised emerging talent at various career stages, with winners receiving a year’s free BNA membership.
Knowledge Exchange and Conferences
Throughout the year, the E-Lab hosts conferences, roundtables, and delegations for knowledge exchange and innovation. We are challenging traditional thinking and encouraging radical ideas by creating the opportunities for interdisciplinary scholars, practitioners and industry professionals to come together and interrogate current ideas and possible futures.
Image credits to David Johnson Photograpic
Explore our past conferences and knowledge exchanges
Read about the research in our community
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From Microchips to Macro Machines: Mapping Manufacturing Mysteries with AI
Hanu Priya Indiran
In an era defined by high-stakes innovation, engineered systems are becoming increasingly complex. In this blog, one of our E-Lab residential students, Hanu Priya Indiran, outlines how she is using AI in her research to design manufacturing systems for sustainability, at scale in this complex context. -
Stolen Sleep and Shrinking Brains – The Impact of Climate Change on Rest
Hauwa Busari
What if climate change is not just about rising seas or hotter days, but also about stolen sleep and shrinking brains? As temperatures increase, the negative consequences for sleep and for health are also on the rise, and they require us to think about innovative approaches to how we design and build. E-Lab Residential Student Hauwa Busari outlines her research into heat and sleep, calling for a serious rethink on design before climate change claims our ability to rest. -
What do Aviation and Synthetic Biology have in Common? The Journey of Neela Biotech
Deepanshu Singh and Friederike Nintzel
Developed by aerospace engineer Deepanshu Singh (CEO) and synthetic biologist Friederike Nintzel (CTO) (SPARK Cohort 1.0) who met in Cambridge through their shared passion for sustainability and climate tech, Neela Biotech brings a rare interdisciplinary edge to the future of sustainable aviation and to the challenge of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
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Sound, Order and Survival in Prison… and Beyond
Kate Herrity
Sound, Order and Survival in Prison: The rhythms and routines of HMP Midtown” tells the story of a year spent at a local men’s prison interrogating the soundscape and its meaning for the prison social world. Sound, she argues, tells us different things about life, order and power in prisons. After launching her book on the 1st of February 2024, Kate Herrity reflects on the space provided by the E-Lab and the value of collaboration.