Inaugural Lecture by Professor Nigel Saunders

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to Professor Saunders’ Inaugural Lecture to be held on Thursday 23 January 2014. This is one of a series of lectures held each year, which help raise the profile of our Professors and also offer an opportunity for work and research in their specialist field to be made available to a wide and varied audience.

Professor Saunders, Chair in Systems Biology in the School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics will deliver his Inaugural Lecture entitled “A love-hate relationship? Why do bacteria kill us and harm us?” The lecture starts at 5.30pm, will open with a welcome speech from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julia Buckingham, and will conclude with light refreshments.

Lecture Abstract

Why do bacteria kill us and hurt us? Is it because they mean to, are they evolved to do us harm, is it a competition? In this lecture, using meningitis and gonorrhoeae as examples, Professor Saunders will present new insights that turn these common ideas around. These will reveal that if we really want to understand mankind’s longest and greatest enemies we need to think of them, their evolution, and their interactions with us in new ways.

Please note: school group places are limited. We would be grateful if you could also inform us of any special access or dietary requirements. Arrival instructions will be sent with receipt of booking your place.