14.00, Tuesday 02 June 2026
The Symposium Building, Surgeons Quarter, Hill Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9DW
Engineering biology is transforming healthcare and the UK is poised to play a leading role. Join the FORUM Sir Colin Dollery Lecture 2026 by Professor Susan Rosser, with cross-sector discussion chaired by Professor Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government.
This event is open to anyone with a stake in the future of life sciences and healthcare innovation, including researchers across all academic career stages, Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows, industry partners, clinical and NHS colleagues, patient advocates and public contributors, third sector organisations and innovation ecosystem partners. Expect big ideas, practical insights, and a compelling look at the biological technologies that will define the next decade.
Register to attend in person in Edinburgh
What if we could programme living cells to sense disease, store information, and make decisions to treat or even prevent disease? Join us for a keynote lecture by Professor Susan Rosser FRSE FLSW, Professor of Synthetic Biology at the University of Edinburgh, as she explores how engineering biology is transforming healthcare, from diagnostics to therapeutics and beyond.
Following the lecture, Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS HonFREng FMedSci will chair a cross-sector panel discussion about how to implement engineering biology to improve health. Panellists include:
- Professor Paul Freemont, Co-founder, Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation; Co-director, SynbiCITE; Director, London BioFoundry
- Dr Velia Siciliano, Principal Investigator, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
In-person sign-in begins at 14.00 and the Lecture begins at 14.30. After the event, there will be an in-person networking reception.
Preceding the Lecture, the Academy is hosting an Engineering biology implementation showcase and networking lunch, which must be registered for separately.
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about the event.
The FORUM Sir Colin Dollery Lecture is part of the Academy’s FORUM programme, which convenes participants from across sectors to take forward national discussions on scientific opportunities, technology trends, and developments for health and life sciences. The Lecture is named in honour of Sir Colin Dollery FMedSci, who was instrumental in the creation of FORUM in his role as Treasurer in 2003.