LIYSF Specialist STEM Lectures: Small-Group Learning with Leading Researchers

At most science events, students sit in a large hall and listen. The London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF) also gives them something more personal: the Specialist STEM Lectures. In these smaller sessions, young people aged 16 to 21 learn directly from researchers who are still working at the cutting edge of their fields, and they get the chance to ask questions and join the discussion.

This article explains how the LIYSF Specialist STEM Lectures work, what the Specialist Study Day involves and the range of topics students can explore.

What Are Specialist STEM Lectures?

LIYSF runs four subject-specialist lecture sessions during the Forum. On each of these days, eight different lectures run side by side, and every student chooses the one that interests them most. Over the programme, each participant builds their own personal STEM journey.

The speakers are leading researchers, and many of them still do hands-on research every day. They bring the latest discoveries straight from their labs to the lecture room.

How are they different from the Principal Lectures?

The Principal Lectures are delivered to the whole Forum of around 500 students. The Specialist Lectures are much smaller, with typically 50 to 60 students per session. That gives students:

• closer contact with the expert
• more time for questions
• deeper discussion of the topic
• the freedom to follow their own interests

Alumni Specialist Lecture Day

One of the newest additions to the programme is the Alumni Specialist Lecture Day. Every speaker on this day is a former LIYSF participant who has gone on to become a researcher, scientist or engineer. It is an inspiring reminder to current students of where their own journey could lead.

Recent alumni speakers have included:

• Professor Clare Elwell (LIYSF 1984), University College London – portable, light-based brain imaging (NIRS) and its use in global health
• Dr Émer Hickey (LIYSF 2014), University of Exeter – how mothers pass immunity to their babies
• Simran Mohnani (LIYSF 2013), Stanford – the rise of industrial climate technology
• Dr Pius Theiler (LIYSF 2012), TU Vienna – how twisted molecules can sort electron spins
• Helen Peregrine (LIYSF 2009), East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – modern treatments for eye disease
• Natalija Vujacic (LIYSF 2018), Francis Crick Institute – tracking how immune cells interact

The Specialist Study Day

Each year, LIYSF dedicates one full day to the Forum’s underlying theme. Here is how it works:

1. During registration, each student chooses one of eight STEM topics.
2. The day opens with a plenary session where students meet all the speakers.
3. Students then spend the rest of the day with their chosen researcher, who starts with a talk about their work.
4. Working in groups of around 50 students, they prepare a short presentation on the research, its challenges and ideas for the future.
5. Each group presents back to the plenary, and creative presentations are encouraged.

The Study Day helps students practise teamwork, research and science communication, all skills that real scientists use every day.

A Taste of the Topics

Recent Specialist Lectures show just how wide the range of subjects is:

Medicine and Health

• Taking the MYC Out of Lymphoma – Dr Farhat Khanim, University of Birmingham
• Unravelling the Mysteries of Mental Illness – Dr Thomas Reilly, University of Oxford
• Building a Heart from Scratch: How Close Are We? – Dr Akinola Akinbote, University of Oxford
• Moving Towards Treatments for Dementia & Motor Neuron Disease – Dr Rubika Balendra, UCLH
• Why Sleep Is Good for You – Professor William Wisden, Imperial College London

Physics and Space

• Bubbles and Bangs: The Physics of Volcanic Eruptions – Professor Ed Llewellin, Durham University
• Quantum World of Superconductors – Professor Amalia Coldea, University of Oxford
• The Beauty of Falling – Professor Claudia de Rham, Imperial College London
• Rover and Over Again – Abigail Hutty, ispace Europe

Climate, Energy and the Environment

• Powering the Future: Building the Electricity Networks for Net Zero – Susan McDonald, Deloitte UK
• The Air We Breathe: Unpacking the Hidden Links – Dr Ian Mudway, Imperial College London
• Designing Net Zero & Climate-Resilient Buildings – Dr Eng Ofetotse, University of Greenwich
• Pathogens, Penguins and the Planet – Dr Jane Usher, University of Exeter

Technology, AI and Innovation

• Bridges Between Geometry and AI – Dr David Alfaya Sánchez, Comillas Pontifical University
• AI in STEM: Unlocking Potential & Navigating Risks – Dr Howard Haughton, King’s College London
• What Type of Innovator Are You? – Ada Adeyemi Nwadigo, Eng Trepreneur & HS2
• The Language of Music in a Scientific World – Dr Domenico Vicinanza, Anglia Ruskin University

Learning to Debate

LIYSF also gives students two formal chances to debate: a student debate evening and the Participants’ Forum. Expressing your views and challenging other people’s ideas respectfully is a key scientific skill, and these sessions help students build that confidence.

Why the Specialist Lectures Matter

The Specialist STEM Lectures let students go beyond the general and focus on the subjects that excite them most. They meet working researchers face to face, hear about discoveries that have not reached textbooks yet, and often find the field they want to study at university. A single small-group lecture can be the spark that points a student towards their future career.

Final Thoughts

LIYSF combines big-stage lectures from Nobel laureates with small, focused sessions led by active researchers. The Specialist STEM Lectures, Alumni Lecture Day and Specialist Study Day give every student the chance to build a programme around their own passions and connect with scientists who were once in their shoes.

Find out more on the official LIYSF Specialist STEM Lectures page.