UCL Research Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
@ucl-cdb.bsky.social
At UCL CDB, we strive to gain mechanistic insight into biological processes from cells to whole organisms. We have a long tradition of answering fundamental questions in biology and incorporate the UCL Centre for Integrative Anatomy @ucl-c4ia.bsky.social.
We are delighted to share some fantastic news! 🎉 Vanessa Todorow in CDB has been awarded both a Post-doctoral Fellowship and a Trampoline Research Grant from the French AFM-Telethon. Please join us in congratulating Vanessa on this remarkable achievement! 👏 www.researchgate.net/profile/Vane...
🎉 Congratulations to Professor Sandrine Geranton on her promotion in the latest UCL Senior Promotions Round! As Professor of Behavioural and Molecular Neuroscience, Sandrine's dedication to research, teaching, and academic excellence continues to make a significant impact. 👏🎓🫀
Thank you to the Society for Developmental Biology @socdevbio.bsky.social it was a tremendous honour to receive the Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Education Award. Special thanks to @rrbehringer.bsky.social and all the organisers of the SDB meeting in Las Vegas for such a truly remarkable meeting.
🔬 How do cells know exactly what to become when building complex tissues? This research provides valuable insight into how nature builds complexity one decision at a time. 👏 📖 Read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #LifeSciences #CellBiology #Research #DevelopmentalBiology #UCL
How cells build complex tissues one decision at a time.
Scientists discover how morphogens and other signalling systems collaborate to guide individual cell identities, revealing how tissues create precise patterns during development.
ucl.ac.uk
The Centre for Integrative Anatomy in CDB has been recognised with the Gold LEAF Award and the Bronze Green Impact Award for its growing commitment to sustainability. 🔗 Read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #Sustainability #UCL #ClimateAction #GreenLabs #EnvironmentalSustainability
UCL Centre gains two Sustainability Awards in 2026
Congratulations to the UCL Centre for Integrative Anatomy who have increased their sustainability effort, and just achieved the Gold Award for LEAF and the Bronze Award for Green Impact
ucl.ac.uk
Fascinating upcoming seminar series joined by UCL CDB's Jonas Hartman “A Conceptual Basis for Generalizable Theories of Complex and Diverse Living Systems” 📅 29 July 2026 TODAY 🕔 16:00-17:00 GMT (17:00-18:00 CET) Join Zoom here: us06web.zoom.us/j/84499483277?pwd=d10HhtR5aA9AeAyFy8E9N5aDQcJNpj.1
🔬 About us From understanding how cells function to exploring the evolution of whole organisms, the UCL Research Department of Cell & Developmental Biology is at the forefront of groundbreaking biological research and home to world-leading researchers. 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
About us
"We continue to maintain a question-driven approach to science, backed-up by the application of the very latest in research technologies."
ucl.ac.uk
🔬 Building the Future of Synthetic Developmental Biology Through Collaboration It was inspiring to see researchers from across UCL come together at the Synthetic Developmental Biology: Engineering Life Symposium. 📖 Read more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
Synthetic Developmental Biology at “Engineering Life”
Researchers from across UCL explore collaborations in synthetic developmental biology, combining developmental, stem cell, translational and clinical expertise.
ucl.ac.uk
Fascinating upcoming seminar series joined by UCL CDB's Jonas Hartman “A Conceptual Basis for Generalizable Theories of Complex and Diverse Living Systems” 📅 29 July 2026 🕔 17:00 - 18:00 CET 🔗 Join Zoom here: us06web.zoom.us/j/84499483277?pwd=d10HhtR5aA9AeAyFy8E9N5aDQcJNpj.1
Congratulations to Professor Francesco Saverio Tedesco on his appointment as Associate Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute, and to Professor Steve Wilson in his role as University and Academic Partnerships Director. Read more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
New leadership appointment reinforces UCL–Crick partnership
Professor Francesco Saverio Tedesco takes on a new leadership role at the Crick, strengthening UCL collaboration across research, clinical academia and innovation.
ucl.ac.uk
🧠 New publication: Rethinking acetylcholine's role in how we learn and remember 🔗 Read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #Hippocampus #Acetylcholine #UCL #CellAndDevelopmentalBiology #BarryLab
Brain chemical acetylcholine may help us update our understanding of the world
A Nature Reviews Neuroscience perspective suggests hippocampal acetylcholine serves as a learning signal, tracking prediction errors to update brain models during memory and learning.
ucl.ac.uk
🎉 A proud moment for developmental biology and scientific discovery! Congratulations to Professor Roberto Mayor, who has now officially received his Fellowship of the Royal Society, one of the highest honours in science. 👏 #RoyalSociety #FRS #ScientificExcellence #DevelopmentalBiology #LifeSciences
🧠 New publication: Rethinking acetylcholine's role in how we learn and remember 🔗 Read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #Hippocampus #Acetylcholine #UCL #CellAndDevelopmentalBiology #BarryLab
Brain chemical acetylcholine may help us update our understanding of the world
A Nature Reviews Neuroscience perspective suggests hippocampal acetylcholine serves as a learning signal, tracking prediction errors to update brain models during memory and learning.
ucl.ac.uk
🚀 Looking to take the next step in your research career? 📍 Explore the opportunities and find out more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #ResearchCareers #LifeSciences #CellBiology #DevelopmentalBiology #UCL
Become part of CDB
Join our vibrant, research-intensive department with a strongly collegiate atmosphere. We are constantly looking for people across research, teaching and academic roles.
ucl.ac.uk
📢 We're hiring! The Cell & Developmental Biology department (CDB) and other departments in Bioscience @ UCL are delighted to be recruiting for several Lecturer / Associate Professor positions. 👉 View full details and apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
Our monthly Metabolism in Development & Physiology seminar is back! This month we're taking an evolutionary perspective on metabolism, from membrane function to developmental tempo. @amoyellab.bsky.social 🗓️ Thursday, 9 July | 16:00 CET More info and QR code to sign up below
Join us to start your independent group!
UCL Research Department of Cell & Developmental Biology@ucl-cdb.bsky.social · last mo.🚀 Exciting opportunity for early career researchers in Cell & Developmental Biology! 🧪 Open to early career researchers 📈 Focused on supporting independent research careers 📅 Deadline: 31 August 2026 (5pm) 🔗 Learn more and apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
The Quarterfinals are set in the #ZebrafishWorldCup 🐟🌍🏆 Who will take the crown for the best way to say Danio rerio? 🇫🇷 Poisson-zèbre vs. 🇲🇦 ḥūt z-zībra 🇪🇸 Pez cebra vs. 🇧🇪 Zebravis 🇳🇴 Zebrafisk vs. 🏴 Zebrafish (pronounced 'ZEH-brafish') 🇦🇷 Pez cebra vs. 🇨🇭 Zebrafisch Stay tuned for updates! #RockOn 🧪
Colleagues from the Centre for Integrative Anatomy had an inspiring week at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition! 🌟 @laurabporro.bsky.social @tannisdavidson.bsky.social #RoyalSociety #SummerScienceExhibition #SciComm #ScienceOutreach #PublicEngagement
🐊Exciting to see two UCL-led exhibits, including from Laura Porro @ the Centre in CDB, featured at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2026 taking place NEXT WEEK, showcasing the incredible breadth of innovation happening across disciplines. Read more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/ju...
From nanomaterials to alligator jaws: two UCL displays featured at Royal Society exhibition
Two UCL-led exhibits featuring dinosaur skulls, chameleon heads, and tiny materials transforming healthcare are among 13 flagship displays open to the public at the 2026 Royal Society Summer Science E...
ucl.ac.uk
Hello BlueSky! I’m Amelia 👋 I’m proud to be the Wellbeing Champion for Cell & Developmental Biology department. Find out more about how we support our colleagues and students in the department: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
🚀 Exciting opportunity for early career researchers in Cell & Developmental Biology! 🧪 Open to early career researchers 📈 Focused on supporting independent research careers 📅 Deadline: 31 August 2026 (5pm) 🔗 Learn more and apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
Research Career Development Fellowships
We run regular calls inviting expressions of interest from early career researchers who wish to be sponsored for external fellowships to establish an independent research group in CDB.
ucl.ac.uk
CDB is excited to be recruiting for several Lecturer / Associate Professor positions. For full details see: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
Current academic opportunities
We are recruiting academic staff across Biosciences at Bloomsbury and our UCL East campus. Search current vacancies by exploring the roles below.
ucl.ac.uk
🔬 At UCL200 Illuminations, Laura Porro and the Centre for Integrative Anatomy showed exactly how it’s done, engaging 3,000+ visitors in just one evening through hands-on, interactive science: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/public-engag... 👉 Interested in getting involved in public engagement? Let’s connect.
Stories of Engagement – Laura Porro | UCL UCL Public Engagement Blog
UCL Homepage
blogs.ucl.ac.uk
🔍 Immortalising Natural History in 3D 👉 See it for yourself at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (30 June – 5 July), where you can explore how 3D technology is preserving the past and shaping the future of research. www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science... #RoyalSociety #SummerScienceExhibition #UCL
✨ New Publication from UCL ✨ We’re delighted to share that a new research paper from the CDB Dept at UCL has been published! 🎉 Chromatin- and actin-mediated mitochondrial streaming leads to patterning of mitochondrial distribution in oocytes. 🔬 Read here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42151181/
Chromatin- and actin-mediated mitochondrial streaming leads to patterning of mitochondrial distribution in oocytes - PubMed
Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles, and their spatiotemporal organization is strictly regulated. While it has long been recognized that mitochondria in ovulated oocytes are concentrated in the...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Really excited to see this out from the lab & CDB colleagues 🧠✨ A new perspective in Nature Reviews Neuroscience brings together an elegant idea: acetylcholine may help the hippocampus learn by prediction, not just store memories. Worth a read 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Acetylcholine: a candidate substrate for hippocampal predictive learning? - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Predictive models have emerged as a normative lens for understanding neural function. In this Perspective, de Cothi, Shipley and Barry plausibly unify the diverse roles of hippocampal acetylcholine in...
nature.com
Caswell Barry@caswell.bsky.social · last mo.Really excited about this work with the awesome Will de Cothi & @shipleysj.bsky.social, out in Nature Reviews Neuroscience. We propose acetylcholine is an analogue of dopamine — tracking not reward prediction errors but state-transition prediction errors. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-026-01058-w
Really excited about this work with the awesome Will de Cothi & @shipleysj.bsky.social, out in Nature Reviews Neuroscience. We propose acetylcholine is an analogue of dopamine — tracking not reward prediction errors but state-transition prediction errors. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-026-01058-w
