📣 We are delighted to announce world-leading immunologist Prof Sarah Gaffen as the incoming Director of the Lydia Becker Institute. Prof Gaffen succeeds founding Director @tracyh9494.bsky.social on Jan 1, 2027, as Tracy steps down after 8 years to focus on mentoring talent. 👉 tinyurl.com/3n4x5ave

Discover the latest from the Becker! Our August newsletter features new grant awards, new networks in Immuno-Biotechnology and Cancer Immunology, ECR highlights, community updates, and our latest publications. Read the full issue: documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx... #ImmunoSky

Meet Argyro Olympitis, a PhD student studying how tumor environment changes drive glioblastoma progression. From growing up in the British Virgin Islands to competing on University Challenge, read how she’s tackling brain cancer research in our latest profile👇 sites.manchester.ac.uk/lydia-becker...

Team Manchester with Amol Rajan

📺 Argyro Olympitis from our Wellcome Trust ICD PhD Programme will be taking part in this evening's episode of University Challenge, where Manchester face off against Durham! Tune in at 8.30pm on BBC Two or watch on iPlayer #ImmunoSky www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Today is National Glioblastoma Day, a vital moment to highlight the urgent need for new therapeutic avenues for this aggressive brain cancer. In this video, Dr Michael Haley explains how the Becker is collaborating with the @gjbrainresearch.bsky.social to make a direct impact on patient care.

This week we're delighted to host Dr Sarah Mundt from Universitätsspital Zürich for our next @britsocimm.bsky.social Manchester Immunology Group Seminar: "Phagocytes across the course of neuroinflammation: initiation, injury and progression" 📅 Thursday 9th July 🕛 12:00pm 📍 Smith Lecture Theatre

Join us tomorrow for an exciting @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG seminar with @annamolofskylab.bsky.social from UCSF. She’ll be sharing her insights on how the brain’s scaffolding structures change as we learn and in disease. 🧠 📅 Wednesday 1 July 🕒 3:00pm 📍 Room 1.006 AV Hill Building

Earlier this month, students from our WT ICD PhD programme headed to Low Wood Bay in the Lake District for an away day. With networking bingo, connection exercises, and dedicated career sessions, they had a fantastic time building the vital skills needed to prepare them for their future careers!

Tomorrow, for our next @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar, we’re excited to host Dr Aimee Parker from the @quadraminstitute.bsky.social as she explores how microbes impact health as we age. 📅 Thursday 18th June 🕛 12:00pm 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre

Massive thanks to everyone who stopped by University Place to build an immune system, smash viruses, and talk science with us for #universallymanchesterfestival 👏 An extra special shout-out to our brilliant volunteers for your incredible energy and expertise, which made the day a huge success!

We are delighted to welcome Professor Francesca Polverino for a special seminar tomorrow morning. She will be sharing her latest insights into the immune mechanisms driving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 📅 Wednesday 17 June 🕐 9:30–10:30am 📍 Michael Smith Building Lecture Theatre

Come see us at the #universallymanchesterfestival Community Fair tomorrow at University Place, 11am-4:30pm! 🎯 Test your reflexes with "Splat the Virus," spin the wheel to build your own immune cell team for a chance to win prizes, and throw giant white blood cell plushies to neutralise a virus!

🎉Huge congratulations to Becker PhD student Holly Sedgwick @hollysedgwick.bsky.social from the @madhvimenon.bsky.social lab for winning the University-wide Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition! Holly will represent @manchester.ac.uk at the Vitae National Finals in October - best of luck to Holly!

For our next @britsocimm.bsky.social Manchester Immunology Group Seminar, we're excited to be joined by Professor Matthias Trost as he presents: "Phagosome proteomics: from 2D gels to ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry." 📅 Thursday 11 June 🕛 12:00 pm 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre

👏Big round of applause for James Parkinson, Brian Chan, Sara Kirkham and Joshua Cox from the Becker for completing the Great Manchester Run 10k today and raising money for the MPS Society! Please donate what you can to this great cause 👇 www.justgiving.com/page/uom-run...

@sheencr.bsky.social will be joining @profbriancox.bsky.social on "A Question of Science" to explore how our diet, the microbiome, and antibiotics shape our health/mood through the gut-brain axis 📅 Tuesday, 30 June ⏰ 2:45 PM 📍 The Francis Crick Institute 🎟️ FREE TICKETS lostintv.com/tv-show?id=1...

Tomorrow we are pleased to welcome Professor Shauna Culshaw from @glasgow.ac.uk, who will present her talk: “Regulation of Immune Response Against Oral Bacteria.” 🦷 @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar 📆 Thursday 16th April 🕛 12 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre #ImmunoSky

🐣 Hope everyone is enjoying the Easter holidays! 🖼️ Highly recommend a visit to Manchester Art Gallery which is home to this fantastic portrait of Lydia Becker by artist Susan Isabel Dacre

Excited to host @saravalpione.bsky.social from @cruk-mi.bsky.social for this week’s @britsocimm.bsky.social l MIG Seminar. Dr Valpione discusses precision oncology for cancers of unmet need, integrating multi-omics and liquid biopsy. 📆 Thursday 19th March 🕛 12PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre

That's a wrap on #BSW26 at the Manchester Museum! 🎯 Our newly revamped games proved a big hit. We had some great conversations with students about immune cells and how they protect the body, and hopefully inspired a few future immunologists too! Thanks again to all our amazing volunteers!

🔬🎯 A great first day at the #BSW26 Science Fair at Manchester Museum! We'll be there again tomorrow to engage with more pupils from schools in the North West + talk about our research and provide advice on a career in STEM! #immunosky

To celebrate #InternationalWomensDay, we’re honouring our namesake, Lydia Becker. A pioneer for suffrage and a dedicated botanist, she fought for women’s right to scientific education. We continue her mission by championing the brilliant women leading the way in immunology research. #IWD2026

This week Dr James Edgar from the University of Cambridge joins us for our next @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar to give a talk entitled: “Tethered exosomes and the MHC-II problem” 📆 Thursday 5th Mar 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre #ImmunoSky

🚶‍♂️Spotted one of the Ardwick Climate Action Green Route signs today! The route was developed by @ardwickclimate.bsky.social in partnership with Becker researchers to help the community avoid high-pollution areas, reducing the environmental triggers that drive inflammation and impact our health.

How do lung macrophages balance protection and pathology? Dr Andreas Wack from @crick.ac.uk joins us to give a talk on the risks and benefits of interferons during viral infections. @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar 📆 Thursday 26th Feb 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre #ImmunoSky

Great energy at our Sci Comms Officer @erinpallott.bsky.social science communication & public engagement workshop this morning! 🎤🧠 The workshop helped researchers sharpen their storytelling, build confidence, and bring their science to any stage. #ImmunoSky

This week, we're joined by @drwilliamhill.bsky.social from @cruk-mi.bsky.social for the next in our @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar series: "Signals and Mechanisms of Lung Cancer Promotion by Air Pollutants” 📆 Thursday 19th Feb 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre #ImmunoSky

Excited to be joined tomorrow by Dr Johan Duchene @johanduchene.bsky.social from @lmu.de for our next @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar: “The DARC Side of Neutrophils. How ACKR1 affects neutrophil biology in health and disease” 📆 Thursday 12th Feb 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre

Dr Alexander Clarke @ajclarke.bsky.social joins us from @ox.ac.uk tomorrow to give a talk entitled: “Powering the germinal centre reaction" 📆 Thursday 5th Feb 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre @britsocimm.bsky.social MIG Seminar #ImmunoSky