For twenty years, the London Centre for Nanotechnology has brought together researchers, students and partners to tackle some of the most exciting challenges in science and technology. This year, the centre marked its 20th anniversary with a week of celebrations centred around Nano Day on 10 September (10/9), which represents the nanoscale.
Bringing together researchers, students, alumni, industry partners and members of the public, the anniversary programme reflected on two decades of discovery, collaboration and impact across King’s College London, UCL and Imperial College London. From researcher training and scientific exchange to public engagement and creative collaborations, the events showcased the people, partnerships and ideas that have shaped the Centre over the past twenty years.
Celebrating Twenty Years of Collaboration
The central event of the celebrations was the LCN 20th Anniversary Symposium and Celebration at Bush House, King’s College London.
The event brought together researchers, students, alumni, industrial partners, and friends of the Centre to celebrate twenty years of interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Discussions were organised around three themes that reflect the centre’s research priorities: Healthcare, Planetcare, and ICT.
Researchers from the three institutions presented work spanning life-matter interfaces, nanoparticles for diagnostics and therapeutics, sustainable materials, photovoltaics, levitated systems and quantum computing. Together, the programme demonstrated how nano science are helping to address some of society’s most pressing challenges, from healthcare and sustainability to the technologies that will shape the future. Discussions also highlighted the central underpinning role of quantum sciences to solve many of the LCN’s research challenges.
A highlight of the day was an alumni panel chaired by Dr Jess Wade, bringing together former members of the LCN community now working across academia, research institutes and scientific publishing. Their reflections highlighted the lasting impact of the Centre’s interdisciplinary environment and the diverse career paths that emerge from research in nano and quantum science.
Supporting Researchers and Engaging Wider Audiences
The anniversary programme opened with a workshop on Visual Design & Communication Skills for Researchers, delivered at King’s College London by Dr Ryo Mizuta, from the University of Cambridge. The workshop explored practical approaches to visual storytelling and communicating complex scientific ideas, providing researchers with the tools needed to engage both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
The celebrations concluded at Imperial College London with “Quantum Leaps & Nano Wonders”, a public engagement event that invited audiences to explore nano and quantum science through talks, demonstrations, hands-on activities and creative practice.
Visitors had the opportunity to engage with researchers and discover work from across the London research community, including the London Quantum Cluster, the Quantum Communication and Quantum Computation (QC2) Centre for Doctoral Training, the CPLAS programme grant, the 2D Materials and Wearable Electronics group, Quantum Pong, Chiral Crew, Nano Pinball and Entangle Cam.
The event also featured “Material Encounters: Art and Nanoscience”, a collaboration that included London-based artist collective Changeable Beast. Working alongside LCN researchers, the artists developed new works inspired by nanoscience, materials research and quantum technologies, offering visitors fresh ways to experience scientific ideas that often exist beyond the limits of everyday perception.
These activities build on a long tradition of public engagement across the LCN community, including participation in World Quantum Day, Nano Day, the Great Exhibition Road Festival and the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. Collectively, they have enabled thousands of people to engage with emerging science and technology while giving researchers opportunities to share their work far beyond academia.
Looking Ahead
Twenty years on, the centre is still guided by the same spirit of collaboration and discovery that inspired its creation. While the anniversary celebrations reflected on the achievements of the past two decades, they also offered a glimpse of what comes next, as researchers continue to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society.
We’ll be sharing more about the future very soon. Watch this space.
