Postgraduates and postdocs of all disciplines from the Universities of Cambridge, Bolton, Strathclyde and Manchester, were challenged to pitch their innovative ideas at the Falling Walls Lab Cambridge – in just three minutes.
Events such as these are valuable opportunities for early-career researchers to step out from their silos and communicate their work to a wide audience.
Dr Dante McGrath, winner
Falling Walls Lab is a global interdisciplinary pitch competition for students and early-career professionals to showcase a breakthrough that positively impacts science and society. It is an opportunity to gain exposure for an idea, strengthen communications skills, and foster networking and collaboration.
Among the 11 presenters pitching to an audience, including a panel of judges, were three presenters with affiliations to the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge – hosts of the event. They were:
- Dr Dante McGrath
Presentation title: Breaking the wall of the melting Arctic
- PhD student Richard Marques Monteiro
Presentation title: Breaking the wall of AI language learning
The winner – Breaking the wall of the melting Arctic
Dr Dante McGrath, Research Associate in Marine Cloud Brightening at the Centre for Climate Repair, was announced as the winner of the Lab, with his presentation titled Breaking the wall of the melting Arctic.
Dr McGrath will go forward to compete in the Falling Walls Lab finale to be held in Berlin, Germany, later this year. He was also announced as the audience award winner.
Image credit: Lloyd Mann/University of Cambridge.
Dante said: “My research concerns interventions that may limit the impact of global warming on Earth’s ecosystems. The Arctic is an ecosystem in a state of rapid decline. Sea ice is melting at an alarming rate. The consequences of a melting Arctic are local and global. The perilous state of the Arctic presents the need to consider interventions to complement existing climate mitigation strategies.
“One such intervention is known as marine cloud brightening. The concept involves the delivery of salt particles into marine clouds to reflect more sunlight. Clouds and aerosols have the ability to cool the Earth’s surface, counteracting the warming from greenhouse gas emissions. Delivering salt of optimal size and quantity into clouds may boost their ability to reflect heat.
“At the Centre for Climate Repair, we are developing a droplet generation system to generate and deliver optimal salt particles in a safe, scalable, and energy-efficient manner. These criteria present engineering hurdles, hurdles that must be cleared for the concept to be deemed technologically viable.”
He added: “In addition to our research, we regularly communicate with people outside our domain, including indigenous leaders, policymakers, social scientists, and youth representatives. These discussions lay a foundation of understanding on which climate interventions may be assessed from multiple viewpoints.”
What did you think of the Falling Walls Lab competition?
Dr McGrath said: “The event broadened my perspective, exposing me to a raft of challenges facing society and, fortunately, a raft of bright ideas to address these challenges.
“It was a pleasure to meet fellow early-career researchers. Although few of us had met before the event, there was a shared sense of support for one another. This feeling was sparked by the organisers at the Department’s Centre for Languages and Inter-Communication (CLIC), whose enthusiasm and encouragement provided a tonic for our nerves.
“I am grateful to the jury and the audience for their warm reception. Events such as these are valuable opportunities for early-career researchers to step out from their silos and communicate their work to a wide audience. The experience was both energising and inspiring.”
Runner-up and third place
The runner-up was Gates Cambridge Scholar Mahlaqua Noor, who is studying for a PhD in Medicine, with her presentation titled Breaking the wall of the unshakable virus.
Mahlaqua’s research aims to find a solution to the problem of herpesvirus, a virus that can escape immune surveillance to establish lifelong infection. Her research harnesses the ability of the immune system to detect herpesvirus and mount a successful antiviral defence by developing personalised immune cell therapies.
Third place went to PhD student Bayu Sutanto from the University of Manchester, with his presentation titled Breaking the wall of floating PV investment.
Bayu’s proposal concerns a passive cooling system for floating photovoltaics (FPV) systems – solar panel systems that float on water. He says his novel passive cooling loop can improve FPV systems’ electrical efficiency by reducing the temperature of photovoltaic cells.
Who were the jury?
The jury included Emeritus Professor Dame Ann Dowling (jury chair); Yizhou Yu, Founder of Healthspan Biotics, and last year’s winner of the Falling Walls Lab Cambridge; Dr Joseph Cheriyan, Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust; Professor Dr Jack Hawkins, University of California, Davis; Mr Alexander Bleistein, Deputy Head of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), UK; Ms Andrea Noske, First Counsellor (Science), German Embassy London.
The Falling Walls Lab Cambridge was organised by the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge; the Federal Foreign Office of Germany; and the DAAD.
Professor David Tual, Director of CLIC at the Department of Engineering and one of the competition organisers, said: “Two years ago, when my colleague Jan-Moritz Bogdanovic came to me with the idea of hosting the first Falling Walls Lab, we thought it would make a lot of sense for CLIC to organise such an event. This is because it aligns perfectly with one of the messages that we try to convey to our students when it comes to effective communication: it has to be clear, concise and precise. And when you only have three minutes to present a complex idea, as our presenters did, these three words are essential to bear in mind!”
Breaking the wall of AI language learning
Image credit: Lloyd Mann/University of Cambridge.
PhD student Richard Marques Monteiro, from the Department’s Machine Intelligence Laboratory, shared details of his project, which involves the introduction of a new control technology to replace the time-demanding role of the user in AI technologies.
Current AI models struggle with comprehensive and logical thinking, leading to an increased need for 'prompt engineering’ from the user, which heavily relies on the user’s creativity and experience to create prompts that lead to the most effective learning experience, based on that user’s current skills.
Richard said: “This project introduces a new control technology to replace the time-demanding role of the user in AI technologies by automatically writing prompts that cater to the objective of effective language learning. At the same time, it also considers the knowledge of the user and their strengths and weaknesses through past experiences.
“Prompts are generated through a separate smaller language model, the controller, therefore integrating memory to cater prompts to the user's skills.”
What was your highlight of the Falling Walls Lab competition?
“Participating in the Falling Walls lab was an enriching opportunity to practice public pitches in the presence of world professionals and incredible researchers from many different fields,” he said. “I will always cherish that event for the incredible people I met and the invaluable feedback I received, which will greatly benefit my future career.”
Breaking the wall of lung drug development
Image credit: Lloyd Mann/University of Cambridge.
Dr Ali Doryab, WB DFG postdoctoral researcher, pitched his proposal for a personalised mini-lung model based on human cells, capable of accurately replicating human lung physiology, and offering an ethical alternative to animal studies.
Dr Doryab said: “Lung fibrosis is a devastating disease that affects millions worldwide, making every breath a struggle. Patients cannot tolerate the side effects of medications like Nintedanib, which, though helpful, has so far been unable to cure the disease.
“Developing a new drug takes years and billions of dollars, yet most potential treatments fail before even reaching clinical trials due to inadequate understanding of disease models. Cell models are too simplistic, and animal models do not accurately emulate human lung physiology.
“This is where my work comes in. I've developed a breakthrough solution – the mini-lung, which, unlike traditional models, mimics inhalation and exhalation movements, and offers an environment similar to that of the human body.
“I've successfully tested an inhaled version of Nintedanib using the mini-lung, aiming for better drug delivery with fewer side effects. Crucially, the mini-lung model offers an ethical alternative to animal studies, potentially transforming pulmonary drug development. This breakthrough not only promises better care for our loved ones but also a more ethical and humane approach to medical research.”
How did it feel to pitch at the Falling Walls Lab competition?
Dr Doryab said: “Presenting my idea was exhilarating. I crafted a straightforward narrative and used visual aids to highlight the problem and showcase my solution's potential. The positive feedback from the audience and experts was incredibly flattering – they genuinely understood the challenge and appreciated my innovative approach. Interactions with other participants were equally inspiring, offering insights into various groundbreaking projects.
“Reflecting on the experience, I learned the importance of clear communication and the critical role of feedback in refining ideas. The event significantly enhanced my presentation skills and expanded my professional network. Overall, participating in the Falling Walls Lab was a major milestone. It provided valuable lessons and opened new opportunities for my journey here in Cambridge.”
