INSPIRING MINDS

Stephen Hawking Society

Thank you to Dr Javier Aguirre Rivera from AstraZeneca for an insightful lecture titled, Tracking Single Molecules in Uncharted Territory.

Dr Aguirre Rivera's academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Chihuahua Institute of Technology. He then pursued a Master’s in Applied Biotechnology before earning a PhD in Molecular Biology from Uppsala University. During his doctoral research, Dr Aguirre Rivera developed an innovative method to measure real-time protein synthesis kinetics at the single-molecule level in living bacterial cells. He later conducted postdoctoral research focusing on the impact of DNA sequence identity on protein-DNA interaction kinetics.

Currently, Dr Aguirre Rivera is part of AstraZeneca’s DISC team in Cambridge, where he investigates the untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA to enhance therapeutic strategies. His lecture provided valuable insights into cutting-edge research at the intersection of molecular biology and therapeutic development.

Hylocomian Society

Dr Liz Gloyn from Royal Holloway & Bedford New College gave an insightful lecture on Seneca, Stoicism, and Desire. In her lecture, she discussed Seneca's approach to desire, focusing on how Stoicism teaches the importance of controlling our desires to achieve inner peace and wisdom. She highlighted how Seneca believed true happiness comes not from fulfilling desires, but from mastering them, offering valuable perspectives on managing emotions in our modern world. Thank you to Dr Gloyn for a thought-provoking presentation and sharing her ability to connect ancient Stoic ideas to contemporary life.

Many thanks to our wonderful OAs who came back this week to all give fantastic presentations. Ciaran Reed (OA 2019) gave us an idea on what it is like to work in government and politics. Emily Moring (OA 2023) discussed studying history at the University of Manchester. Max Swan (OA 2018) gave an introduction to personal finance and investing, and Harry Pottinger (OA 2014) talked about his career in Cyber Security.