Physics-Life Sciences Interface C-DIP Fellowship Fund, EPSRC Leadership Fellowship Dr. Paola Borri

As a physicists appointed to the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University I have direct experience of the benefits but also of the challenges associated with working at the interface between physics and the life sciences. While at Cardiff University there is growing interest in this cross-disciplinary research, an organised mechanism is missing to create awareness of the available expertise, to connect researchers from physics and the life sciences both within UK and internationally, and to initiate new cross-disciplinary research.I propose to make use of the C-DIP fund to overcome this shortfall and support organised activities which will promote and stimulate cross-disciplinary research at the physics-life science interface at Cardiff University and in the wider scientific community. These activities will comprise:i) a series of one-day topical meetings held at Cardiff University covering research subjects at the physics-life science interfaceii) a mini-symposium to provide a forum in which leading scientists and early-career researchers can meet and interactiii) visits from/to outstanding overseas scientists working at the physics-life sciences interface iv) seed corn funding to complete a piece of research or to carry out initial research at the physics-life sciences interface.

Who will benefit from this programme? The networking activities supported by this Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces Programme Fellowship Fund will provide an organised mechanism to promote and stimulate cross-disciplinary research at the physics-life science interface at Cardiff University and in the wider scientific community. Researchers from physics and the life sciences within UK and internationally will greatly benefit from this support. Although the networking activities are primarily targeted to the academic community, the planed one-day workshop series a the physics-life sciences interface will be open to the industrial sector through invited speakers from companies working in e.g. physics-based technologies applied to biomedicine. How will they benefit from this research? The contribution of this programme to these beneficiaries will be mainly through: - Knowledge: via the dissemination at the symposium and workshop topical meetings of cutting edge scientific achievements and latest advances, and via the scientific outputs which will be enabled by the seed corn funding to complete a piece of research or to carry out initial research at the physics-life sciences interface. - People: The visit fund for distinguished cross-disciplinary researchers will support outstanding overseas scientists working at the physics-life sciences interface to visit a research group at Cardiff University or researchers from Cardiff to visit distinguished cross-disciplinary overseas research groups. Moreover, the mini-symposium will provide a forum in which leading scientists and early-career researchers will meet and interact. By creating such a forum, the early-career scientists will be encouraged to explore new cross-disciplinary directions and make contacts that will help them push forward the frontiers of cross-disciplinary science at the physics-life sciences interface. What will be done to ensure that they benefit from this research? As EPSRC cross-disciplinary leadership fellow I will lead the organization of these events and activities. An Advisory Board will be formed comprising national and international distinguished researchers to help and advice in the selection of invited speakers and in the overall organization of the activities. Cross-School calls for applications to the Distinguished Researcher Visit Fund and the Seed Corn Funding will be announced within Cardiff University and funding decisions will be taken by a Committee chaired by myself, with members from the Research Committees in the Schools of Physics and Biosciences. Specialised staff has also been appointed in the School of Biosciences as Innovation and Engagement Officers with whom I will liaise to engage with industry and the wider public.