Donald Palmer's job involves studying, and teaching others how, the human body protects itself from infections and malfunctions, including cancer. He is especially interested in the way the immune system changes with age, and examines the surfaces of human cells using chemicals and instruments.

As a child...

Jassel Majevadia is currently completing a PhD which will contribute to the safety of nuclear energy. Working on her Mac in coffee shops at Imperial College, she is able to apply her knowledge of mathematics and physics to perform new calculations and improve understanding of the way in which tiny bits of materials...

Jo Shien Ng works to develop more and more sensitive electrical components called 'avalanche photodiodes' used in everything from satellites that look at the Earth from space, to body scanners in hospitals and airports. She does this by applying an understanding of the behaviour of materials developed through...

You may have seen Maggie Aderin-Pocock presenting BBC's The Sky at Night, asking Jeremy Paxman to hold a torch while she described a lunar eclipse, or on the sofa of a breakfast television show or The One Show talking enthusiastically about science. You may not know that she has hung out of the back of military...

Professor Saiful Islam is a chemist who never wears a white lab coat. Rather than conduct experiments in laboratories, he uses the world's most powerful computers to produce computer models of the inner, 'atomic' structure of materials used in 'green' energy applications, from the lithium ion rechargeable batteries...