After the success of our EBES25 conference we are delighted to announce the second EBIC Early Career Researcher Conference – Engineering Biology for Environmental Solutions (EBES26) – is coming up this September!
Are you a UK-based Early Career Researcher (ECR) working in Engineering Biology and Environmental Biotechnology? Join us at EBES26 on 16-17 September 2026 at Southampton.
We’re bringing together over 70 participants, including researchers like you, for two full days of engaging presentations, inspiring plenaries, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re just starting your PhD or have results to share, this conference is your chance to showcase your work and engage with the latest trends in Engineering Biology and Environmental Biotechnology.
Why Attend?
Dynamic Talks & Workshops: Hear from top plenary speakers and discover the cutting-edge developments in the field. Participate in workshops designed to improve your research communication skills and boost your career.
Poster Session: Don’t have results to present yet? No problem! Our poster session, with flash talks, is the perfect platform for you to present your proposed research and get feedback from experts.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers, mentors, and potential collaborators. This is a fantastic opportunity to build relationships within a vibrant, cross-disciplinary community.
What You’ll Gain
- A platform to contextualize your research and develop your communication skills.
- A chance to be part of important conversations shaping the future of Environmental Solutions.
- The opportunity to meet like-minded professionals and make connections that can support your career development
Whether you’re looking to network, learn, or share your work, EBIC EBES26 offers the perfect environment to grow and thrive as an early career researcher.
Don’t miss out—register now and join us in Southampton for this exciting and inspiring event!
Conference Programme
Full programme available soon.
Keynote Speakers
James Allen - Co-Founder & CSO twig
'Why are there still so few commercialised Engineering Biology products?'
Abstract
Engineering Biology and Artificial Intelligence are two incredibly powerful tools that are able to rapidly engineer huge genetic diversity and synthesise large data sets into key insights. These tools have the potential to dramatically speed up R&D timelines, but only if done in the right way. Modern entrepreneurs have more tools at their disposal than ever before, but as a result it has never been more important to understand the problems being solved and exactly how these tools integrate in order to generate a commercial solution. James will touch upon his entrepreneurial journey before focussing on what barriers need to be overcome for any new startup to create a sellable product in this field and how twig is addressing these on its way to AI-engineered bioproducts.
Bio
James graduated from Oxford with a Biochemistry degree in 2010, following this up with a DPhil in Systems Biology in 2015 focussed on using advanced microscopy, synthetic biology and computational modelling to propose a new mechanism for chemotactic signalling. After a short, failed attempt at a start-up he moved into the chemicals industry at INVISTA, focussing on sustainable nylon production using bacteria. This ambitious goal demonstrated many core challenges to this field that still needed addressing before commerciality could be realised and James moved back into academia to take on a 7 year research post at UCL to address many of them. Through this period he built new synthetic biology toolkits and automation processes to standardise and limit the R&D required to generate a true manufacturing bio-based prototype. After publishing some of this work, he approached a previous colleague in the AI space to discuss ways to commercialise this approach. twig was founded from these discussions and as CSO, James leads the bio-based product pipelines, the first of which is due to commercialise early 2027. This will represent a truly world leading ideation-to commercialisation time of around 24-30 months.
Francesca Dawson Pell - Senior Policy Advisor Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (UK Gov)
Abstract
Engineering biology is rapidly emerging as a transformative technology platform with significant potential to address environmental challenges, drive economic growth, and reshape industrial systems. This keynote will provide an overview of the UK’s policy landscape for engineering biology, including how government is working to enable innovation while maintaining public trust and safety. The talk will examine the evolving regulatory landscape, highlighting opportunities for agile, innovation-friendly approaches and the challenges posed by novel technologies and cross-sector applications. Drawing on DSIT initiatives such as the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund and the Engineering Biology Regulators Network, it will identify opportunities and reflect on future directions, including the role early career researchers can play in shaping responsible and effective governance.
Bio
Francesca is the regulations and standards lead in the Engineering Biology Policy Team in the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT). She is responsible for ensuring regulation and standards policy for engineering biology support growth of the UK’s sector. Prior to joining the engineering biology team, Francesca worked on growth policy for another of the government’s frontier technologies, semiconductors. Francesca holds a doctorate in genetics and behavioural ecology from the University of Sheffield.
Key Deadlines
| Registration open | 26th March 2026 |
| Abstract call | 16th February 2026 |
| Deadline for abstract submission | 17th April 2026 |
| Extended deadline for abstract submission | 1st May 2026 |
| Decision outcome | 8th May 2026 |
| Early bird registration deadline | 30th June 2026 |
| Registration deadline | 28th August 2026 |
| Conference | 16th-17th September 2026 |
Venue
Conference Venue:
National Oceanography Centre
European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH
We are delighted to be hosting the conference for 2026 in Southampton, at the National Oceanography Centre - a world-class research centre. The National Oceanography Centre is a fantastic waterside venue which is close to the city centre with great transport links. British Science week will be held in Southampton this year, so there will be plenty of fantastic activities and events to make the most of your trip, take a look here.
Click here to plan your journey.
Hotels:
There are lots of options for accommodation in Southampton, we have complied a list of options near the venue below.
Voco Hotel. We have secured a 5% discount for conference attendees to book rooms at the Voco Hotel, Southampton. To access the discounted rate please email reservations@vcsouthampton.com and quote “Cranfield September 26”.
Premier Inn Southampton West Quay
Registration
Registration is now open.
Click here to register your place
Early bird registration fee (register before 30th June): £250
Registration Fee: £300
To be informed of future events, why not sign up to EBIC membership? It’s free and we will keep you posted on all future events. Sign up here.
Contact
For further information on the event, please contact: info@ebicentre.co.uk
