Ideas In Bloom

PhD Talks in the Library

Ideas in Bloom

An informal monthly evening of ideas, drinks, and conversation with Cambridge PhD researchers at the Library of University Arms Cambridge.

What happens when academic research leaves the lecture hall and enters the bar?

Ideas in Bloom is a free evening series where PhD researchers and recent graduates share the thinking behind their work in an accessible and engaging way — through story, insight, and conversation rather than academic jargon.

Each event includes: A 30 minute talk, open Q&A and audience discussion and informal mingling over drinks afterwards

Whether you are a Cambridge local, a visitor, a hotel guest, or simply curious, this is a space designed for listening, asking questions, and discovering something new.

Next Talk

“Teeny-Tiny Drug Discovery” Using microfluidics to discover new antimicrobial peptides

Speaker: Amalie Gudum

In this talk, Amalie will present her research on discovering new antimicrobial peptides using microfluidics. She will introduce the process of developing new pharmaceuticals and explain how academia and industry approach the search for new antibiotics. The talk will explore the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance, the mechanisms behind it, and different strategies scientists use to develop new treatments.

Amalie will then introduce the field of microfluidics, where chemical experiments are performed on tiny microchips. These miniature laboratories allow researchers to run many experiments quickly and efficiently, helping accelerate the discovery of new antimicrobial medicines.