Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

16/10/2026

🚀 Launching today - a new podcast: Predicting Startup Success 👉 https://loom.ly/Jx1uBOM

Why do some startups thrive while others fail, even when they appear to have all the right ingredients?

That question is being explored through conversations with some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in entrepreneurship, innovation and venture growth in a new podcast series from Cambridge Judge Business School and the TUM Chair of Strategy and Organization.

Across nine episodes, hosts Chris Coleridge, Isabell Welpe and Theresa Treffers are joined by an outstanding line-up of guests to examine whether it's really possible to identify the signals of startup success before the outcome becomes obvious.

The episodes feature:

🎙️ Episode 1: Matthew Grimes on hype, legitimacy and entrepreneurial success: Now available

🎙️ Episode 2: Ramana Nanda on why deep-tech ventures are among the hardest to evaluate: Now available

🎙️ Episode 3: Taylor Bench on scaling from university software to startup growth (November)

🎙️ Episode 4:Prof. Dr. Holger Patzelt on what startups reveal when things go wrong (December)

🎙️ Episode 5: Dr. David Cleevely on the role of entrepreneurial ecosystems (January)

🎙️ Episode 6: Prof. Dr. Nicola Breugst on what marriage research can teach us about co-founder relationships (February)

🎙️ Episode 7: Dr. Amir Sani on whether data can predict startup success (March)

🎙️ Episode 8: Prof. Dr. Reiner Braun on reading investor signals (April)

And a final episode in May, bringing together the key insights from across the series.

This isn't a podcast about "startup hacks" or guaranteed formulas for success - it's for founders, investors, innovation leaders, academics, policymakers and anyone curious about how decisions are made under uncertainty, what signals really matter, and why predicting success is often far more complex than we think.

🎧 👉 Listen here: https://loom.ly/Jx1uBOM

15/10/2026

Professor Eugene Shwageraus has been recognised by the Nuclear Institute for his knowledge, leadership and impact in helping to move the UK industry forward. He has been selected as one of the Institute’s “Top 100 Most Influential Nuclear Professionals 2026”.

Professor Shwageraus was selected by the Institute for “advancing nuclear technology through , education and reactor , while inspiring and developing the next generation of nuclear ”.

Since joining the Department of Engineering in 2013, the in Nuclear Energy, sponsored by the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre, has grown considerably under Professor Shwageraus’ leadership, as has the Cambridge Nuclear Energy research group, both of which have evolved into diverse areas of nuclear engineering.

The MPhil in Nuclear Energy combines many aspects of nuclear with nuclear policy and business, making the one-year course highly relevant to the challenges of 21st-century energy needs, whether in the UK or across the globe.

“Our graduates are spread all over the world, taking up key positions in nuclear industry and academia, and making a difference every day – this is a true legacy,” says Professor Shwageraus.

🎉 👇 🔗 Tap the link highlighted in the comments below for more discussion on:

▪️ The future of nuclear power in the UK
▪️ Innovation and emerging technologies
▪️ Inspiring the next generation of nuclear engineers.

12/10/2026

Every day, another 600 tonnes of plastic waste end up littering Nepal’s streets and mountains with dire consequences for people, animals, and the environment. While plastics are convenient and versatile, they urgently require responsible management.

That is the exact challenge being tackled by the Plastic to Ghar (P2G) project, launched in 2022 by Dr. Curie Park from the Centre for Industrial Sustainability at the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge (IfM), Ghar means house in Nepali, and the project lives up to its name by turning plastic waste into useful housing materials. P2G empowers local entrepreneurs working alongside partners like Padmakshi Rana of Impact Hub Kathmandu to design innovative, community-based circular economy solutions.

Key achievements of the initiative include: Engaging 70+ innovators, villagers, and students; creating a localised circular economy resulting in three start-ups and five plastic hubs across urban and rural areas; reducing open burning and dumping while generating sustainable jobs in isolated communities.

Huge congratulations to Dr. Curie Park and the entire team for winning the Collaboration prize in the Climate and Nature category at the 2026 University of Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement. This recognition highlights how research, innovation, and community partnerships can turn environmental challenges into scalable solutions.

Dr Curie Park is a Research Associate at the Centre for Industrial Sustainability within the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) she set up the Plastic to Ghar (P2G) project in 2022. “Ghar” means “house” in Nepali, and the aim of P2G is to set up local innovation capacity to tackle Nepal’s p...

09/10/2026

✍️Need help with your academic writing?

Kaddy Benyon, the new Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Cambridge University Library, is here to help!

Free one-to-one academic writing support sessions are available for all current University of Cambridge students and staff.

📍 Where: In person at the UL or online
📅 When: From 12 October
✉️ Book your spot by emailing [email protected]

07/10/2026

October is Black History Month, and to celebrate we have a 20% off a range of titles in the bookshop and on our website. 🙌

And keep an eye out over the next month as we highlight books exploring black history from across the world, to right here in Cambridge. 📚

Take a look at the full collection here: 🔗 www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk/collections/black-history-month

06/10/2026

Looking to develop your skills, meet new people and make a difference beyond your studies? 🤝

Come along to the Student Volunteering Fair! 🎉

The fair is open to all students and brings together local charities, community organisations and student-led projects, with plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Volunteering is a great way to explore your interests, connect with the local Cambridge community and make the most of your university experience.

Whether you're passionate about a particular cause or simply curious about what's out there, it's a chance to meet inspiring organisations and learn how you can make a difference.

📆 Thursday 15 October, 1-4pm
📍 Student Services Centre, Bene't Street, CB2 3PT

The Student Volunteering Fair is hosted by Cambridge SU, in collaboration with the University's Civic Engagement team and Wolfson College.

05/10/2026

Alumnus Dr Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano has won the 2026 King’s College Entrepreneurship Prize with Polytecks, a start-up with origins in the Department of Engineering.

Polytecks is a medical start-up that is developing wearable electronic textile-based (e-textile) high-density electrode arrays to capture high-resolution signals from the body’s surface – making the skin a window into the body.

Built on new conducting materials, techniques and machine learning, Polytecks' next-generation arrays make advanced as easy to use as a stethoscope, with the clear aim of establishing bioelectrical mapping as a mainstream diagnostic category.

Every cell in the body runs on electricity. Reading these signals has the potential to make advanced accessible, including new diagnostics for the brain, heart and muscle.

The company is entering the market through (in dogs) to accurately stage cardiovascular disease at the point of care, while scaling its platform to map the nervous system, muscles, gut and ultimately anything electrically active in the body – with potential applications in , , gut health, foetal diagnostics, and beyond.

“Our immediate focus is on completing the clinical validation of SwiftStage (Polytecks’ first product) for staging canine myxomatous mitral valve disease, the most common heart condition in dogs,” said Dr Ruiz-Mateos Serrano.

“Early detection is crucial, as timely medication can extend life. We are also continuing to develop the technology and prepare for future human applications. We are at a very exciting stage, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next few years take us.”

🆕 New on applications of Polytecks’ bioelectrical mapping technology for wearable brain-body interfaces was published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

The paper represents the culmination of his conducted at the at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems (CEPS), as well as several years of work developing the technology that laid the scientific and technical foundations for what would become Polytecks.

TAP THE LINK IN THE COMMENTS FOR MORE 🏆 👇

📸: Dr Ruiz-Mateos Serrano presents Polytecks’ Mosaic Sensor platform which he says can bring imaging-level insights into primary care, and even earlier, across all domains of health.

Image credit: Professor Chaoqun D**g

cc. King's College, Cambridge

02/10/2026

01/10/2026

Start the academic year with brand new resources.

28/09/2026

Alumna Kayla Barron will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot!

This will be Barron’s second flight to the International Space Station.

She achieved a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering from Cambridge 👍

Meet Crew-14!

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Chris Birch, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Makoto Suwa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan will lift off to the International Space Station no earlier than March 2027, where they will live for several months.

While aboard the space station, they will perform experiments and technology demonstrations to help us learn how to live in space while benefiting life on Earth. https://go.nasa.gov/4AB4W44