Wellcome Connecting Science

16/03/2026

03/03/2026

🧬 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗣𝗗 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸! 🧬

Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, and developed in collaboration with EMBL Science Education & Public Engagement - formerly ELLS and STEM Learning, this course explores approaches for teaching genomics both inside and outside of the classroom.

The course is designed for teachers and educators working in schools, colleges, and with young people. It will also be beneficial for science outreach and science communication professionals.

It's hosted on FutureLearn, and goes live on 30 March, but you can complete the course at your own pace.

"A𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦" – Previous course participant

🔗 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://cstu.io/0bb99f

Less

04/11/2025

🔬𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Wellcome Sanger Institute! ✨

Do you know any year 10 or year 11 students who are interested in learning more about genomic technologies, and the careers available in the field?

During this work experience programme students will get to:
🧪 Experience the journey from sample collection to data output.
🧫 Learn through practical experience and from professionals, explore the laboratories, facilities, technical skills and career opportunities.
🥼 Hear about cutting-edge research, use micropipettes, get hands-on with gel electrophoresis and discover the fascinating world of bioinformatics.

This 1 day programme is running during the February half-term on Tuesday 17 February and will be repeated on Wednesday 18 February 2026, from 9am-4pm. Travel bursaries are available for eligible students and lunch will be provided.

📅 Application deadline: 5pm, 5 December 2025

🔗 Find out more and apply: https://cstu.io/bf2d2d

17/09/2025

In July, we welcomed around 200 Year 10 students from nine secondary schools in the Unity Schools Partnership to the Wellcome Sanger Institute for our annual schools conference.

During the day, students:

❓ Quizzed staff members about their careers and created career profiles
🎨 Created genomics-themed artwork through a creative micropippeting activity
🤯 Listened to experts
🧬 Toured one of the world's largest DNA sequencing facilities
🏆 Won prizes

After the conference, 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟴𝟵% 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 reported that their visit had increased their interest in learning about genomics, and that they now have a better understanding of what a career in bioscience and genomics may involve.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆: https://cstu.io/901b1e

16/09/2025

𝗔 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 - 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟮 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 FutureLearn! 🖥️

Are you a patient, representative, or carer interested in influencing genetic disease research design and healthcare delivery?

Sign up to secure your free place on our 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 online course, and begin your learning journey.

🖥️ 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 through monitored forums, on the FutureLearn learning platform.
⏰ 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: three hours
🏆 A 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 is issued on successful completion of the course.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲:

✅ Confidence and advocacy skills development
✅ Building a communication and co-creation toolkit
✅ How to make real-world impact in the genomics ecosystem

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀?

🎓 Jillian Hastings Ward MBE, Lead Educator and Independent Patient Advocate
🎓 Jillian Banfield, Lead for Patient Partnership in Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Genetics (CIHR)
🎓 Ai Ling Sim-Devadas, Patient Advocate and Personal and Public Involvement Practitioner
🎓 Dr Michelle Bishop, Associate Director of Wellcome Connecting Science Learning and Training

This course is also suitable for researchers or scientists interested in learning more about how to include patient insights into research design. It's particularly useful for those who are also connected to advocacy networks through their research or clinical work.

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲!
https://youtu.be/cDZI_9Q39Ag?si=Jm2-KnivqoVpt-kT 📽️

📎 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟮 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: https://bit.ly/4npR6tR

Rare Disease Research, LLC | Rare Disease Day | Rare Disease Foundation | Patient Advocacy Service Ireland | Genomics England | Genomics Education Programme | Rare Patient Voice | Patients As Partners in Clinical Research Community News | National Patient Advocate Foundation | Patient Pathways Healthcare Navigation & Advocates

Patient Advocacy Allegiance Patient Advocacy

27/08/2025

🧬 Last week we joined the brilliant Abbey in Cambridge at their Eager Explorers community science event. We ran hands-on activities with scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Nicky Shepard, CEO of Abbey People, shared: “Abbey is a part of Cambridge that often feels disconnected from the city’s science and tech opportunities. We want young people here to know that these careers are for them too. By bringing hands-on science experiences into the heart of the community, we’re helping to break down barriers and spark interest in futures that feel both exciting and possible.”

19/08/2025

Meet Ben, Talent Acquisition and International Adviser at the . Ben supports early-career hires and guides visa applications, helping students and graduates take their next step in genomics.

✨ “I find my job fulfilling because I can provide opportunities and support people at a stressful time in their life.”

🔗 Read Ben’s full story by using the link in our bio!

31/07/2025

We are excited about the return of our highly anticipated Microbiome Interactions in Health and Disease Conference, now in its 13th iteration!

This year's meeting will focus on how new computational tools and the integration of large-scale-omics approaches with-throughput cultivation methods can help improve our understanding of the microbiome, in addition to examining the microbiome's role in women's health.

For details on how to participate, click the link in our bio. Make sure to register and submit your bursary applications and abstracts by 24 November 2025.

📍 Venue: Hinxton Hall
📅 Dates: 2-4 March 2026
🖥️ Hybrid meeting: In-person and virtual attendance

24/07/2025

Last month, we welcomed two students into the creatives team here at Wellcome Connecting Science for a week.

The students explored roles within:
✅ Science communication & engagement
✅ Social science research
✅ Marketing and communications
✅ Event planning and coordination
✅ Laboratory training programme development

All roles that are crucial in the success of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. It was a pleasure to have the students join us.

🔗 If you want to keep an eye out on any future work experience opportunities then click here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/careers/work-experience/

22/07/2025

In April, we welcomed a brilliant group of Year 12 students for the Genome Academy, a 3 day immersive work experience at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

These aspiring biomedical researchers got a behind-the-scenes look at the world of genomics through:
🧬 Hands-on wet lab techniques - DNA Extraction, PCR, and sequencing
💻 Bioinformatics tool training
🗣️ Talks from leading scientists on cutting-edge research
🔬 Lab tours at the heart of genomic discovery

It was an inspiring few days exploring how we translate DNA into data, and discovering the wide range of careers shaping the future of genomics.

For future work experience opportunities, keep an eye on this page: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/careers/work-experience/

10/07/2025

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮?

💬 Young people can join a Q&A as part of our virtual work experience course. 💬

They can chat to staff from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, via a secure platform, to ask about their job, career path, and what they enjoy the most about their work.

This course is free and suitable for 14+ year olds. It includes real industry activities and covers employability skills.

📅 Flexible - complete at your own pace
🌦️ Perfect for a rainy day during the summer holidays

🔗 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽: https://cstu.io/c4fd8c

02/07/2025

Pride is more than a month – it is a movement. It is the recognition of the progress made and an acknowledgement of what still needs to be done. It is also an opportunity to share the endless stories of the LGBTQ+ community. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

💬 “Activism remains necessary until all people can authentically express their identities in public, without judgement, fear of violence, and micro-aggressions. The Network creates a voice for improving inclusivity as well as a cross-Campus space for the community to meet.” – Linda Grootegoed, a member of the Campus LGBTQ+ Network Operations Group

We share Linda’s story, her insights into the campus LGBTQ+ Network, and her recommendations for things to read and watch this month, and all year round.

Check it out below. ⤵️

https://ow.ly/h97r50WfhWj