The Physiological Society

05/10/2026

“On behalf of the Physiological Society, I am delighted to congratulate Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for being jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine," says Professor Mike Tipton, President of the Society.

The 2026 laureates discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics have helped to uncover the mysteries of the brain and lay the foundations of a new era of neuroscience ⬇️

President of the Physiological Society congratulates 2026 Nobel Prize winners.

04/10/2026

“Astronauts move around the International Space Station (ISS) by pulling along handrails rather than walking,” explains Irene. “As they must rely more on their arms than their legs to move around, it raises an interesting question: how necessary are the lower limbs for functioning on the ISS?”

Dr Irene Di Giulio (King’s College London, UK) is investigating whether physical disabilities could be advantageous in spaceflight. We interviewed Irene to learn more about her aerospace research, and how she is pushing the boundaries of space exploration for all.

“By studying how different bodies adapt to spaceflight, we aim to support the first of many accessible missions and lay the foundation for inclusive human space exploration,” says Irene.

Reach for the stars with Irene and her work on inclusive space travel ✨️🚀 ⬇️ https://buff.ly/gsAyIAp

Could the best candidate for a space mission be someone whose physiology responds differently to microgravity?

01/10/2026

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆

"The Society’s meetings have provided opportunities to learn about new methodologies, discuss ideas, and gain feedback on my own research," writes Dr Harry Smith. In his blog, he shares how being part of our community has helped him network with researchers working across a range of physiological disciplines and career stages.

Harry adds, "As an early career researcher, these opportunities have been particularly valuable in broadening my perspective and helping me develop professionally."

Harry is one of our 2026 Poster Competition Winners. Read about his career journey and his experience presenting his poster at our Dietary Manipulations meeting 🔗 https://buff.ly/D5rb5xx

𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆- 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗱-𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 🌟

Calling all ECR members! This November '𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿' is your chance to learn, present, and make connections with your community.

📆 25 - 26 November 2026
📍 Royal Society of Medicine (London, UK) and online

Join us to enhance your career and build your community. Register now 🔗 https://buff.ly/iI7oRnV

24/09/2026

⌛ Last chance to apply for this round of our Unlocking Futures Fund. Don't miss out on the opportunity to receive up to £2,500 to help you achieve your goals.

⏰ Deadline for applications is 28 September! Find out more and apply ⬇️ buff.ly/SHbbNz8

🔓️ The is open to postdoctoral researchers. The fund was started in memory of Professor Hisako Ikeda-Wolstencroft, a valued member of The Society and a world leader in the field of vision research. In her memory, the fund was set up with the aim of unlocking the potential of a future leader of physiology.

Our Unlocking Futures Fund is open to postdoctoral researchers who require an additional support to help them achieve their full potential.

23/09/2026

The UCL's Historic Objects and Collections series presents this month's physiological artefact...

It is 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 #𝟬𝟲𝟮, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 created by Archibald Vivian Hill (AV Hill) (1886-1977), a renowned British physiologist and biophysicist.

The development of such thermopiles was essential for the accurate measurement of rapid changes in temperature during muscle contraction.

The team share the history of how physiologists measured muscle heat. Here's the tale of the thermophile and how AV Hill used it to transform our understanding of muscle thermodynamics ⬇️ https://buff.ly/ed9a2iY

Thermopiles transformed our understanding of muscle thermodynamics. Read about AV Hill and how he refined the instrument.

23/09/2026

❓Interested in running an event for Physiology Week 2026 (16-20 November)?

💡 Why not apply for an Institutional Engagement Award to help support your physiology focused event? Find out more ⬇️

Inspire a love of physiology in others when you apply for an Outreach Grant from The Physiological Society. Grants of up to £20,000 available.

21/09/2026

Diversity enriches scientific thinking and drives innovation, says Professor Ming Lei, the recipient of the 2026 Mabel Fitzgerald Prize for Diversity in Physiology.

“It is a tremendous honour and a deeply meaningful recognition of my work,” thanked Ming, upon receiving the award. During his prize lecture, ‘PAK1/2 Signalling and Therapeutic Activation in Cardiac Protection’, Ming discussed his heart research and his work on novel therapeutic targets for heart disease.

Read more about Ming's career, and his thoughts on diversity and why it's beneficial for scientific progress 🗞️ https://buff.ly/P3r2EiE

18/09/2026

Honouring two giants in physiology: Blue plaque unveiling at the University of Cambridge

“Hodgkin and Huxley were true giants of science of the order that rarely come along: they not only re-wrote the textbooks, they added an entirely new chapter,” says Professor Steve Edgley (University of Cambridge, UK), who was awarded the Society's Paton Prize Lecture.

Steve presented his lecture ‘Hodgkin and Huxley: Giants of science’ shortly before the grand unveiling of the two commemorative blue plaques for the Nobel Prize winning physiologists, Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin (1914 –1998) and Sir Andrew Huxley (1917 –2012).

Find out more about Steve's lecture and how we celebrated the legacy of Hodgkin and Huxley. Read the full story of our event 🗞️ https://buff.ly/tuTjaT2

The photos below show Dariel Burdass (Chief Executive of the Society) presenting the Paton Prize Lecture award to Steve Edgley.

18/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Professor Abigail Fowden (University of Cambridge, UK), who was awarded the Physiological Society’s Paton Prize Lecture.

On Thursday 17 September, Abigail presented her Paton Prize Lecture, ‘Sir Jospeh Barcroft (1872-1947), pioneer of fetal and neonatal physiology’ at our ‘Celebrating Physiology in Cambridge’ event.

“Much of today’s feto-placental and perinatal research can trace its origin back to the studies of Sir Joseph Barcroft and his students and colleagues at the University of Cambridge,” says Abigail, a specialist in pregnancy and fetal development.

Discover more about the history of fetal development research and Abigail's studies on early life programme development. Read our news article ⬇️ https://buff.ly/1wnKoyV

Professor Abigail Fowden traces the history of the study of fetal and neonatal physiology to its pioneer, Sir Joseph Barcroft.

18/09/2026

"We heartily thank all researchers who have peer-reviewed a manuscript for any of our the Physiological Society journals over the last year," write our Editors-in-Chief, as they reflect on the immense contribution of those who volunteer their time to evaluate work submitted to our family of journals.

"Each of us understands the significance of the vast army of peer reviewers in elevating the quality and impact of the papers and other article types that we publish."

In our latest blog for , our journal Editors-in-Chief consider how the changing landscape for scholarly publishing is impacting the vital function of peer review. They also discuss opportunities that could make the process better in the future.

Read their reflections on peer review ⬇️ https://buff.ly/x4i8UBp

Our EiCs reflect on the immense contribution of those who volunteer their time to evaluate work submitted to the Society journals.