The Francis Crick Institute

01/09/2025

“I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and partners in the UK and worldwide to maximise our ethos of discovery without boundaries.”

Today, Edith Heard begins her tenure as our new Chief Executive Officer. Edith previously served as Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and has over 30 years of experience as an internationally renowned scientist and leader in the life sciences.

https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-09-01_welcome-edith-heard

13/08/2025

Crick staff joined UK Black Pride this weekend for its 20th anniversary, celebrating diversity in all its forms.

We connected with so many inspiring people and shared the Crick’s work, from our inclusive staff networks and PhD programs to Discovery Days and our free Wellcome Photography Prize exhibition.

Some highlights include when Karen Ambrose, co-chair of the Crick’s race equity network PRISM, met with UK Black Pride founder Lady Phyll, and when one of our other volunteers, Effie Taylor, spotted Dame Kelly Holmes.

We can’t wait to see even more Crick faces there next year for a fantastic day out.

Thanks to the Crick’s Debipriya Das for the photos. 📷

25/07/2025

Be part of the live studio audience for a new podcast from the Crick and BBC Studios Science Unit.

In every episode of A Question of Science, Professor Brian Cox and an expert panel of guests will tackle questions from an audience at the Crick about the big issues facing humanity.

Free tickets are available to our next six recordings, with topics ranging from consciousness to space.

Book tickets to the live recordings on 5, 9, and 17 September

https://lostintv.com/tv-show?id=1361

16/07/2025

Join Caetano Reis e Sousa from our Immunobiology Lab at the Crick as he describes how our immune systems work.

Your immune system is continuously protecting your body from infection, eliminating damaged cells and preventing cancer. It works through coordinated signalling and responses, operating like a sophisticated detection and defence circuit.

Caetano also shares his team’s research to better understand receptors on specialised immune cells called dendritic cells, increasing our potential to harness their activity for cancer therapy and develop new vaccines.

Join Caetano Reis e Sousa, Principal Group Leader of the Immunobiology Laboratory at the Crick, as he explains the fascinating history of immunology, vaccina...

16/07/2025

Our new, free exhibition featuring shortlisted entries from the Wellcome Photography Prize opens tomorrow.

Stop by to experience stories of health, science and human experience captured in stunning photographs from around the world.

The exhibition will run until 18 October 2025.

Opening hours:
10:00-20:00 Wednesdays
10:00-16:00 Thursday – Saturday

The Wellcome Photography Prize brings together visual stories of health, science and human experience.

15/07/2025

Last week we held our annual Bring Your Culture to Work Day, where people from around the building share their culture through food, clothing, dance, and a variety of activities from around the world.

In the evening we were serenaded by a mariachi singer, tested our knowledge with a themed quiz, and welcomed back the Castellers of London

03/07/2025

In our latest video, Silvia Santos and Borzo Gharibi explain how their team developed a new stem cell model of the mature amniotic sac, and why this will allow scientists to study the amniotic sac in more detail.

Watch now 👇

Researchers haven’t been able to study the amniotic sac in detail due to it forming alongside developing embryos. In pregnancy, the inside of the womb is ina...

26/06/2025

Last week we said goodbye to our exhibition.

We want to thank the over 78,000 people who visited while it was open, making it by far our most popular exhibition yet.

We hope you all left knowing a little more about our amazing brains. 🧠

24/06/2025

Thanks to everyone who brought the fun and excitement to another fantastic Discovery Day this weekend. 🥳

Over 1,000 of you took part in our outdoor and indoor science activities, and the science magic show was a huge hit. 🪄🧪

We look forward to seeing you all at the next one. 👋

20/06/2025

We’re looking forward to welcoming families to Discovery Day tomorrow 🎉

It’s going to be a hot and sunny day, so please come prepared with hats, sun cream and water.

Visit the webpage for more information about the day ⬇️
🔗 https://www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/discovery-day

13/06/2025

The last weekend opening of our free Hello Brain exhibition is tomorrow, Saturday 14 June. 🧠

Pop by for one last visit before it closes for good.

For those who can make it, we’re also open on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 June.

Explore the marvellous and mysterious world in your head.

12/06/2025

Discovery Day is back! 🎊🧪

Fancy discovering your immune cell superpower? Or interviewing a scientist on-camera?

On 21 June we’re opening the Crick up to families for a free day of pop-up science fun.

Check the link below for more info and to plan your day 👇

Join us at the Crick on Saturday 21 June for a packed day of science fun.