OUTREACH & EVENTS
2025
2024
Liv not only survived her viva, but is now no less than a PhD. You would win big if you bet that she received a PhD-hat to mark the occasion (or so she says).
Imperial Lates
Fabi, Henny and Oscar presented their work to an eager AI-themed Imperial Lates audience
Melissa and Xinyang Start their phds
We’re delighted and feel very lucky to have Melissa and Xinyang join the lab for their Phds!
Dr Fabian Plum
Fabi’s examiners not only survived his viva, but also awarded him a PhD! His customary PhD-hat was the very best, like no hat ever was (or so he claims).
2023
Celebrating 5 years of evo-biomech
The lab and friends head to Bermondsey beer mile to celebrate 5 years at Imperial!
ERC spotlight - frederik pÜffel
Freddie is featured in JEB’s 100 years of discovery ERC Spotlight! Read about it here
Oscar re-joins Evo-Biomech after a successful Master’s degree as a research assistant.
Dynamic duo in EDINBURGH
Freddie is the – Runner up – for the Best Talk in the Open Biomechanics Session
Dilanka at SEB 2023 – wins Best Poster in the Open Biomechanics Session
Hendrik won 1st place for the Best Poster at the Department of Bioengineering Late Stage Review Assessment Day
John and frances jones prize
Liv was awarded as the postgraduate student who has made the best all-round contribution to College life, taking into account academic achievement, social involvement and extra-curricular activities over the academic year
Hendrik won the 1st place – Best Poster Award “Bio-inspired, Biomimetics and Biohybrid (Cyborg) Systems Workshop ICRA 2023”
Hendrik won 1st place for the Best Poster at the Department of Bioengineering Late Stage Review Assessment Day
Outstanding service
Liv was awarded a prestigious Union Award for her significant contributions to the student experience at Imperial and the life of the Union throughout the year.
Dr Andrea E.L. Attipoe
Andrea survived his viva and was awarded the title of PhD and, more importantly, a PhD-hat, complete with pineapple dropplets and Ebi Fry.
Dr Frederik PÜffel
Freddie survived his viva and was awarded the title of PhD as well as a “traditional” PhD-hat, filled with artsy & antsy anecdotes
2022
Haaris starts his phd
Two full Schultüte one happy student
IUSSI NW Poster Prize
Liv won the Best Poster Prize at the International Union for the Study of Social Insects North West Conference.
Evo-Biomech and friends at SICB 2022
The lab attends SICB again this time in Phoenix, AZ, USA!
Evo-Biomech's first ever lab retreat
The lab heads to Snowdonia National Park in Wales for walking and workshops.
Liv talks at science friday
Liv talks about how the cost of living crisis is effecting PhD students at Imperial
David interviews Dr Elisabeth bik
David features on Die Junge Akademie podcast “wissen handeln?” with Dr Gisela Klopp interviewing Dr Elisabeth Bik on science integrity
2021
Hendrik and dilanka start their phds
Two full Schultüte two happy students.
Coded bias screening
Liv, Maria and Natalie organised a screening of ‘Coded Bias’, followed by a panel discussion hosted by our very own Andrea Attipoe.
Outstanding achievement Award
£5k awarded by Amazon to Fabian Plum in April 2021 for his PhD work on creating and using digital 3D models of insects to study insect behaviour in the field.
Picture a Scientist
Liv, Maria and Natalie organised a screening of ‘Picture a Scientist‘, followed by a panel discussion and a social.
Maria, Victor, Natalie, Hendrik and Liv represented the group with its very own ‘Pint of Science‘-event. Check out the rap-battle between Liv and Andrea!
David provides his very professional opinion as to whether Godzilla or Kong could really ever be that big (and if so, who would win)…
Outstanding Achievement awarD
Awarded by Imperial College in July 2021 to long-standing undergraduate lab member Ciara Gibbs for her voluntary work across numerous societies and NGOs.
In June 2021, Liv Walthaus was elected as the next Marketing Officer for the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology-society at Imperial. Read more about the society here!
Best Talk | Open Electronics @SEB
Won in July 2021 by Fabian Plum for his talk on the Open-Science project scAnt, presented in the ‘Open Electronics’-session at SEB. Learn more about scAnt here!
Runner-up
Best GTA
Awarded in June 2021 to Andrea Attipoe for his work as Graduate Teaching Assistant in David’s Mechanics class.
Member of the Young Academy
In June 2021, David was one of 10 early career scientists to be elected to the Young Academy at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Read more here!
EPSRC DTP Studentship
Awarded to Hendrik Beck in April 2021, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Henny will use physical and digital models of insects to understand the biomechanical principles which govern variation in locomotor performance during climbing.
2020
Liv starts her PhD
Of course with a Schultüte.
Evo-Biomech and friends at SICB 2020
The first conference which the lab attended together. Check out all the posters we presented there!
Best talk | PhD Summer Showcase
Won by Fabian Plum during Imperial’s PhD summer showcase in June 2020.
HFSP Young Investigator Grant
$1MM awarded to David to work with Natalie Holt and Mattia Bacca on the mechanical and physiological basis of insect herbivore performance. Read more here!
2019
Best Poster
As voted by academic staff and awarded to the 3rd year Group Project hosted in our lab. The group worked with Freddie on the development of a bite force sensor for measurements with insects.
Fabi starts his PhD
Full Schultüte, happy student?
President's Scholarship
Awarded to Fabian Plum in summer 2019, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Fabian will develop computer vision and machine learning tools to study behaviour of leaf-cutter ants.
ERC Starting Grant
€2MM awarded to David in Seotember 2019 to work on the behavioural biomechanics of plant-eating insects. Read more here!
2018
Pizza
bake-off
We celebrated Christmas with a pizza competition – with some controversial entries!
Freddie & Andrea start their phd
And with them we welcome a new lab tradition: Incoming PhD students receive a Schultüte on their first day, full with treats and wisdom to help with the nervousness of the first day, and with getting started!
David serves as scientific expert in the two-part BBC documentary Size matters, narrated by Hannah Fry!
PhD Scholarship
Awarded by the Cusanuswerk to Frederik Pueffel in summer 2018, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Freddie will study the biomechanics of biting and cutting in leaf-cutter ants.
Runner up, R. McNeill Alexander award
Won by Frederik Pueffel at the SEB conference 2018 in Florence, for his poster on studying mandible wear.
2017
3rd prize, R. McNeill Alexander award
Won by Frederik Pueffel at the SEB conference 2017 in Gothenburg, for his poster on studying mandible cutting forces.
