The Ulster Immunology Group (UIG) is a Regional Affiliate of the British Society for Immunology (BSI). Its objective is to provide a forum for scientists in Northern Ireland to foster common interests in the broad area of immunology. UIG is led by a small active committee that organises a monthly seminar series, periodic ad hoc symposia and annual student prizes honouring the best graduates in immunology from both Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster.
The seminar series implicates local, national and international scientists invited to share their research with our members. Periodic ad hoc symposia are organised in collaboration with BSI depending on available funding. Symposium topics are selected on the basis of areas of interest to as wide a range of scientists as possible. The annual student prizes are presented to the best graduates with immunology components in their degrees. The UIG also maintains close relations with the Irish Society for Immunology, which involves collaborating on annual ISI symposia and research collaboration between our members. Individuals with interest in immunology are warmly welcome to join. Ideas for future activities are also welcome and should be forwarded to the UIG Secretary.
Ulster Best Immunology Student Award
The Annual Awards Seminar for the best undergraduate student in immunology (Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University) was held on the 18 June 2018 at Ulster University Coleraine.
The 2018 UIG student prize was sponsored by Miltenyi Biotec and was presented by Dr Silvia Merger, University College Cork, who gave this year's Annual Awards Seminar on 'An insight into the diet microbiota-immune interaction in animal models of colitis and colitis-associated cancer'. The event was hosted by Dr Philip Allsopp and Dr Emeir McSorley, Ulster University.
The Awardee for Best Student of Immunology at Queens University was Ms Claire Houton and from Ulster University was Ms Meghan Ingram. Congratulations to both!
Monthly seminar series
Venue (unless otherwise stated): Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Lecture Hall, Basement
February
Trials in Progressive MS: what are they telling us about the Biology?
Prof Jeremy Chataway, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London
Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson, Institute for Experimental Medicine, QUB
13.00 on Tuesday 12 February 2019
Hosted by Prof Denise Fitzgerald
Inflammasomes – Guardians of Cellular Integrity
Prof Veit Hornung, Gene Centre Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany
Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson, Institute for Experimental Medicine, QUB
12.00 on Tuesday 19 February 2019
Hosted by Dr Yvonne Dombrowski
March
Isla Halliday Memorial Lecture
How basic discoveries in immunology are set to transform the control of cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases
Prof Kingston Mills, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson, Institute for Experimental Medicine, QUB
13.00 on Tuesday 5 March 2019
Hosted by Prof Louise Cosby
Keynote Lecture at our Northern Ireland MS Research Network (NIMSRN) Symposium
Lessons from the ups and downs of developing alemtuzumab as a treatment of multiple sclerosis
Prof Alasdair Coles, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge
Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson, Institute for Experimental Medicine, QUB
13.00 on Tuesday 26 March 2019
Hosted by Dr Denise Fitzgerald
April
Regulation of STING-dependent immune responses in Innate Immunology
Prof Christian Holm, Department of Biomedicine University of Aarhus, Denmark
Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson, Institute for Experimental Medicine, QUB
13.00 on Tuesday 30 April 2019
Hosted by Dr Ultan Power
June
Symposium: ‘Immunology without borders: protecting, nourishing, and healing’
13 - 14 June, Belfast
More details to follow
Committee
President: Denise Fitzgerald
Secretary: Karim Dib
Treasurer: Yvonne Dombrowski
Website officer: Emeir McSorley
Member: Philip Allsopp
Member: Louise Cosby
Member: Rebecca Ingram
Member: Michelle Naughton
Member: Ultan Power
Member: Bettina Schock
PhD representative: Joanna Jurek