UCL in 2024: A year of innovation and impact

Here, as UCL was named The Times and the Sunday Times University of the Year, we reflect on some of the highlights of 2024 and how UCL is addressing real-world problems on a global scale.

January

To start the year, Students' Union UCL recruited 15 students from various disciplines to train as impartial chairs. These students were trained to manage debates and chair difficult conversations across campus. As part of their training, the group spent four days in Northern Ireland in January, exploring different perspectives on reconciliation and reflecting on how this could inform UCL’s work on Disagreeing Well.

In another significant visit, UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence and Professor Mariana Mazzucato (UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose) joined global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss climate action, the global economy and frontier technologies.

Meanwhile, the Horizon IT scandal was hitting the headlines, partly thanks to popular ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. UCL experts, including Dr Karen Nokes and Dr Natalie Byrom (both UCL Laws) were keen to share their expert opinion on the role of lawyers in a case that saw the wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters.

And for those feeling the chill of winter, researchers from the UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health, led by Professor Joyce Harper, explained how women experiencing the menopause could reap the benefits of cold water swimming.

February

UCL’s Faculty of Engineering was in the spotlight in February with two ministerial visits. The then Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy, Saqib Bhatti MP, toured the UCL Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL and the LCN Cleanroom facility, while then Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Chi Onwurah MP, was treated to presentations from several UCL start-ups and spinouts at the faculty.

Chi Onwurah MP, said: “Scientists and researchers at UCL are doing exciting work in cutting edge fields like AI and nanotechnology, generating huge social and economic value. It was fascinating to learn more about UCL’s start-up and spinout success, which is attracting global investment.

““I want to learn the lessons from places like UCL to understand how best we can leverage this country’s exceptional research base to deliver Labour’s aims: economic growth, better health outcomes and progress towards Net Zero.”

And UCL spinouts continued to shine, as a new report from UCL Business (UCLB) found that UCL spinout businesses had created more than 2,200 new jobs and attracted almost £3billion in investment in the last five years.

We also celebrated the reopening of UCL’s historic Grant Museum of Zoology, which welcomed members of the public for the first time since March 2023, following a £300,000 improvement programme.  Upgrades at the museum included new showcases, specimen moves and conservation treatments.

March

In March UCL highlighted International Women’s Day by exploring how the university and its community are championing initiatives that prioritise the holistic wellbeing of women at every stage of life.

From announcing plans for the UK’s first menopause education and support network, to research on reproductive health and exploring the experiences of women who have suffered baby loss, UCL experts have been working to tackle systemic injustices through pioneering research, state-of-the-art technologies and comprehensive healthcare strategies.

“Director of the UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health, Professor Anna David, said: “UCL is really taking a life course, holistic approach to women’s health – we’re thinking about policy and innovation and ways in which we can really transform care and wellbeing.”

On the research front, a new study led by Mattia Gerli (UCL Surgery & Interventional Science) and Professor Paolo de Coppi (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health), showed how stem cells collected in late pregnancy could raise the possibility of monitoring and treating congenital conditions before birth.

And researchers at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, led by Dr Christian Lambert, launched a new music album based on the tremors of people with Parkinson’s.

April

Several high-profile successes were marked in April as UCL alumni Sir Christopher Nolan, Dame Emma Thomas and Sir Demis Hassabis were recognised in the latest King’s Honours; UCL reached the final of University Challenge against Imperial College London; and UCL Press reached 10 million downloads.

The university also ranked in the top 10 globally in 10 subject areas in the world’s most consulted university ranking, the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. This included two first-place rankings for education and architecture and built environment.

Meanwhile, research findings posed pressing questions for the future, as a study led by Professor Jing Meng (UCL Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction) showed that 19 out of 34 countries had failed to fully meet their 2020 climate commitments, set in 2009.

Professor Meng said: “Our concern is that the countries that struggled to reach their commitment from 2009 will likely encounter even more substantial difficulties reducing emissions even further.”

May

Research in May was out of this world, with the release of five new sparkling views from the Euclid space mission, involving researchers from the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

Elsewhere, experts led by Dr Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza (UCL Earth Sciences) took a trip back in time to explore how the first “warm-blooded” dinosaurs may have emerged 180 million years ago - a trait that all mammals and birds still have today.

At this year’s European Congress on Obesity, Professor John Deanfield (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Disease), presented the findings of a clinical trial that showed the weight loss drug semaglutide provides cardiovascular benefits to people irrespective of starting weight and amount of weight lost. This suggested the drug has other actions which lower heart risk beyond reducing unhealthy body fat. This UCL-led study made the front pages of five national UK newspapers alongside wide coverage from broadcasters. 

And scientists at the UCL Dementia Research Centre, including Professor Sir John Hardy, Professor Nick Fox and Professor Cath Mummery, turned their thoughts to the future, as an award-winning BBC documentary, The Jennings vs Alzheimer’s spotlighted their research and explored a new era of hope for Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Fox said: “It is amazing to see how far research has come and I hope we are now on the path to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s once and for all.”

On campus, the shared space on Gordon Square was officially opened in time for summer and their majesties The King and Queen met with UCL cancer specialists at UCLH.

Excitingly, UCL students also celebrated the first graduation ceremonies of the year with their loved ones at the Royal Festival Hall.

June

Could an astronaut’s kidneys survive a roundtrip to Mars? This was the question that UCL researchers answered in June, with their findings suggesting that the structure and function of kidneys could be permanently damaged by space flight.

First author, Dr Keith Siew (UCL Department of Renal Medicine) said: “If we don’t develop new ways to protect the kidneys, I’d say that while an astronaut could make it to Mars they might need dialysis on the way back.”

Other health highlights included a group of scientists, led by experts from UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, developing a single blood test that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before the onset of symptoms – which they hope will be available on the NHS within two years.

An exciting discovery led by Dr Tim Causer (UCL Laws) that revealed that rare books from a priceless collection owned by UCL’s intellectual inspiration, Jeremy Bentham, had been found in UCL’s libraries and archives.

And a truly groundbreaking investigation from UCL geophysicists measured how much the earth shook at Taylor Swift concerts, with seismometers around Wembley Park finding that the song ‘Love Story’ produced the strongest tremors – equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude around 0.8.

Notably, UCL was also ranked as the ninth best university in the world for the second year in a row, in the 2025 QS World University Rankings. And, as London was named the best city to study in, VPEE student journalist Antara Basu, shared how London’s rich food culture helps bring students together.

July

As the summer began to heat up, researchers from the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources led by Dr Oscar Brousse, explored how best to beat the heat in the city – findings that cool roofs, such as those painted white or with a reflective coating, might be the answer.

Meanwhile UCL launched its first ever Festival of Engineering across Bloomsbury, UCL East and Here East, to celebrate 150 years of pioneering engineering education in fields such as AI, space exploration, robotics and medicine.

“Professor Clare Elwell, co-organiser of the Festival from UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, said: “Engineering at UCL is all about solving real-world problems. We are led by the challenges that need to be met, whether they be in medicine, sustainability or computing. It goes way beyond what people may see as the traditional engineering disciplines, really it covers all of life.”

Baroness Gillian Merron, the Health Minister responsible for life sciences and innovation, also visited UCL to tour the university’s life sciences facilities to see how research is helping tackle some of the world’s biggest health challenges.

And Peter Kyle MP, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, also announced a major new quantum research hub led by UCL and the University of Cambridge, with the aim of using quantum technology to improve early diagnosis and treatment of disease.

August

A “momentous” moment was hailed in August, as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licensed the immunotherapy drug, Lecanemab, for use in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease in the UK.

The decision was made following decades of work supported by UCL research.

Director of the UCL Dementia Research Centre and Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Professor Nick Fox said: “This is a momentous occasion. The MHRA approving Lecanemab brings us closer to providing a therapy that slows the progression of Alzheimer’s for the first time. This will be a great source of hope to people living with Alzheimer’s and their families.”

Elsewhere, another important breakthrough involving Dr Robert Ixer (UCL Institute of Archaeology) found that the largest “bluestone” at the heart of Stonehenge came from northern Scotland and not Wales, as previously thought.

And a report led by Professor Nicola Walshe (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society) and published the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education found that girls are more likely to worry about climate change and engage more in teaching on the topic than boys.

September

Technology and innovation led UCL headlines in September, with news of a wearable brain imaging device that could improve our understanding of how babies respond to social stimuli – exploring functions such as hearing, vision and cognitive processing.

First author of the study, Dr Liam Collins-Jones (UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering) said: “This more complete picture of brain activity could enhance our understanding of how the baby brain functions as it interacts with the surrounding world, which could help us optimise support for neurodiverse children early in life.”

Mental health experts across UCL, including Dr Jenny Shand (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) also explored how technology could be used to solve real-life problems by teaming up with YouTube to enhance the availability of mental health information for young people.

And some of UCL’s most inspirational startups pitched at London Demo Day 2024 to over 150 investors, with the hope of raising between £100,000 and £2million.

Meanwhile, a year on from a global seismic signal last September that baffled seismologists, researchers from UCL Earth Sciences found that the vibrations were caused by a landslide in a remote part of Greenland that caused a mega-tsunami.

Co-author Dr Stephen Hicks said: “Our study of this event amazingly highlights the intricate interconnections between climate change in the atmosphere, destabilisation of glacier ice in the cryosphere, movements of water bodies in the hydrosphere, and Earth’s solid crust in the lithosphere.”

October

This year, groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence earned not one, but two Nobel prizes. Among the celebrated winners were Sir Demis Hassabis and Professor Geoffrey E. Hinton, both of whom are connected to UCL.

Sir Demis completed a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL in 2009 before continuing as a post-doc at the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL. He then went on to co-found London-based machine learning AI startup, Google DeepMind. 

He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with his colleague at Google DeepMind, John M. Jumper, for using artificial intelligence to predict the structure of almost all known proteins, the building blocks of life.

Professor Geoffrey E. Hinton, who founded the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL, was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work that enabled artificial intelligence used today.

Professor Hinton, who is currently based at the University of Toronto, was awarded the prize alongside Professor John J. Hopfield “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks”.

Other UCL experts also making an impression in late September and October were those who met with politicians and policymakers at the annual party conferences.. The UCL Policy Lab hosted numerous panel discussions, covering topics including health, neighbourhood, and civic society, and also recorded a live podcast.  

While in research news, new papers from UCL Epidemiology & Health Care on the rise in vaping and toddlers eating ultra-processed foods also gained widespread coverage.

November

To mark the end of Black History Month (BHM) on October 31^st, UCL launched ‘100 UCL Employees: How You See Us’, a special event to celebrate the rich heritage of African and Caribbean staff at UCL, along with their invaluable contributions to education, research, professional services and university life.

The poignant portraits displayed in the exhibition intend to shine a spotlight on individuals for many months – far longer than BHM allows.

“Galila Khougali, a PhD researcher at the UCL Energy Institute who was photographed for the exhibition, said: “Our portraits, our stories –all woven together – create a tapestry of resilience, identity and shared heritage that speaks deeply to who we are and what we bring to UCL.”

Later in the month, UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence embarked on a visit to India, where UCL joined forces with the Indian Institute of Science to co-create pioneering new approaches to healthcare.

The university also announced a new round of funding, alongside Indian partners IIT Delhi and IIT Madras, for 50 disability inclusion startups.

And UCL researchers showed their eye for detail as scientists including Dr Adam Clancy (UCL Chemistry) and Professor Gareth Williams (UCL School of Pharmacy) created the world’s thinnest spaghetti – about 200 times thinner than a human hair – for use in medicine and industry.

Professor Williams said: “I don’t think it’s useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan.”

As thoughts began to turn to the holiday season, UCL student journalist Neeharika Nene also highlighted a new initiative from Sustainable UCL and the UCL Student Centre, where students could exchange second-hand clothing, completely free of charge – just in time for any upcoming Christmas parties.

December

The rankings assess universities on their ability to tackle critical environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges.

“Jason Clarke, UCL Assistant Director of Sustainability, said: “This achievement in the QS Sustainability Rankings reflects UCL’s commitment to tackling key environmental, social and governance challenges.

“Ranked first in the UK and fifth globally, it highlights the impact of UCL’s initiatives aimed at reducing campus carbon emissions, promoting a circular economy in catering and labs and embedding sustainability into our education.”

Cabinet office minister Pat McFadden also chose the Marshgate building at the UCL East Campus as the location for a significant speech about the Labour government’s reform of the civil service.

And the new home for UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oriel, reached a significant construction milestone with the completion of its concrete structure, which was marked with a traditional topping out ceremony.

Meanwhile, researchers from IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society ended the year on a positive note as research led by Dr Jennie Golding found that pupils in years 5 and 9 in England have maintained or improved scores in maths and science compared to pre-pandemic results.

To wrap up an eventful 2024, students also enjoyed choral choirs, ArtsUCL showcases and even a Winter Festival with mulled wine, carnival games and waffles.

Alongside more groundbreaking research, 2025 will see the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the 20^th wedding anniversary of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and England will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

UCL has experts in all areas willing to share their expertise on a range of additional topics via the UCL Find an Expert database.

For any additional information please get in touch with UCL Media Relations on +44 (0)7747 565 056 or out of hours +44 (0)7917 271364.

Images (top to bottom)

• Impartial Chairs on UCL Student Union's Impartial Project NI trip
• Professor Graeme Reid, Professor Tony Kenyon, Chi Onwurah MP and Professor Geraint Rees. Credit: UCL/Parsons Media.
• Kidney organoid. Credit: Giuseppe Calà, Paolo De Coppi and Mattia Gerli/UCL.
• Tremors v Tremors. Credit: Innocean Berlin
• UCL's 2023-24 team: BBC
• Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence.
• The Jennings vs Alzheimer's. Credit: BBC
• 3D imaging of a ground control mouse kideny (left) and a spaceflight mouse kidney (right). Credit: Chutong Zhong, Zhongwang Li, Peter Gordon, Keith Siew.
• UCL Earth Sciences seismology team at the ‘Swiftie Steps’, Wembley Park. Credit: Chris Winter / Wembley Park
• Robot dog. Credit: James Tye/UCL.
• Baroness Merron feeding zebrafish. Credit: UCL/Parsons Media.
• The Altar Stone, seen here underneath two bigger Sarsen stones. Credit: Professor Nick Pearce, Aberystwyth University.
• Mother Mererid and baby Mabli, who took part in the study. Credit: Liam Collins-Jones/UCL.
• Startups pitching at London Demo Day. Credit: LSE
• Sir Demis Hassabis (courtesy of Google DeepMind).
• Professor Geoffrey E. Hinton  Credit: Noah Berger, source Associated Press / Alamy 
• Portraits: Credit: Richard Stonehouse - Stonehouse Photographic. Chris Brew-Graves, Giles Narty, Jamal Russell-Black, Drew Pessoa, Professor Moses Oketch, Galila Khougali, Natasha Otto
• UCL Global Engagement staff and academics meet counterparts at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru
• Each individual strand is too narrow to be clearly captured by any form of visible light camera or microscope, so the team used a scanning electron microscope, scanning the mat with a focused beam of electrons and creating an image based on the pattern of electrons that are deflected or knocked-off. Credit: Beatrice Britton / Adam Clancy
• Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden gives a speech on civil service reform at UCL's East campus. Credit: Andrew Parsons.
• Attendees of the Oriel topping-out ceremony. UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, can be seen fifth from left.

Media contact 

Poppy Tombs

E: p.tombs [at] ucl.ac.uk