Campaign for UCL launches in USA

Highlights of the visit included a VIP fundraising dinner in Los Angeles hosted by film director Christopher Nolan and producer Emma Thomas, who first met at UCL as students of English and History respectively. The couple, whose joint projects include the films Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy, spoke warmly of their connection with UCL, with Emma telling guests: "UCL is a big part of our hearts, and it's an honour to be part of its future."

The dinner celebrated UCL's major focus on dementia research and plans to create a world-leading new Dementia Research Institute. Keynote speaker Professor John Hardy of UCL's Institute of Neurology, who last year became the first UK winner of the prestigious Breakthrough Prize, confirmed that UCL leads the world in neuroscience, adding: "Understanding dementia isn't enough. We want to make a difference to lives and that's why the new Campaign for UCL is vital."

Guests included UCL alumnus Demis Hassabis, co-founder of the artificial intelligence company DeepMind acquired by Google in 2014, who said he chose to study for his PhD at UCL "simply because it is the best place for neuroscience". He added that UCL's strong connections with industry are one of its great benefits and asked guests to help extend that reach.

Neuroscience was also the big theme at a Campaign launch event for alumni in San Francisco, where Professor Hardy spoke again in a Q&A session and described the moment he heard that he had won the $3m Breakthrough Prize - "I was halfway through my breakfast bacon sandwich, which I abandoned for champagne."

The Prize was created by tech superstars including Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin to recognise game changing science. Recalling the moment he visited Zuckerberg's house, Professor Hardy added: "I knocked on the door and when he opened it he looked so young I felt like saying 'are your mum and dad in'".

He went on to describe the work he is leading at UCL to understand the genetic causes for why dementia develops and how that could be disrupted. "We understand the underlying biology much better," he told guests. "I took my statin this morning to ward off heart disease. The same idea is where we're going with dementia."

In New York, the neuroscience baton was passed to Professor Martin Rossor, also of UCL's Institute of Neurology, who talked about the university's achievements and ambitions at an exclusive reception hosted by alumna Dr Denise Barbut. A leading neurologist and entrepreneur, Dr Barbut worked alongside Professor Rossor during her clinical training and continues to hold both him and UCL in high regard.

New York also saw a Campaign launch event for East Coast alumni, with the focus switching to the topic of sustainable cities. Professor Peter Rees of the Bartlett kicked off with the observation that places are created by sex, religion and politics, adding: "Young people are drawn to big cities, and it's not for the jobs it's for the parties". But, he said, both London and New York are threatened by "piles of safety deposit boxes" being built instead of homes where people live - "too much money of the wrong kind doing the wrong thing."

He was joined by Dr Zoe Laughlin of the Institute of Making and Vice-Provost (Research) Professor David Price for a lively debate bringing together the future of cities and plans for UCL East. David praised the vibrant cultural scene of London and New York as a key reason why people want to be there, commenting that UCL should recognise that its contributions to arts, humanities and culture are as important as its contributions to science and medicine.

Looking to the future, Zoe demonstrated a chunk of self-healing concrete, which contains bacteria that wake up when the concrete gets wet and excrete material that heals tiny cracks.

The Campaign will also be launching in China and Hong Kong later this month. 

Lori Houlihan, Vice-Provost (Development), says:

"UCL is a globally renowned university, with partners and supporters around the world. These events to showcase the breadth and quality of our work are an invaluable way to cement existing relationships and build new ones with global philanthropists who want to make a difference to the world. We are so fortunate to have the support of alumni like Chris and Emma, Demis and Denise, who are helping to open many doors for us. The Campaign couldn't be off to a better start."

To find out more, visit the UCL Campaign website.

Image

From left to right: Professor John Hardy, UCL Institute of Neurology; Demis Hassabis, DeepMind; Christopher Nolan; Emma Thomas; Lori Houlihan, UCL Vice-Provost (Development); and UCL President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur.