STEM & Engineering, Cambridge Careers Masterclass

Dr Tom Crawford is a mathematician, educator and award-winning science communicator, holding academic positions at both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.

At Cambridge, he is a Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at Robinson College. At Oxford, he is a Fellow by Special Election at St Edmund Hall and Public Engagement Lead at the Department for Continuing Education.

He is also the creator of Tom Rocks Maths, an award-winning educational platform dedicated to making mathematics engaging and accessible to wider audiences. His work has attracted over 25 million YouTube views, and he was recognised as YouTube's Creator on the Rise in 2020.

Professor Pietro Liò is a Full Professor at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Computational Biology and a member of the Artificial Intelligence group. He holds an MA from Cambridge, a PhD in Complex Systems and Non-Linear Dynamics from the University of Firenze, and a PhD in Theoretical Genetics from the University of Pavia.

His research focuses on using AI and machine learning to develop models that integrate multi-scale biological and clinical data to address personalised and precision medicine. He is particularly interested in Graph Neural Networks, AI-based medical digital twins, and decision support systems.

He is a Fellow at Clare Hall College, a member of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, ELLIS, and the Academia Europaea. He also teaches Geometric Deep Learning and serves on several key committees, including the MPhil in Computational Biology programme.

Mouhib El-Bizri is a biomolecular scientist with an academic background in pharmacology and biomedical research. He studied Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Biomolecular Sciences, following a First-Class Honours degree in Pharmacology from the University of Nottingham.

His research experience spans molecular pharmacology, cell signalling, neuropharmacology and cancer-related molecular mechanisms. At Cambridge, his research focused on the regulation and dimerisation of PKN1, a protein kinase associated with cancer, investigating the molecular interactions that influence its activity. His earlier research at Nottingham explored opioid receptor function and the pharmacological properties of receptor-targeting compounds, using advanced laboratory techniques to investigate cellular responses.

With practical experience in molecular biology, protein analysis, receptor signalling and experimental pharmacology, Mouhib brings an interdisciplinary perspective to biomedical science. His academic interests extend to the connections between pharmacology, psychology, neuroscience and computational modelling, reflecting the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of modern medical research.

Alongside his research, Mouhib has experience teaching Chemistry and Biology and has been awarded a University of Cambridge School of Biological Sciences bursary for academic merit.

Dr. Alex Smeets is the founder of Cambridge Innovation Solutions and Cambridge Funding Solutions, offering consultancy services to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and universities. He is an Associate of Cambridge Enterprise, where he contributes to its International Outreach Programme, helping global institutions learn from the Cambridge Phenomenon.

Alex is also affiliated with St John’s Innovation Centre, supporting early-stage knowledge-based businesses, and is a registered Growth Coach for the UK GrowthAccelerator service. With a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge, he has a background in R&D before transitioning to innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge commercialisation.