STEM for Britain
Exhibition of posters by early-career research scientists, engineers and mathematicians
Exhibition of posters by early-career research scientists, engineers and mathematicians
STEM for BRITAIN is a major scientific poster competition and exhibition which has been held in Parliament since 1997. It gives members of both Houses of Parliament an insight into the outstanding research work being undertaken in UK universities by early-career researchers.
Applications were invited from early-career research scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians for the opportunity to exhibit posters across five disciplines. Prizes are awarded for the posters which best communicated high-level science, engineering or mathematics to a lay audience.
Researchers presented posters across:
The Westminster Medal for the overall winner is awarded in memory of the late Dr Eric Wharton, who did so much to establish SET for Britain as a regular event in the Parliamentary calendar. Presented by the Society of Chemical Industry, it recognises the early-career scientist presenting the best poster at the event.
Congratulations to all prize winners from this year's competition.
120 early-career researchers presented posters at STEM for Britain 2026.
| Name | Institution | Discipline | Poster Title |
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STEM for Britain 2026 is made possible by the generous support of the following organisations.
Established by Royal Charter in 1881, SCI is a unique multi-science and multi-disciplinary community. Formed by prominent scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs, SCI focuses on the promotion of science into industry for the benefit of society and supporting the commercialisation of science via new products and processes.
SCI tackles global challenges across Agri-food, Energy, Environment, Health and Wellbeing, and Materials, working through 30 Technical, Regional, International, and Special Interest Groups to investigate opportunities and identify possible solutions. SCI brings together a community of industrialists, academics and early career researchers via 250 technical conferences, webinars and informational events, and supports the commercial application of science into industry through its magazine Chemistry and Industry (C&I) and seven peer reviewed research journals.
SCI's Bright SCIdea Challenge is an annual entrepreneurship competition which allows UK and ROI university students to develop and showcase their business skills. University teams receive free, accredited business planning training and are asked to submit a full business plan, detailing how their idea can be taken to market. Shortlisted teams pitch their idea to a panel of entrepreneurs and industrialists at the final to win a significant cash prize.
SCI supports the Westminster Medal in honour of former SCI London Group chair and founder of SET for BRITAIN (now STEM for BRITAIN), Dr Eric Wharton. The Medal is awarded each year to the early career scientist presenting the best poster at the event.
The Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research is a major national centre for mathematical research, covering a broad range of areas in mathematics. Founded as a partnership with Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the University of Bristol has been HIMR's principal academic partner since its creation in 2005. Over the years it has attracted more than 200 mathematicians as members, including more than 90 research fellows from across some 25 UK universities.
The Institute's activities include a two-day annual conference, attracting international mathematicians of the highest distinction, as well as a highly successful programme of events associated with its external research activities. The Institute also supports other high-profile mathematical meetings around the UK, including conferences, focused research groups and workshops. Past and present contributors have included many highly distinguished mathematicians, including 10 Fellows of the Royal Society.
The Heilbronn Institute has facilities in Bristol, London and Manchester, and research areas of interest include Algebra, Algebraic Geometry, Combinatorics, Computational Statistics, Data Science, Number Theory, Probability, and Quantum Information. The Institute typically has over 45 members at any one time, including established researchers on secondment and over 30 Postdoctoral Research Fellows. Researchers split their time between working on fundamental problems of interest to GCHQ and their own personal research.
Named after Hans Heilbronn, a German émigré and distinguished number theorist who became Bristol's Henry Overton Wills Professor of Mathematics before his move to North America in 1964.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK. UKRI brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England to convene, catalyse and invest to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system.
Their work connects discovery to prosperity and public good, tackling 21st century challenges from climate change and advancing technologies, to health, society, arts and culture. The nine organisations brought together by UKRI bring a great depth and breadth of expertise, allowing them to connect research communities, institutions, businesses and wider society, in the UK and around the world.
UKRI is committed to supporting talented and diverse individuals at all career stages, from funding for postgraduate research to large research programmes. UKRI supports early career researchers through Future Leaders Fellowships, which support talented people in universities, businesses, and other research and innovation environments. The scheme develops the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business, and is open to international applicants looking to take up a role at a UK-based organisation.
The Royal Academy of Engineering was established in 1976 and has continued to champion excellence in all fields of engineering, honouring the UK's most distinguished engineers along with those making an impact around the globe.
The Academy is a charity delivering public benefit, a National Academy providing progressive leadership, and a Fellowship bringing together an unrivalled community of leaders from every part of engineering and technology. With outstanding convening power nationally and internationally, the Academy understands how to make systems and innovations make a positive difference to society, and is trusted for its independence and professional excellence.
The overarching goal is to harness the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
The IOP's 21,000 members demonstrate their professional expertise in physics in settings ranging from schools, universities and national research facilities, to businesses of all sizes, and in roles as varied as teacher, researcher, apprentice, technician, engineer and product developer.
Physicists study how the universe behaves and apply that knowledge to improve our lives. They study everything from the smallest particles to the whole universe. As such, physics underpins chemistry, biology, engineering, and many other scientific disciplines. Many of the biggest changes in our lives have been made possible by physics: mobile phones, the internet, medical imaging devices and electric cars.
More than 2.7 million people in the UK work in industries powered by physics, including energy, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, transport, aerospace and defence.
The IOP works to break down barriers preventing people from under-represented groups becoming physicists, brings physicists together to share knowledge and deliver breakthroughs, helps turn scientific discoveries into real world applications, and ensures physicists have a voice in the big debates of our age.
The Physiological Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies for physiology, supporting physiologists worldwide through scientific meetings, journals and grants for researchers at all career stages.
Chemistry is at the centre of everything you can see, smell, touch and taste. Whether studying the chemistry of life, or developing the advanced science behind modern technology, chemical scientists use their expertise to improve our health, our environment and our daily lives.
The Royal Society of Chemistry connects scientists with each other and society as a whole. They publish new research, develop, recognise and celebrate professional capabilities, bring people together to spark new ideas and new partnerships, support teachers to inspire future generations of scientists, and speak up to influence the people making decisions that affect us all.
Founded in 1911, the Biochemical Society has been at the forefront of advancing molecular bioscience for over 100 years, promoting its importance as a discipline, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and expertise, and supporting molecular bioscientists across all career stages. Their diverse programme of events, grants, publications, educational resources, policy work, and public engagement provides learning opportunities from across the full range of their disciplinary areas.
Early career bioscientists represent a third of membership and develop skills through initiatives such as the Early Career Editorial Board Mentorship Scheme and early career-led journal issues. Their achievements are celebrated through the early career strand of the webinar series and Early Career Research Award, driven by input from the Early Career Advisory Panel.
Working with members and the wider scientific community, the Society engages with key policy issues relating to the molecular biosciences. Their commitment to open science and research practices, including transitioning their portfolio of journals to fully open access, supports collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Highly regarded by the scientific community, the Nutrition Society is one of the largest learned societies for nutrition in the world with a mission of advancing the study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health.
Given its culture of pushing boundaries, open access to the latest thinking, backed by a powerful network of expert collaborators, The Nutrition Society empowers members to reach their ambitions in nutritional science.
Membership offers discounted conference registration, access to the Nutrition Society Academy learning platform, free access to a vibrant networking platform, 20% APC discount to publish in its fully open-access journals, discounts on textbooks, subscription to the bi-annual members magazine The Gazette, and exclusive access to financial grants and awards recognising excellence within the field of nutrition.
Proud sponsor of STEM for Britain since 2012. The IBMS is the leading professional body for scientists, support staff and students in the field of biomedical science, representing over 20,000 members in 74 countries. For over 100 years they have been dedicated to the promotion, development and delivery of excellence in biomedical science within all aspects of healthcare, and to providing the highest standards of service to patients and the public.
Biomedical science is practiced in healthcare laboratories to identify, research, monitor and treat diseases. As one of the broadest areas of modern science, it focuses on the complexity of the human body and underpins much of modern medicine. Biomedical scientists and laboratory staff analyse fluids and tissue samples from patients, identifying diseases and providing reports that highlight the effectiveness of potential treatments.
In the UK alone, healthcare laboratories are involved in over 70% of diagnoses in the NHS and handle over 1.5 billion samples every year. To protect public safety, biomedical scientists are legally required to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to practice in healthcare laboratories.
The Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS) was established in 2001 by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the London Mathematical Society (LMS) and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS). The CMS comprises representatives and observers from the mathematical sciences community, including the Presidents and Chief Executives of these three societies.
The CMS provides an authoritative and objective body that exists to develop, influence and respond to UK policy issues that affect the mathematical sciences in higher education and research, and therefore the UK economy and society in general.
In 2008 the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and the Operational Research Society became Members of the CMS. Professor Alison Etheridge OBE, FRS, FIMA was appointed as chair of the Council for the Mathematical Sciences in June 2021.
The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period.
INI has a vital national role, building on many strengths that already exist in UK universities, aiming to generate a new vitality through stimulating and nurturing research throughout the country. During each scientific programme new collaborations are made and ideas and expertise are exchanged and catalysed through lectures, seminars and informal interaction, which the INI building has been designed specifically to encourage. It is part of the University of Cambridge, and its main building is located on Cambridge's Centre for Mathematical Sciences.
The Newton Gateway to Mathematics is the impact initiative of INI and acts as a vehicle for knowledge exchange between the mathematical sciences and potential users of mathematics, including industry, government and other academic disciplines, both in the UK and internationally.
The Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) is a privately funded philanthropic foundation dedicated to increasing and disseminating mathematical knowledge. The CMI supports the work of leading researchers throughout the world at various stages of their careers and organizes conferences, workshops, and summer schools. Its scientific activities are run from offices in the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford.
The Institute was founded by the late Landon T Clay in 1998, growing out of his belief in the value of mathematical knowledge and its centrality to human progress, culture, and intellectual life.
CMI is best known for the seven Millennium Prize Problems announced at the Collège de France in Paris in June 2000. The prizes were established to recognise some of the most difficult problems with which mathematicians were struggling at the turn of the millennium, to underline the importance of working on the really hard problems, and to spread the news that in mathematics hard, significant problems still abound.
Two of the largest activities are the Clay Research Fellowships and the Clay Research Conference. In its short history, the CMI has had a significant impact on the international mathematical community. The 55 current and former Research Fellows have won seven of the eighteen Fields Medals awarded since the fellowship programme began in 2000. CMI also supports the PROMYS programme for high school students in the USA and PROMYS Europe for European students.
For more than 70 years, AWE has supported the UK Government's nuclear defence strategy and the Continuous At Sea Deterrent. AWE also uses its nuclear know-how and technical expertise to provide innovative solutions that support the UK's counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction activities.
A team of around 6,000 people, AWE works to attract, motivate, develop and retain the best talent and equip its people with the right skills for the future. AWE aims to build enduring relationships with its government customers, international partners, suppliers and communities in the locations where it operates.
The Royal Society of Biology is the leading professional body for the biological sciences, providing a single unified voice for biology and supporting its members across research, education and policy.
The University of Warwick and Warwick Manufacturing Group are proud supporters of STEM for Britain 2026, championing early-career research excellence.