SEB Annual Conference Florence 2026

Prof Claire Garden

Associate Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

Dr Claire Garden (she/her) SFHEA MRSB is an Associate Professor and Head of Learning and Teaching in the School of Applied Science at Edinburgh Napier University.

Claire was appointed as a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University in 2007. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer and Subject Group Leader in Biomedical Sciences & Microbiology in 2013 and in 2017-8 became Head of Life Sciences with strategic responsibility for over 50 academic staff and in the region of 700 students, alongside teaching and research. Claire became the School's Head of Learning and Teaching in March 2020 and led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has adopted a student engagement focussed LTA strategy for her school and is responsible for its planning and implementation.

Claire trained in molecular neuroscience and now focuses on pedagogical research. She researches inclusion, student voice and student engagement, is a member of the RAISE committee, and has published research on novel teaching methods such as gamification and Lego Serious Play. She is also interested in barriers to the inclusion of industry-relevant skills in life sciences curricula and regularly collaborates with external stakeholders on upskilling initiatives. Claire is an active member of SULSA’s Skills Committee and recently led the Catapult-funded Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network upskilling project at Edinburgh Napier University.

Claire has taught and led a wide variety of Biomedical Sciences modules both in Edinburgh and with international partners, she also has experience of programme leadership and external examining. Claire has expertise in curriculum design, development and enhancement, and accreditation and quality assurance. She was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2016, when she also became a Member of the Royal Society of Biology. She is a proud advocate for equality and inclusion.

Prof. Kiisa Nishikawa

Northern Arizona University

Kiisa Nishikawa is a Regents' Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University, For the past 35 years, her laboratory has investigated the contribution of muscle properties to biomechanics and neural control of movement. Investigations in her laboratory range from biophysics of single titin molecules and myofibrils, to physiological studies of intact muscles from wild type and transgenic mice, to biomechanics of feeding in frogs, and development and testing of bio-inspired control algorithms for wearable assistive devices.

Professor Julian Hibberd

University of Cambridge

Julian is Professor of Photosynthesis and Head of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He became interested in plant biology as an undergraduate at Bangor University and stayed there for a PhD. After post-doctoral work in Sheffield and then Cambridge he was awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship. Julian’s research has modified our understanding of diverse processes including chloroplast biogenesis, grafting, the role of specific metabolic pathways, and mechanisms of gene regulation in plants. His work on the molecular basis of C₄ photosynthesis using C₃ models such as Arabidopsis has indicated that rewiring of existing gene regulatory networks allowed evolution of the complex C₄ phenotype, and identified routes to engineer C₄ photosynthesis into crops for increased yield.