Project Team

The Brains in a Dish project  is led by artist Charlie Murphy and Professor Selina Wray (UCL’s Institute of Neurology).

Selina Wray receiving the David Hague Early Career Investigator of the Year Award 2018 (photo:ARUK). Her research aims to generate induced pluripotent stem cells and neurons as cell models for neurological disease, with a particular focus on frontotemporal dementia. Selina was awarded her PhD in 2008 and subsequently joined the laboratory of Professor John Hardy at UCL Institute of Neurology as an Alzheimer’s Research UK Research Fellow. She regularly contributes to education programmes for young people including South Banks International Girl Day and Wellcome’s ‘Cell: the patterns of life Biology discussion event and was selected for Red magazine’s ‘Women Shaping Your World’ Awards 2014.

Charlie Murphy is an interdisciplinary artist & educator working with performance, glass, light, photography, kinetic tools and video. She creates dynamic installations, exhibitions, performances and public engagement activities across arts and science contexts. Widely known  for her popular touring  ‘kiss-in’  events, her projects often involve participation and collaboration of some kind. Her work is presented across many different festival, gallery and public contexts in the UK and internationally. Major presentations include The Lowry, The Royal Festival Hall, Science Gallery Dublin, Wellcome Collection, Tate Modern, Edinburgh Fringe (2006), Artsway’s ‘New Forest Pavilion’ at Venice Biennale.She was Visual Arts co-director forCreated Out of Mind ( Wellcome’s prestigious Hub Award 2016-18). 

www.charliemurphy.co.uk 

www.brainsinadish.org 

www.createdoutofmind.org

Electronics guru Robin Bussell

Robin Bussell is an R&D engineer for Excelerate Technology Ltd. He develops specialist equipment for the emergency services sector including command & control vehicles and rapid communications interfaces for Hazardous Area Response Teams. He has been developing digital tools and art interventions for over 35 years. An early contributor to the open source software ‘Fractint’ , he is a member of the ‘stone soup group’. Creating NixieBot, an internet connected neon display, he  built his own 3d printer to facilitate many aspects of his work.  Collaborations with Charlie Murphy (as   The Photonic Excitors) include exhibitions at the Lowry, The Old Operating Theatre Museum and  award winning work for Ars Electronica Brain Hackathon (2020).  

Dr Hill is a senior lecturer at Aston University and is programme director for the MSc Stem cells and regenerative medicine. His lab focusses on the development of tissue engineering strategies to develop neuronal networks. He is currently engaged in developing stem cell derived models of the central nervous system in an attempt to study complex cellular interactions that occur in diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Rett syndrome, Huntington’s disease, Schizophrenia and drug induced seizure.

Dr. Christopher Lovejoy was a PhD student studying neuroscience at the UCL Institute of Neurology in the lab of Professor Selina Wray and Dr Tammaryn Lashley. His scholarship is work is sponsored by Phil Bunker. He was recently awarded his Phd and has taken up a new role in the US.

Philip Ball‘s writings on science for the popular press have covered many topical issues.He is the author of many popular books on science, social and political philosophy, cognition, physics, interactions between art and science, and has delivered lectures to scientific and general audiences. 
 www.philipball.co.uk

Fergus Walsh  has been the BBC’s medical correspondent since 2006. He has won several awards for medical journalism, and has been commended for his work in making important health topics more understandable to the public.He contributed his skin cells to Professor Wray’s research during the Created out of Mind residency project. More info about Fergus Walsh  here

Nick Fox, is Professor of Neurology at UCL and leader of the UK DRI at UCL. His research investigates on the early detection, differential diagnosis and monitoring of progression in cognitive disorders and neurodegenerative dementias. 
Nick is director of the Dementia Research Centre at UCL

All enquiries  contact Charlie on 07855328565 or email :  charlie@charliemurphy.co.uk.