L2D at the The Company of Biologists @ 100 Conference

Celebrating a Century of Discovery – and a Future Powered by Data

We were thrilled to be the only premium sponsor at the recent Company of Biologists @ 100 conference, held at the incredible ACC Liverpool, 24-27th of March. With over 400 biologists in attendance, the atmosphere was inspired and electric — a celebration of past breakthroughs and a showcase of the cutting edge frontiers of biology.

Our Learn to Discover (L2D) stand was unmissable, placed right at the entrance to the venue’s main exhibition hall. A stream of visitors were greeted by L2D’s own Prof. Geraint Thomas (Course Chair), Dr Adam Lee (Senior Fellow) and Dr Laurence Blackhurst (Education & Technology Fellow)— all proudly dressed in the signature L2D blue sweaters. We had a host of engaging materials on display: printed brochures, our Summer 2025 calendars, a showreel of L2D videos and – perhaps most notably – cutting-edge VR experiences.

Attendees explored our beautifully designed Metauniversity in immersive virtual reality, using the Meta Quest 3, live-cast onto a monitor attracting passers-by to the viewer’s 3-D experience. We also showcased the incredible clarity of the Apple Vision Pro, giving researchers a glimpse into the future of scientific education and collaboration.

And one particular standout hit? Our cuddly brain mascots — we brought over 100, and nearly all were adopted in the first two days, alone! A subsequent blog post will delve into the exciting code behind our raffle for the last 13 brains, to 13 lucky winners who also received 10% off a place on the course.

What resonated most with us, however, was how L2D fills a very real, and important skills gap. Many biologists are experts in their field but lack the computational skills needed to unlock the full potential of their data. Our Python-driven programming course in data science and machine learning, therefore, generated huge interest — we had dozens of deep conversations and enthusiastic sign-ups throughout the four-day event.

This is the first in a short series of blog posts reflecting on our time in Liverpool. More photos and stories to come!