From conference presenter to symposium co-chair: supporting a new research community in cell-surface engineering.

My name is Amaziah, a new postdoctoral researcher between the University of Birmingham and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (MSCA-SHIFT mobility grant). In April 2026, I had the privilege of attending TERMIS-EU 2026 in Palma de Mallorca, enabled by the TCES travel bursary. This year, the experience looked quite different from my first TERMIS conference in Freiburg.

This time, I attended not only as an oral presenter but as a co-chair and organiser of a dedicated symposium: “Cell Surface Engineering for Next-Generation Cell Therapies.” Having the opportunity to help curate and lead a session at an international conference at this stage in my academic career is something I am genuinely grateful for. It was an honour to co-chair alongside Prof Alicia El Haj, whose guidance throughout the process made the experience both enriching and enjoyable.

The symposium drew an engaged audience and facilitated meaningful discussion around cell surface engineering, bioorthogonal chemistries, and polymer-based cell surface modification — areas we hope will continue to gain momentum within the wider tissue engineering and regenerative medicine community.

Beyond our symposium, the broader conference programme offered much to take in. I attended sessions spanning engineered living materials, clinical translation of cell therapies, and organ-on-chip technologies, all areas with direct relevance to my own work. The poster sessions, as ever, were a highlight. The breadth of work on display, from organoid models to biofabrication platforms, was a reminder of just how wide and dynamic the field is. Networking remained one of the most valuable aspects of the week, leaving me with several threads I’m keen to follow up on.

I’m sincerely grateful to TCES and the Biochemical Society for the travel bursaries that supported my attendance. This kind of support is genuinely transformative for ECRs like myself, and I hope to pay it forward in the years ahead.

First-person report supplied by the named recipient and edited only lightly for web presentation.