King's College London Alumni

King’s College London researchers have successfully recreated brain-like circuits in the lab! 🧠

BioConNet is a fully programmable, open source neuronal ‘circuit board’ that mimics human brain wiring at scale.

This allows precise control of neural connections, offering powerful new ways to study brain function and diseases like dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

🔗 Learn more: https://shorturl.at/JLRez
🦁 Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London

’If one child reads a book of mine and it becomes a joy for a lifetime, that’s a worthwhile contribution to society.’

Meet King’s alum Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE (French & English, 1967), the winner of our Arts & Culture accolade in the 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

An acclaimed writer, Michael is a former Children’s Laureate and the best-selling author of more than 150 books. These include War Horse, which became a hit National Theatre production, then an Oscar-nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Michael and his wife, Lady Clare, co-founded Farms for City Children, which enables young people from disadvantaged communities to have hands-on experience of the countryside.

A King’s Honorary Fellow, Michael received a Knighthood for services to literature and charity in 2018.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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Do the humanities have a place in a future dominated by artificial intelligence and other forms of machine learning?

This was one of the hot topics discussed at the recent King’s AI Summit. This event saw academics joined by leaders from the BBC and UKIE (the trade body for the UK games industry).

The panellists discussed what AI means for the future of the creative industries.

Their message was clear: Humanities skills such as empathy, creativity and critical thinking are key to AI development, and they remain highly valued across sectors.

🔗 Read more: https://shorturl.at/cERiT
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‘My greatest contribution has been inspiring young girls to see themselves as space scientists. If I can show even one girl that she belongs in that world then everything I’ve worked for has been worthwhile.’

Meet King’s alum Arabi Karteepan (Mathematics & Physics with Astrophysics & PGCE, 2009), the winner of our STEM accolade in the 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

As Head of Physics at Croydon High School in 2021, Arabi founded Astrogazers. This co-curricular club is dedicated to opening opportunities for girls interested in space exploration, empowering them to envision themselves as future leaders in this sector.

Astrogazers’ Mission Pegasus aims to make Croydon High School the first girls’ school in the world to reach space by launching a satellite into orbit. Arabi’s achievements have earned endorsement from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the UK Space Agency.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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‘Public service journalism is extremely precious. Telling any story from one part of the world so that those in another can understand a little more about how our world works is incredibly important. I take great pride in all the stories I work on.’

Meets King’s alum Rich Preston (MA Intelligence & International Security, 2023), the winner of our Emerging Leader accolade in the 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Rich is an anchor and correspondent for the BBC. He has hosted its coverage of several major events, including the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the war in Ukraine, the 2024 US Presidential Election and the war in Gaza. In Europe, he reported on the Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan and Brussels attacks.

His early coverage included the first TV news piece by an international broadcaster on what became the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rich is also a mentor for the John Schofield Trust, which helps aspiring journalists.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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It was fabulous to see King’s alum Dr Ronx Ikharia (Medicine, 2011) hosting the King’s College London Students’ Union Awards last week.

The award-winning trans non-binary emergency medicine doctor is an activist, author and TV presenter. Their TV work includes CBBC’s Operation Ouch, and acclaimed documentaries such as The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System and Is Covid Racist?

They also won the Impact Award at the King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2020.
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📷 Amanda Summons Creative

‘Be open to opportunities, particularly the ones that look like setbacks. You never know where they will take you.’

Meet King’s alum Professor Alison Leary MBE (Biology & DipHE Nursing Studies, 1996), winner of the Global Health accolade in our 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

A Senior Consultant at the World Health Organization, Alison employs her world-leading expertise in workforce and human systems modelling. This has helped small countries with vulnerable systems and nations at war with depleted services provide better patient care.

She has worked in the UK and internationally for two decades applying modelling and computation in the areas of patient safety and workforce.

Her research paper in the British Medical Journal Open platform also helped set a new benchmark for care standards in UK football grounds in the post-Hillsborough era.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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‘At King’s, I learnt how to truly listen: listen to my practice, to others and to the unknown. I learnt to take risks without fear, to embrace change and challenge with a sense of play, which has stayed with me until now in my academic, health and artistic practice.’

Meet King’s alum Marianna Sfyridi (MPharm, 2015), winner of the In Service accolade in the 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

A performer, NHS pharmacist and movement practitioner, Marianna has a background in healthcare and education technology. Currently undertaking research fieldwork in Brazil, she teaches and choreographs inclusive groups, focusing on migration ecology and collective knowledge systems.

She has volunteered as a capoeira instructor across non-governmental organisations in Greece and the UK, working with refugee children and women victims of trafficking.

Marianna also works for Atelier Armonico, a company dedicated to opening doors to creative opportunities for those with limited access.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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Today is World Environment Day. So we’re reporting on some of the great work that our Centre for Climate Law & Governance is conducting to combat climate crisis.

From examining the challenges posed by modern technologies, to developing climate-friendly mining regulations and empowering young people to take legal climate action...

Our Centre is spearheading the legal and regulatory transformation necessary to sustain our planet. And some of this work is funded by philanthropic donations.

🔗 Learn more: https://shorturl.at/ZQ1gS
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‘King’s gave me the confidence to think boldly about global problems. It shaped my belief that no one should be left behind by technology – a conviction that has driven my work ever since.’

Meet King’s alum Dr Arjuna Sathiaseelan (MSc Computing & Internet Systems, 2001; PhD Networking, 2005), the winner of our International Impact accolade in the 2026 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Arjuna’s work focuses on making technology more accessible, driving global change by tackling internet inclusion and advancing AI accessibility.

As Visiting Fellow and Chief Technology Officer of the Frugal AI Hub at Cambridge Judge Business School, he is dedicated to making AI more inclusive, accessible and sustainable.

As co-founder and CEO of GAIUS Networks, he expanded mobile technology access in regions without broadband by enabling simplified, low-data content. This includes scaling services to two million users in Africa and Asia.

🔗 Read about our other awards-winners: https://shorturl.at/hOJbQ
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