The event was organised and led by Hashem Koohy, a Group Leader in the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit and Centre for Computational Biology, together with Co-Chair Chris Thorpe from EMBL-EBI and a talented organising committee.
Prof Hashem Koohy said:
"From the outset, our mission was clear - not merely to host another conference and hackathon, but to create a truly multidisciplinary event with a lasting impact; one that would foster an enduring community united by shared values.
We envisioned a platform that was inclusive, globally accessible, and empowering for early-career researchers, whose insights often spark innovation from unexpected corners.
We aimed to create a convergence space — a meeting point where immunologists, computational scientists, and AI researchers could come together to explore key questions, not just for a few days, but to ignite collaborations for years to come."
The scientific programme centred on three guiding questions:
- What fundamental immunological questions can AI and technology help address?
- How can AI move beyond prediction to deliver mechanistic understanding?
- How can discoveries be effectively translated into real-world applications?
Prof Hashem Koohy welcoming everyone to the event.
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Prof Andrew McMichael delivering the opening talk during the first session of the conference.
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Conference attendees listening to a talk during the opening session of the conference.
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Conference attendees and hackathon participants mingling during a poster session.
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Dr Chris Thorpe speaking at the conference dinner
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A panel session during the final day of the event.
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To strengthen collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, the conference ran in parallel with a hackathon — but not a typical one. Teams were required to be multidisciplinary, the challenges were distinct, and the evaluation criteria were designed to reward integration and creativity.
Hackathon participants working together to address various Challenge Themes
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Hackathon participants working together to address various Challenge Themes.
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Participants praised the event’s format, vibrant programme and collaborative atmosphere.
Prof Andrew Sewell (Cardiff University) reflected: “It was probably the meeting with the highest density of interesting data I’ve ever attended, and it’s going to take me a while to digest it all.”
Prof Andreas Mayer (University College London) commented: “I especially appreciated the emphasis on community-building, both through the Hackathon and through the combination of speakers with complementary expertise.”
The event concluded with a clear message: the future of immunology lies at the intersection of data, computation, and human creativity - a collaboration already taking shape at Oxford and beyond.
Prof Nicole La Gruta (Monash University) giving the prize to Hackathon’s ‘Audience Choice’ winning team.
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Prof Geraldine Gillespie (University of Oxford) giving the prize to Hackathon’s ‘Judges Choice’ winning team
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Prof Hashem Koohy (University of Oxford) handing over the prize for the best Poster.
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The event was supported by MRC WIMM seed funding, in partnership with MRC TIDU, Oxford Cancer, and the CAMS Oxford Institute.
Additional generous support came from industry partners including Parse Biosciences, Seqalis, Etcembly, Immunocore, Synteny AI, and Google Cloud.
Organising Committee: Dr Alex Greenshields-Watson, Dr Ili Ilievski, Dr Elie Antoun, Dr Wanlu Liu, Benjie McMaster, and Ziwei Wang.
Scientific Committee: Prof Charlotte Deane, Prof Jamie Rossjohn, Prof Tim Elliott, and Prof Tao Dong.
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