Mathematics PhD student Timothy Ostler wins poster prize at ECMTB 2022 Conference

Timothy was awarded poster prize for his research on maximising IVF success rates.

The 12th European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology took place in Heidelberg, Germany, between 19 – 23 September 2022 and was a joint event organised by the European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ESMTB) and the Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB). The conference brought together researchers and students interested in mathematical modelling with applications to life sciences and participants were asked to present their work.

Timothy’s PhD is part funded by the London Women's Clinic, who have fertility clinics throughout the UK that offer In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF); where a human egg is fertilised in the lab and transferred to the patient’s womb to begin a pregnancy. The treatments are financially, physically and mentally challenging, but unfortunately aren't always successful. Timothy’s work aims to maximise success rates of IVF by using videos of eggs taken in the clinic to select the healthiest candidate for use in an IVF cycle.

Timothy’s poster showcased work on a technique called Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM), which is used to understand movement in the cytoplasm that may be a predictor of egg viability. DDM faces several challenges that are specific to the way eggs are structured, but Timothy’s work has shown that DDM either overcomes these challenges, or can be modified to do so. This allows researchers to be sure DDM gives us accurate results, allowing them to start exploring how these results may be a non-invasive predictor of egg health.

On winning the prize Timothy said: "The quality of the research and the presentations at ECMTB was inspiring, and I am very proud to have been a part of the event. I feel incredibly honoured to be one of the presenters selected for this prize."

To find out more about research opportunities in the School of Mathematics, please visit our website.