Verrall Lecture 2026
4 March @ 16:30 – 17:30
Venue: Royal School of Mines Building (Lecture Theatre 1.31), Imperial College London
Please note that The Royal School of Mines building main entrance can be accessed from Prince Consort Road or from Dalby Court via the Bessemer Building: Lecture Theatres | Royal School of Mines | Imperial Venues
Date: Wednesday 4 March (4.30pm – 5.30pm)
Speaker: Stanislav Gorb, Professor and Director at the Zoological Institute of the Kiel University, Germany
Stanislav Gorb is Professor and Director at the Zoological Institute of the Kiel University, Germany. He received his PhD degree in zoology and entomology at the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev (Ukraine).
Gorb was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna (Austria), a research assistant at University of Jena, a group leader at the Max Planck Institutes for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and for Metals Research in Stuttgart (Germany). Gorb’s research focuses on morphology, structure, biomechanics, physiology, and evolution of surface-related functional systems in insects, as well as the development of biologically inspired technological surfaces and systems.
He received the Schlossmann Award in Biology and Materials Science in 1995, International Forum Design Gold Award in 2011 and Materialica “Best of” Award in 2011. In 1998, he was the BioFuture Competition winner for his works on biological attachment devices as possible sources for biomimetics. In 2018, he received Karl-Ritter-von-Frisch Medal of German Zoological Society. Gorb is Corresponding member of Academy of the Science and Literature Mainz, Germany (since 2010) and Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany (since 2011). Gorb has authored several books, more than 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and five patents.
Talk title: Fly on the Ceiling: How Insect Adhesion Research can Inspire Technology
Abstract: Insects possess adhesive systems of remarkable efficiency. Their effectiveness is largely based on the structure and material properties of their attachment pads. Modern high-resolution techniques make it possible to analyse these surfaces down to the critical nanometre scale and to characterize their micromechanical properties with high precision.
These new insights are also of great interest for technological applications. They are increasingly being used in the development of bio-inspired material surfaces for applications as diverse as adhesive tapes and climbing robots.
Registration
To ensure your spot at the event, we strongly recommend signing up in advance, as spaces are limited and tend to fill quickly. Early registration guarantees your place and helps us plan more effectively for everyone attending.
The lecture will start at 16:30, there will be tea and coffee available from 16:00 outside the lecture hall. There will be an RES stand and rare books on display, so do arrive early to meet key members of the RES team.
If you are unable to attend in person, the talk will be recorded and shared after the event.
