Visa Information

Visas BioEM 2020

Visa Information

Requesting a Visa Invitation Letter

We’d ask that you please carefully check your specific visa requirements before you register for BioEM 2023 and before you start to make travel arrangements. In the event that your visa is denied or not received in time we're unable to refund registration fees outside of our cancellation deadline.

Prior to contacting the Conference organisers, please check the information provided by the UK Government for requesting visas to the United Kingdom. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration#content

Delegates must first register and pay in order to apply for a visa invitation letter. Only once confirmation of payment has been received will the visa invitation letter process commence.

When registering, please ensure you have selected the relevant options under the 'Visas' section to enable visa invitation letter process.

The visa invitation letter will provide confirmation of the purpose of your trip when applying for your standard visitor visa. Please note that it is NOT a substitute for an official visa permit.

Additional Visas

Please note: If you require more than one visa invitation letter, please contact us by email:

Regrettably, the BioEM 2023 organisers cannot provide a visa invitation letter for any accompanying persons or family if they are not registered to attend the BioEM 2023 conference.

Get in touch

Comments & Questions

Oxford BIOEM 2023

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The Old Bank

The independently owned Old Bank, centrally located on Oxford’s famous High Street, is a breath-taking statement in design. Situated in the heart of historical Oxford, The Old Bank offers rooms which feature marble bathrooms and modern art. Oxford University is located just 300m from the property. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. The spacious rooms are air conditioned and elegantly decorated. Rooms also offer a TV and plenty of work space. Many have original period features and views across the city. Guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner in Quod restaurant with its terrace and bar. Traditional roast dinners are available. The hotel has meeting rooms and private dining rooms. Room service is also available. Just steps away from Merton, All Souls and Oriel Colleges, The Old Bank is a five-minute walk from the Botanic Garden. Magdalen Bridge and the River Cherwell can also be reached in five minutes, and Oxford Train Station is a 15-minute walk away.

Location Images Visit The Website

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The Principal Oxford Spires

Within easy walking distance of Oxford's colleges, museums and theatres, this is the perfect base from which to discover everything that one of the most historic cities in England has to offer. After the hustle and bustle of the city, we are the perfect antidote. When you walk through the doors you’ll feel yourself sigh with relief as you delight in our relaxed and contemporary feel. A sanctuary of calm just moments from the throng. Whilst you’re here, take time to enjoy the tranquillity of the River Thames – just one minute away – and take a stroll around our apple orchard and gardens. If you’re lucky (and quiet) you might even spot our resident family of muntjac deer. No matter what brings you to our door, whether it be a work trip or a weekend away, we are here to play host and make sure you have everything you need. It’s time to eat, sleep and everything in between.

Location Images Visit The Website

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Old Parsonage Hotel

Oxford’s 17th century Old Parsonage combines original charm and character with all the luxury, amenities and technology available to an independently owned 5-star hotel. Best known by locals and visitors alike for its eclectic country house charm, chic modern interiors and striking 20th century portraits, the Old Parsonage is a luxury home-from-home with impeccable hospitality. A striking balance of old & new, each of the 35 individually designed bedrooms & suites feature luxurious handmade beds, rich natural fabrics, unique Oxford sketches and magnificent marble bathrooms. Guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the walled courtyard, relax within the peaceful & stunning surrounds of a carefully curated library, or explore the city the traditional way and borrow one of the hotel's vintage style bicycles. The Parsonage Grill, famous for its intimate, bohemian, clubby atmosphere, displays an amazing collection of eclectic oil paintings; mainly portraits of well-known writers and artists. The state-of-the-art kitchen uses the best local produce to create classic, simple yet innovate British dishes. Open every day of the year, enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and our famous afternoon teas, in the company of Oxford’s academic and literary luminaries. The exclusive residents’ library is the perfect space in which to relax, read and enjoy a drink or a bite to eat. A carefully curated collection of books will inspire & entertain, and includes a section on art, literature, culture & politics, Oxford & its history. Relax amongst a specially commissioned collection of Paddy Summerfield’s black and white photographs of 1960’s Oxford.

Location Images Visit The Website

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Vanbrugh House Boutique Hotel

Small and intimate, yet intensely stylish and luxurious, the Vanbrugh House Oxford Hotel boasts an impressive 22 uniquely designed and charming rooms. From wooden beams to panelled walls and exquisite fireplaces, our hotel still houses many of the original features of the building

Location Images Visit The Website

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Malmaison Oxford

Housed in a former prison, the rooms in our Oxford hotel are rather more spacious than your average jail cell and come complete with luxurious beds, super-fast Wi-Fi and power showers.

Location Images Visit The Website

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Hampton by Hilton

Welcoming hotel near Oxford's historic centre and next to Kassam Stadium. Hampton by Hilton Oxford is situated conveniently close to both the business and leisure areas of Oxford. We are only 15 minutes from the historic centre and just an hour from Heathrow Airport. Oxford is the UK's oldest University City, where film fans explore the hallowed halls of Christ Church College, and punts glide gently along the River Cherwell. Our Oxford hotel is situated adjacent to Kassam Conference & Events Centre, home of Oxford Football Stadium and next door to the Ozone Leisure Park's multiplex cinema and choice of restaurants. We are within easy reach of Oxford Science Park and only a mile from the BMW mini plant, making our hotel a handy base for business travellers. Explore the pretty Cotswold villages and the rolling parkland of Blenheim Palace. Silverstone F1 racing circuit is 35 miles away and the famous Bicester village just 18 miles away. Our inviting, air-conditioned guest rooms offer contemporary amenities including Digital Check in, Hilton Honours Enrolment, free Wi - Fi, an ergonomic desk, a comfy bed and a 32- inch flat- screen TV. Refresh in the spacious bathroom, which features a walk-in power shower. Start you day right - there is a hot and cold buffet breakfast included when you stay at this Oxford hotel. Our 24-hour convenience hub stocks a selection of snacks, drinks and sundries. Exercise at a time that suits you in the 24- hour fitness centre. Relax with a drink in the lobby or grab a light bite in our casual snack area.

Location Images Visit The Website

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Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel

The hotel has a central city location and is well known in the city.It is located on the south side of Oxford's High Street near to the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art and the Examination Schools of Oxford University. The hotel is a converted 17th-century coaching inn located at the corner of Merton Street on the site of the town wall's former east gate. The building was converted by Edward Prioleau Warren in 1899–1900 and the stuccoed style of the building echoes other 18th century buildings in Oxford. Local history reports of the sound of men in armour and sightings of English Civil War era Royalist soldiers passing through walls to the hotel's location on the site of the old east gate and speculates about a surprise attack by Parliamentarian forces. The hotel is also where C. S. Lewis and J R R Tolkien would meet in the hotel as it was halfway between the two University colleges (Merton and Magdalen).

Location Images Visit The Website

The Chairs of LOC

Welcome Message

Dear colleagues,

As the Chairs of BioEM 2023 and on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), it is a great pleasure to invite you to attend the second annual meeting of our new BioEM society, here in Oxford, United Kingdom, 18-23 June 2023.

BioEM is the world’s largest and most significant bioelectromagnetics conference attracting academic and industrial participants at all career stages from all over the world. It is a great forum for the exchange of scientific achievements, demonstrating state-of-the-art research, identifying gaps in science and establishing and strengthening professional networks.

Oxford was the chosen venue for BioEM 2020 which was unfortunately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the last two years, colleagues from Belgium and Japan worked very hard to run our annual meetings in a hybrid format to allow both physical and online participations as we continued to struggle with international travel and local requirements. With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions largely lifted in the majority of countries and no travel restrictions to the UK, the organisers of BioEM 2023 aim to run the event on a physical attendance only basis. We believe that it is of utmost importance to meet colleagues across the world face to face to maximise networking opportunities in particular for the younger generation of bioelectromagentics scientists.

The five-day program of BioEM 2023 will feature invited plenary talks by world-renowned scientists in the field of bioelectromagnetics, a variety of special sessions and panel discussions aligned to the most pressing issues in the field. The program also contains a variety of technical sessions, poster sessions and social functions.

Special attention will be paid to student contributions as these are our community’s future scientists. This year, the registration fee has been heavily subsidized by BioEM to encourage student participation. Students from around the world will have the opportunity to present their work in oral and poster sessions, developing their presentation skills, participating in student competitions and networking with other members of the community.

In addition to the scientific program, BioEM 2023 will be your opportunity to visit the historic city of Oxford, which is home to Oxford University, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. With its mix of ancient and modern, there is plenty to do in Oxford, from visiting the historic Ashmolean Museum and the workplace of the most famous biologist of all time at the Oxford Natural History Museum. Alternatively enjoy the modern culture with a drink, a meal and taking in a show at the Oxford Playhouse or shopping till you drop, Oxford has it all!

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to Oxford in June 2023!

Sincerely,

Azadeh image bw

Azadeh image bw

Azadeh Peyman and Sami Gabriel

LOC Co-Chairs, 2023.

Invited Speaker

Peter Hore

I have spent almost all my adult life in the Chemistry Department at the University of Oxford, first as a student, then as a Junior Research Fellow (1982–83), and now as Professor of Chemistry and Fellow of Corpus Christi College. My only time away from Oxford was a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Groningen (1980–82).

Over the years I have worked on a number of topics around magnetic resonance and the effects of electron and nuclear spins on chemical reactivity, an area known as Spin Chemistry. These include spin hyperpolarization, protein structure and folding, photosynthetic energy conversion, and NMR methodology. Since about 2005 I have been trying to unravel the biophysical mechanism that allows migratory songbirds to detect the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field as an aid to navigation.

Invited Speaker

Paolo Vineis

PV is the Chair of Environmental Epidemiology at Imperial College, London and Visiting Professor at the Italian Institute of Technology, Genova. His work is on environmental risks of disease including climate change. PV has been in 2020 and 2021 in the top 20 most cited Imperial College scientists with nearly 120,000 citations. He has more than 1,000 publications (many as leading author; H-index>160) in journals such as Nature, Science, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, and is a member of various international scientific and ethics committees (including the Committee of the US National Academy of Sciences on 21st Century Risk Assessment) and vice-chair of the Ethics Committee at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, WHO). He has also published several books including “Health without borders: epidemics in the era of globalization”. Springer, 2017, and has engaged in policy-making as Vice-President of the High Council of Health (Consiglio Superiore di Sanita’, advisor to the Health Minister) in Italy, and as a member of Cancer Prevention Europe (affiliated with Cancer Mission Europe). In 2020 he became an advisor of the Piedmont Region for COVID-19 and has contributed to the development of mathematical models and containment policies (see Saltelli et al, Nature 2020).

His latest research activities focus on investigating biomarkers from -omic platforms (including metabolomics and epigenetics) in large epidemiological studies. Overall, the main breakthroughs have been (a) the demonstration of a number of molecular alterations (miRNA, metabolomics) associated with exposure to air pollution, able to predict disease outcomes according to the concept of “meet-in-the-middle”; (b) the development of biomarkers of smoking, including the first demonstration of a methylation signature, and mutational fingerprints; (c) the development for application in epidemiological studies of “biological clocks” based on DNA methylation and metabolomics to measure biological ageing; (d) the successful promotion of the interaction between social sciences and life sciences in a large consortium on health inequalities and ageing, that applied on a large scale omic technologies to social inequalities in health. He is also active in the field of climate change and health, with original research conducted in Bangladesh that demonstrated an increased risk of hypertension in relation to salinity in drinking water due to sea level rise. A number of the research projects he has led are international in scope and collaborative in nature. He has coordinated the European Commission FP7-funded Exposomics project and the Horizon 2020-funded project Lifepath. The Lifepath project, which includes numerous studies including EPIC and MCCS, aims to understand the impact of socio-economic differences on healthy aging with an approach that considers the relative importance of effects on life; this consortium alone has resulted in over 50 publications.

Invited Speaker

George A.O'Toole

Dr. O’Toole is the Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Dr. Jorge Escalante-Semerena and performed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School as a Damon-Runyon and a Hood Fellow with Dr. Roberto Kolter. Dr. O’Toole has worked in bacterial systems for ~30 years, published extensively in the area of bacterial biofilm formation, dissecting the cAMP/c-di-GMP signaling network that regulate biofilm formation and discovering bacterial surface-sensing pathways. His laboratory also studies microbial interactions and their impacts on antibiotic tolerance in the context of polymicrobial biofilm communities in the airway and gut, and how dysbiosis in gut microbiota in infants/children with cystic fibrosis impacts local/systemic inflammation, as well as health outcomes in this population. His work has been highlighted in three different textbooks.

His honors include the NSF Career Award, Dupont Young Investigator Award and Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, an NIH MERIT award, election as a fellow of AAAS and the American Academy of Microbiology and serving as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Bacteriology.

Invited Speaker

Felipe L.Penaranda-Foix

FELIPE L. PENARANDA-FOIX was born in Benicarló, Spain, in 1967. He received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, in 1992, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain, in 2001.

In 1992, he joined the Departamento de Comunicaciones, UPV, where he is currently a Full Professor.

In 2022, he had an h-index of 21 and i10 index of 36. He has coauthored more than 50 papers in refereed journals, almost 100 papers in conference proceedings, and more than 100 engineering reports for companies and public projects.

His current research interests include electromagnetic scattering, microwave circuits and cavities, sensors, and microwave heating applications.

Dr. Peñaranda-Foix is an AMPERE member. He is a Reviewer of several international journals

Main publications: (Citations: 1311, h-index: 21, i10-index: 36)

[1] B. García-Baños, J. Jimenez-Reinosa, Felipe L. Penaranda-Foix, José F. Fernandez and J.M. Catalá-Civera, "Temperature Assessment Of Microwave-Enhanced Heating Processes". Scientific Reports. 9, pp.1-10; DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47296-0.

[2] Juan R. Sánchez, Vicente Nova, Carmen Bachiller, Belén Villacampa, Alberto de la Rua, Rainer Kronberger, Felipe Peñaranda-Foix and Vicente E. Boria, "Characterization of Nematic Liquid Crystal at Microwave Frequencies Using Split-Cylinder Resonator Method". IEEE Trans. on MTT, vol. 67, No. 7, July 2019, pp. 2812-2820.

[3] J. D. Gutiérrez-Cano; J. M. Catalá Civera; John Bows; Felipe L. Peñaranda Foix. "Dynamic measurement of dielectric properties of food snack pellets during microwave expansion". Journal of Food Engineering. Vol. 202, pp. 1 - 8. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2017.01.021

[4] David Marqués Villarroya; Felipe Laureano Peñaranda Foix; Beatriz García Baños; José Manuel Catalá Civera; José Daniel Gutiérrez Cano. "Enhanced Full-Wave Circuit Analysis for Modeling of a Split Cylinder Resonator". IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. Vol. 65, pp. 1191 - 1202. 2017. DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2016.2637932.

[5] D. Marqués-Villarroya; Felipe L. Peñaranda Foix; B. García Baños; J. M. Catalá Civera; José Daniel Gutiérrez Cano. "Fast and Accurate Determination of the Complex Resonant Frequency of a Multilayer Circular Cavity Using Chebyshev's Root-finder". Progress in electromagnetics research M. Pier M. 58, pp. 1 - 10. 2017. DOI: 10.2528/PIERM170209041

Invited Speaker

Claudia Muratori

Dr. Claudia Muratori completed virology and cell biology training followed by a Ph.D. in human biology and genetics at the University of Rome La Sapienza. Her postdoctoral research focused on cancer cell signaling and treatment using pulsed electric fields. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics and in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia (USA).

She is the author of 28 peer-reviewed publications and a member of the council of the International Society for Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments (ISEBTT). Her research focuses on understanding the biological responses initiated by short intense electric pulses, which include: the opening of stable pores in the cell membrane and internal cell structures; phospholipid scrambling; alteration of cell metabolism and function; initiation of diverse cell death pathways; and regulated release of danger signals. These basic research studies have broad relevance to human health topics with prospective applications in cancer and antimicrobial treatment.

Invited Speaker

Carmen Bachiller

CARMEN BACHILLER received her MSc degree in Telecommunication Engineering in 1996 and her PhD in Telecommunication in 2010 from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV). She worked from 1997 to 2001 in the ETRA I+D company as a project engineer in research and development on automatic traffic control, public transport management and public information systems using telecommunication technology. In 2001 she joined the Communication Department of the UPV as an assistant lecturer, she is an Associated Professor since 2011. She is teaching electromagnetism theory. She has participated in several research projects, teaching innovation projects and technological heritage studies. Her current research activities include modal methods for electromagnetic analysis, optimization and design of passive microwave structures, analysis and design of substrate integrated transmission lines and circuits, power effects in passive waveguide systems, liquid crystal reconfiguration in microwave passive devices and 3D manufacturing. She is co-author of more than 30 research articles and one patent. She is currently the curator of the Telecommunications Museum of UPV.

Main publications:

Characterization of Nematic Liquid Crystals at Microwave Frequencies

Authors: Vicente Nova, Carmen Bachiller, Belén Villacampa, Rainer Kronberger, Vicente E Boria

Publication date: 2020/12/3

Journal: Crystals

- Characterization of nematic liquid crystal at microwave frequencies using split-cylinder resonator method

Authors: Juan R Sánchez, Vicente Nova, Carmen Bachiller, Belén Villacampa, Alberto de la Rua, Rainer Kronberger, Felipe Penaranda-Foix, Vicente E Boria

Publication date: 2019/6/10

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques

- Microwave filter based on substrate integrated waveguide with alternating dielectric line sections

Authors: Juan R Sánchez, Carmen Bachiller, María Juliá, Vicente Nova, Héctor Esteban, Vicente E Boria

Publication date: 2018/10/5

Journal: IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters

- Hybrid mode matching method for the efficient analysis of metal and dielectric rods in H plane rectangular waveguide devices

Authors: Carmen Bachiller, Héctor Esteban, Hilario Mata, María Ángeles Valdés, Vicente Enrique Boria, Ángel Belenguer, José Vicente Morro

Publication date: 2010/11/9

Journal: IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques

Citations: 482, h-index: 12, i10-index: 16

Invited Speaker

Alvaro Pascual-Leone

PhD, MD, Professor Harvard Medical School, USA

Alvaro Pascual-Leone is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, Senior Scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Medical Director of the Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, USA, and Scientific Director at the Guttmann Brain Health Institute, Institut Guttmann, Barcelona, Spain.

He received his MD in 1984 and his PhD in Neurophysiology in 1985, both from Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany. Following an internship in Medicine at Staedtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe in Germany and residency in Internal Medicine at Hospital Universitario de Valencia in Spain, he completed a Neurology residency at the University of Minnesota, and then trained in Clinical Neurophysiology and Human Motor Control at the University of Minnesota and the National Institutes of Health. He joined Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 1997, after several years at the Cajal Institute of the Spanish Research Council.

Prof. Pascual-Leone is a world leader in the field of noninvasive brain stimulation where his contributions span from technology development, through basic neurobiologic insights from animal studies and modeling approaches, to human proof-of-principle and multicenter clinical trials. His research has been fundamental in establishing the field of therapeutic brain stimulation. His work has provided evidence for the efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation in treating various neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, autism, and drug-resistant depression.

He is a pioneer in the use of noninvasive brain stimulation and its application for the study of brain behavior relations and the development of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in neuropsychiatry. His contributions range from technology development to basic neurobiological insights gained from animal studies and modeling approaches to human proof-of-principle and multicenter clinical trials.

A major interest of current work aims at translating insights from cognitive neuroscience into clinical interventions.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery Online Shop

Gin or Whiskey Tours

Book early for a Whisky or Distillery Tours at The Oxford Artisan Distillery. Discount code BIOEM10 will give you 10% off between 18-25 June 2023.

The discount code will only work once for each person.