1st UK Zebrafish Meeting
Exmouth & Exeter, 10-12 September 2025
The Living Systems Institute at the University of Exeter warmly invites you to join the first UK Zebrafish Meeting. The event will begin with an afternoon session on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, in Exmouth and conclude at lunchtime on Friday, 12 September 2025, in the LSI in Exeter.
This meeting will serve as a platform for showcasing and discussing cutting-edge and innovative research being conducted in the UK using zebrafish as a model organism. Covering a diverse range of topics, the scientific program will facilitate the dissemination of ground-breaking research and best husbandry practices and shed light on its future directions while enhancing existing partnerships and establishing new collaborations.
Oral and poster presentations will be selected from submitted abstracts and four keynote lectures will be given by prominent scientists in the UK zebrafish community. There will be poster sessions and social events to foster open scientific exchange and provide informal networking opportunities among participants of all career stages.
Come and join us on 10 to 12 September 2025.
We look forward to welcoming you in Devon!
UK ZF Meeting 2025 Organising Committee
Conference programme
Carer's Award
The 3 Carer's Award (£120 each), funded by the Genetics Society, are available to support the attendance of the meeting for those with caring responsibilities. If you are interested, please apply here (link to MS Form) by the 30th June 2025. Priority will be given to early-career scientists, and according to need.
For the MS Form we would need the following:
- Name
- Career stage
- Description of caregiver role. (Note: There is no age limit restriction for the dependent).
- A brief (max 300 words) justification of the need for this award.
Once approved, awards will be claimable in arrears on production of electronic receipts.
Registration
Registration limit has been reached and we are no longer accepting new registrations
After completing the registration, you will receive a booking confirmation by email. Please open it, and towards the bottom of the page, you will find an MS Form to submit your abstract for talks and posters.
Deadline for abstracts (talks and posters)
15 July 2025
Registration fees:
PIs, Senior Researchers, and Facility Managers: £250
ECRs (Postdocs, and PhD students) and Technical Staff: £175
Sponsorship capacity has been reached and we are no longer accepting new sponsorship applications. Apologies and hope to see you at our next meeting! If you would like to be contacted about future events please email UKZF2025@exeter.ac.uk
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is nestled in the beautiful Devon countryside within a registered botanical garden campus just 12 miles from the coast and Dartmoor. The university has four campuses: Streatham and St Luke's (both of which are in Exeter); and Truro and Penryn (both of which are in Cornwall). The university is primarily located in the city of Exeter, where it is the principal higher education institution. Streatham is the largest campus containing many of the university's administrative buildings.
Located at the heart of the Streatham campus, the Living Systems Institute provides a cutting-edge environment where cell and molecular biologists, mathematicians, physicists, biomedical scientists, and engineers collaborate within a shared space. This integration promotes innovative, interdisciplinary research focused on the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern human, animal, and plant biology and disease. The University also boasts the state-of-the-art Aquatic Resources Centre, which features 27 wet and dry labs (including a 2,500 tank capacity zebrafish unit) flexibly designed to enable housing of freshwater and marine species from 10°C - 28°C. This facility supports pioneering research and teaching across both environmental and human health domains.
Ocean, Exmouth
The Ocean is a multi-purpose entertainment venue on Exmouth sea front. Exmouth is 11 miles south of Exeter and marks the western gateway to the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site that spans 95 miles of stunning coastline.
We recommend making dinner reservations for the first night. Below, are few suggestions for restaurants in Exmouth:
Please note that the registration fee DOES NOT include accommodation. Please make sure to book your accommodation early, as accommodation is limited in Exmouth.
You will need to make your own arrangements for accommodation. Below is a list of nearby hotels at Exmouth see front. We also provide a list of hotels for those who want to stay at Exeter. Travel from Exeter Central to Exmouth by train is around about 30 minutes.
Hotels in Exmouth
We highly recommend staying at Exmouth as the train journey from Exeter is 30min plus 15 mins walk to the venue.
Coach transfer:
There will be coaches available to transfer delegates staying in Exmouth to the University of Exeter on 12 September. The coaches will depart from outside the Ocean at 08:45.
- Map and info about Exeter
- Map and info about Exmouth
- Map of Streatham campus
- National Rail for live train information
By train
Exmouth is well connected to Exeter. You can arrive to Exeter by train and change at either St. Davids or Exeter Central stations for a train connection to Exmouth. Train journey to Exmouth takes approximately 30 minutes. For train timetable and tickets check National Rail Enquiries
By plane
For those that choose to fly, you can arrive at Bristol airport. Bristol Temple Meads train station can be reached by Bristol Airport Flyer Bus. Train journey to Exeter St. Davids takes approximately 1 hour.
Exeter airport is also connected to some UK cities.
Discover Exeter by bus enjoy great value travel, easy access to top attractions, and view the full Exeter bus network map here.
- Devon: https://www.visitdevon.co.uk/
- Dorset: https://www.visit-dorset.com/
Download our poster to share with your colleagues - ZF meeting poster (pdf)
Organising committee at University of Exeter
Scientific advisory board
Zebrafish husbandry session speakers
Our sponsors
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Nicola Goodwin
Nicola Goodwin is the Aquatics Facility Manager and NACWO for the University of Cambridge. With nearly 20 year's experience working with multiple aquatics species, demonstrating an ability to drive team performance, maintaining optimal welfare conditions and supporting a vast number of research teams in varied areas of study. Nicola has a passion for aquatic animal welfare as well as teaching new technicians coming into the industry, this has led to her being the author of the Zebrafish chapters within the 'Introduction to Laboratory Animal Science, Technology and Welfare' and the lead author of multiple papers regarding the improvements for zebrafish welfare, with her most recent work regarding the creation of the first containment Level 2 aquatics facility within the UK.
Claire Allen
In 2008, following 12 years of research, Claire became the Biological Services Aquarium (BSA) manager at the University of Sheffield. The BSA is a large facility and currently supports 16 programmes of work, housing a total of 25k zebrafish across >3k tanks. As a long-standing member of the zebrafish husbandry community Claire has; sat on several committees (Zebrafish Husbandry Association Exec. Board 2018-2019, 2022-2024 and FELASA Working Group on Training on Replacement); organised several conferences; spoken on husbandry at >27 conferences; delivered >180 science communication events on understanding animals in research. In 2024, Claire co-edited a book called Zebrafish: A Practical Guide to Husbandry, Welfare and Research Methodology. In 2025 Claire took on the role of facility manager at the University of Nottingham, working part-time to manage a second facility. Claire sits on several committees at the Universities of Sheffield and Nottingham concerned with the ethical review process, legal frameworks of animal research, departmental management, communication and health and safety.
Heather Callaway
I have over 20 years of experience in the industry and have developed expertise in the maintenance and operation of zebrafish research facilities. I began my career as a technician in a research group focused on maintaining fish systems while contributing to laboratory research. Whilst doing this I recognised the significance of maintaining healthy colonies to allow continuity of successful research. In 2005 the lab moved to Queen Mary University London (QMUL) where I helped expand the colony. This position provided valuable insight into the legislative requirements for operating research facilities. In 2011 I joined University College London (UCL) where I became part of a larger team of technicians supporting a wide range of research groups. Here I broaden my knowledge in the different research fields that use zebrafish and understanding of the operations behind managing a large-scale research facility. In September 2012, I took on the deputy operations manager at UCL. I not only contributed to the daily running of the facility but also focused on addressing the operational needs. In June 2023 I took on the position of facility manger. In this capacity I have continued to expand my skills in managing relationships not only within the team, UCL, but also the wider zebrafish research community, helping to foster collaboration and innovation.
