20th May – The Future of Transplant Surgery (Pankaj Chandak)

Discover the amazing new techniques that tailor surgery to an individual patient's needs and push the boundaries of what is possible in modern medicine.

Transplant surgery has come a very long way in the last 100 years, and on Wednesday 20th May, PubSci is delighted to welcome pioneering surgeon Mr Pankaj Chandak to talk about the origins and future of organ transplantation and present his own pioneering work which has transformed countless lives.

Over 70,000 people in the UK require dialysis due to kidney failure, including several hundred child under 16 — but even if a donor organ is available, how do you transplant an adult kidney into the body of a small child?

This was the problem faced by Pankaj when he became the first surgeon in the world to plan and perform a kidney transplant from a father into his two-year old daughter, which he achieved with the aid of 3-D modelling and printing.

On 20th May, we explore the amazing possibilities of 3-D techniques, xenotransplantation, warm machine perfusion, and the groundbreaking bioengineering possibilities of organ repair and regeneration. Pankaj will also dive into the realm of complex transplants and share some truly heartwarming stories from the transformative world of organ transplantation, such as the Children’s Transplant Choir.

Join PubSci and Pankaj Chandak to discover the incredible future of transplant surgery.

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The venue is PubSci's regular home, The Old King's Head near Borough Market, which offers a great range of drinks, has a happy hour before 7pm, and opens the kitchen serving classic pub grub especially for us.

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See below for important booking details – please also check the FAQ.

PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality talks with a drink in your hand. No specialist knowledge is needed.

Pankaj Chandak is an award-winning surgeon and communicator with a passion for his tpoic and wealth of knowledge whose pioneering work will to inspire and challenge your perceptions of what is possible in medical science.

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PubSci talks run for around 45 minutes, followed by a short break and a Q&A session. We aim to finish by 9pm. The Old King's Head has a happy hour before 7 and the kitchen serves traditional pub grub. The nearest tube is London Bridge (Borough High Street exit). See FAQs for more.

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Booking is on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis.

Each ticket type has a separate allocation – please check both for availability.

• Book without donating (max 4 tickets) if you prefer to put cash in the pot on the night.
• Book for one + Support PubSci (max 1 ticket) if you'd like to contribute with your booking. You don't input a number of tickets, just the amount you wish to contribute which automatically reserves you one spot at the event.

If Book without donating is sold out, scroll to check Book for one + Support PubSci.

Multiple tickets

If you need multiple tickets, you could get one Support PubSci ticket for whatever amount you're comfortable with contributing for your group, then add the rest of your tickets for free as Book without donating. You can do this in one transaction, but how you book is up to you.

We normally also take a cash collection on the night for those who prefer to support PubSci that way but for January, we’ll be donating all cash to St. Mungo’s instead.

How much are tickets...?

There's no set 'price' – we trust you to contribute what you think is fair for an evening of great science. The precise amount is up to you, but the price of a pub drink is probably a good measure.

PubSci receives no other income. More information at the bottom of this page.

Pankaj Chandak is a transplant surgeon and post-doctoral research fellow at The Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, UCL, and King’s College London.

His research focuses on machine perfusion of human organs for therapeutic manipulation, regeneration, and bioengineering, as well as complex paediatric transplantation.

In 2015 he became the first surgeon in the world to employ 3D printing to plan intricate paediatric transplants and has developed human kidney models of transplant rejection for drug testing using machine perfusion (pump) technology.

He is passionate about public engagement and science education and actively supports under-represented groups and young people to engage with science and healthcare innovations. He has produced multiple short films and collaborates closely with and the Hunterian Museum.

Pankaj delivered a prestigious Discourse on his work at The Royal Institution in 2024 and regularly presents at schools/STEM events. He has made appearances for film and television including BBC, The BBC World Service Radio, and served as medical director and advisor to the Netflix series “The Crown”, and acted in several episodes.

He founded the UK’s first Children’s Transplant Choir in partnership with BBC Children in Need. He has been the British Science Association’s Charles Darwin Award Lecturer and has received The Royal College of Surgeons of England Lister Medal and Prize, as well as The Royal Society of Medicine Norman Tanner Medal.

He is a Fellow of The Linnean Society and The Royal Photographic Society, having received their Combined Royal Colleges Medal for advancing 3D printing sciences, which is on permanent display at London’s Science Museum.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Pankaj as our May speaker.

PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality science talks with a drink in your hand.

It is an independent initiative run by volunteers, is not-for-profit, and receives no funding other than attendee contributions.

We believe science is for everyone and we want everybody to be able to afford our events, so we run PubSci on a Pay-What-You-Can basis. To contribute via Eventbrite choose "Book for one + support PubSci". To contribute on the night, please bring cash.

By making a donation, you make it possible for PubSci to put on events like this. If you're not sure what's a reasonable amount, we suggest the same as you'd pay for a drink at the pub. If you want to support somebody attending who can't afford it, consider putting in the price of two drinks.

Note: We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, but it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the upstairs room of a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access.

Check out our Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar. PubSci events will then automatically appear in your own iCal compatible calendar.

You can learn more about PubSci via our LinkTree and download our events programme here.

Please see the below for all your FAQs

Info: Order drinks and food at the downstairs bar, then join us upstairs.

Info: Introduction followed by the main talk.

Info: Stretch your legs, refill your glass, then come back for part 2. Timing is approximate.

Info: We aim to wrap up by 9pm.

Info: Carry on the conversation. Northern Line trains stop running at 10pm until late Spring 2026

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Old King's Head, King's Head Yard, London, United Kingdom

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