Building Community and Skills with SBBS GROW

3 June 2026

In the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, we believe education should go beyond lectures. University study should also provide opportunities to build a strong community of learners. To support this, we have launched the SBBS GROW Agenda, an initiative unique to SBBS students at Queen Mary University of London. It is co‑ordinated collaboratively by both students and academics through the GROWth Board. The aim is to help students make the most of their university experience, both socially and academically, through a variety of community-focused extracurricular activities and support such as our Learning Café, Lab Mentor Programme, Coding Club and Lab Skills Club. Together these activities give students opportunities to learn skills in low stress, and hopefully high-fun environments!

One of the flagship activities within SBBS GROW is the SBBS Learning Café. This is a space for students and academics to sit down together and discuss work, career advice, research, and anything else that might be on their mind. The weekly drop-in format allows students to pick and choose when they attend, and stay for as long as they want, in a low-pressure social environment.

"As a second year biomed, I have had the opportunity to be involved in several branches, from lab mentoring and being a member of the GROW board, to building confidence in Lab Skills club and seeking guidance from the Learning Café. Alongside improving my grades and adding to my CV, every part of GROW I engage with makes me feel a lot more connected to my peers. It has been so wonderful learning from, helping and meeting with students from other years and courses who I would otherwise not have crossed paths with. Something else I particularly appreciate about GROW is that you can be as involved as you want. Clubs are designed to support you, so you can attend as many as you want and need, with no pressure to attend every session."

The school also actively supports neurodiverse learners, through bespoke drop-in sessions held every week, providing space for students to seek guidance and support with their academic work, in a quieter, more inclusive environment. A second year Biomedical Sciences student said:

“Being neurodiverse, these sessions have been particularly helpful throughout my time at university. Drop-in sessions run weekly on Wednesday afternoons, just after the Learning Café, and are a safe space for students to quietly study, seek guidance and socialise. I have made some great friends from other courses and years here and learnt a lot about how best to accommodate my studies for my own needs and how to advocate for myself and others.”

SBBS GROW is designed to facilitate student peer to peer support and building a sense of community, whilst also developing key skills for future employment. The SBBS Lab Mentoring and the Peer Led Team Learning programmes allow students in Year 2 and 3 to gain skills and experience in leading teams, supporting learning and peer to peer support.  By working as a Peer Leader or Lab Mentor, students developed academically, by becoming more confident in their scientific skills and knowledge, but also developed leadership and communication skills which set them up for successful careers in many sectors.

Beyond the curriculum, SBBS GROW gives every student the opportunity to develop new skills, from coding to laboratory techniques, whatever programme they study on. The SBBS Lab Skills Club offers students the chance to spend longer in the laboratory, doing practicals from outside their degree subject, including heart dissection, microbiology and psychology based EEG experiments. A biology student said:  

“Sessions are run by academics and lab technicians and feature practicals based on popular demand, whether that be a heart dissection or making art using colourful microbes. More than anything, they are a lot of fun to participate in, and a great way to make friends from other areas of SBBS too."

The SBBS GROW Agenda is a constantly developing programme, with our programme of activities regularly added to. In 2026/27, our student led GROWth board are supporting the school in launching a peer-reviewed student magazine, where student work will be published. The first edition of SBBS LIFE is expected in September 2026!