Join Us for an Intellectual Experience!

Date: 16th Aug 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: DEMY, Lower Parel

THE COST INCLUDES FOOD AND DRINKS

About the lecture

Serotonin has spent decades with a public relations problem: we call it the happiness molecule, but most of it never sees the brain. It is made largely in the gut, carried through the bloodstream, and quietly shaping how cells behave throughout your body.

In this talk, virologist Dr Jeremiah Stanley follows serotonin off the beaten path: from a virus that most of us carry silently for life, to the platelets circulating in our blood, and into the early cellular changes that may influence cancer development. Expect cartoon viruses, a few honest confessions from the lab bench, and a scientific mystery still being pieced together: how a molecule we associate with happiness might also have unexpected roles in disease, and what that could mean for the future of cancer treatment.

About the speaker

Dr Jeremiah Stanley is a virologist and cancer researcher whose path has run from an MD at Christian Medical College, Vellore, to a PhD in Viral Immunology in Yokohama, Japan, and now to the University of Limerick, Ireland. He follows an unexpected trail connecting common viruses, the "happiness molecule" serotonin, and how infections can drive cancer. He has authored over 30 scientific publications, and his research has been recognized with a competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship from the European Union. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Conversation. Outside the lab, he is an unapologetic Bill Nye the Science Guy fan who believes the best science talks should leave audiences laughing, thinking, and asking questions.