SCItalks are free and open to all. They are part of an SCI initiative to reach members of the public and provide discourse on SCI-linked topics and relevant popular subjects in an accessible way.
The following talks have taken place or are coming up shortly. You can find links to a video of the Lecture (some of which are on YouTube) or an Event Review or Blog post below.
2023
- 22 February, Andy Joynson - The earth’s favourite little healthy drinks factory – ‘the blender’
- 22 March, Mark Post - Lab grown meat; from the field via the laboratory to the plate
- 26 April, Dave Hughes - Food, foresight and the future of farming: do we need to revolutionize our food system?
2022
- 23 February, Toby Park - Why we ignore climate change, and what we can do about it
- 23 March, Richard Thompson - Marine litter: Are there solutions to this global environmental challenge?
- 27 April, Graham Moore - Agrifood science in a time of climate change
- 25 May, Philip Ball - The beauty of chemistry
- 28 September, - Barbara Brockway - Discovering Cosmetics – The Technical Side of Beauty
- 26 October, Simon Ellwood - The scientific artistry of fragrances - from lab to nose and beyond
- 8 December, Paul Jenkins - A Century of Ingredients: The Chemistry behind Beauty & Personal Care Products
2021
- 27 January, Sebastian Conran - Materials: The Choices of a Designer
- 24 February, Prof Saiful Islam - Making a Materials Difference to Green Energy (Batteries Included)
- 24 March, Prof Neil Ferguson OBE - Transmission dynamics of Covid-19: what have we learnt so far?
- 28 April, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell - Interstellar chemistry
- 26 May, Prof Anya Hurlbert - True Blues and Real Reds: how human vision colours the world
- 30 June, Dr Alastair Leake & Prof Jane Rickson - Soil resources in the UK: overlooked and undervalued?
- 29 September, Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser - Fuelling the future: science, society and the research and innovation system
- 27 October, Dr Roger Highfield and Steve Scott - How to Engage with Millions of People
- 24 November, Alok Jha - Media and the Chemical Industry
2020
- 26 February, Sir Mark Walport - Future for research and innovation in the UK
- 4 June, Prof Anthony Ryan OBE - The second century of plastics
- 24 June, Paul Hodges - Paradigm Shifts in the Chemical Industry
- 9 July, Prof Robert Harrison - Myths and realities of the digital revolution in manufacturing
- 6 August, Dr Melanie Loveridge - Why Li-ion Batteries lose their capacity
- 3 September, Professor Richard Jones - Restoring Productivity Growth
- 30 September, Dr Ruth McKernan CBE - The Quest for Effective Dementia Treatments
- 25 November, Prof Liz Sockett - Combating Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria with Predatory Bdellovibrio
2019
- 27 February, Prof Paul Workman, Inst of Cancer Research - Improving the outcome for cancer patients
- 27 March, Prof Lesley Yellowlees, MBE Prof Hayley Fowler, Prof of Climate Change Impacts/Royal Society Wolfson Research Fellow - Climate Change: Increasing Extreme Weather and Impacts on Water Resources
- 25 September, Dr David Brown - What Individuals Can Do to Achieve Healthy Ageing
- 23 October, Prof Peter Atkins - A Journey Through the Periodic Kingdom
- 27 November, Caroline van den Brul - The Story of Science Communication through the Lens of the BBC
2018
- 28 November, Prof Mike Bevan - Can Genomics Feed the World?
- 24 October, Prof Gerry Gilmore - The Milky Way Galaxy in 6-dimensions: stars, stardust and Dark Matter
- 26 September, Prof Ben Feringa - The Art of Building Small
- 27 June, Dr Helen Sharman - From Mars to the stars: a chemist in space
- 23 May, Dr Alison Tedstone - Overcoming obesity: A taste of things to come
- 25 April, Prof Martyn Poliakoff (CBE) - Casting Light on a Greener Future
- 28 March, Dr Alastair Leake - Crops and the environment
2017
- 22 November, Helen Bonser-Wilton - Mary Rose - From Seabed to Showcase, the Making of a British Icon
- 25 October, Dr Hermann Hauser - Machine intelligence: are machines better than humans?
- 20 September, Sir John Beddington - Global Sustainability Challenges: food, water and energy security
- 28 June, Prof Michael Kelly - Future energy needs and engineering reality
- 23 May, Lord David Willetts - Securing the UK’s future industrial success
- 26 April, Prof Glenn Gibson - Friends in low places: Getting to the guts of microbiology
2016
- 29 November, Prof Gideon Lack - Stemming the tide of allergies
- 25 October, Sir Colin Berry What have they put in my food: should I worry?
- 27 September, Sir Simon Campbell - Science, Art and Drug Discovery
- 21 June, Prof Graham MacGregor - Unhealthy Food: By Far the Biggest Cause of Death in the UK
- 17 May, Prof Jack Winkler and Dr Rob Winwood - Fat Lies and Thin Truths - is Eating Fat Bad for You?
- 26 April, Prof David Mottram - Doping and Anti Doping in Sport
- 30 Mar, Sir Paul Nurse - The Francis Crick Institute: tackling the world's biggest health problems faster
- 10 Feb, Mr Guy Smith - Are Farmers 'Bee Aware'?
2015
- 1 Dec, Dr Sam Collins - Ebola diagnostics in Sierra Leone: Experiences from the field
- 11 Nov, Prof Kevin Harrington - Using Viruses to Treat Cancer: Turning Poachers into Gamekeepers
- 13 Oct, Prof Simon Lovestone - Alzheimer's Disease: Big Problem, Big Data, Big Solution?
- 28 May, Prof Ed Bullmore - Understanding and treatment of mental health disorders such as depression and psychosis
- 30 April, Prof Myles Allen - How we will eventually solve the climate change problem - and why UN conferences are largely irrelevant
- 26 March, Prof Geoffrey Maitland - Fossil fuels and avoiding climate change - are they incompatible?
- 29 January, Michael Stephenson - Shale gas and fracking: the science behind the controversy
2014
- 10 December, Dr Denis Koltsov: Nanomaterials in foods - recent developments, regulations, standards and public perception
- 19 November, Prof Robin Clark - Raman Microscopy and the Identification of Forgery in Artwork
- 1 October, Hadyn Parry - The war against mosquito-borne diseases - changing times, changing minds
- 24 September, SCI Public Evening Lecture: Professor Dame Sally Davies - Anti-microbial resistance - The Chief Medical Officer's Role
- 19 February, Prof Peter Atkins - War and Peace: Chemistry's Contribution
2013
- 31 October, Prof Lord Krebs - Feeding the 9 billion
- 25 June, Prof David Nutt - Should chemistry dictate the drug laws?
- 5 February, John Pickett - Plant metabolism exploited for sustainable food production by breeding, GM and companion cropping
- 23 January, Tom Crotty - Sustainability in Biofuels
2012
- 20 November, David Torres - Meeting the Energy Challenge Through Innovation
- 10 October, Prof Julia King - The Future of Transport: Sustainable, Affordable and Effective
- 18 September, Dr John Emsley - 2050: Sustainable UK?
- 16 May, Sir John Beddington - A Sustainable Future for Food and Farming
2011
- 14 December, Thames Tideway Debate
- 17 November, Prof Subhash Anand - Nonwoven Fabrics in Healthcare and Medical Devices.
- 20 October, Dame Sue Ion - When the Lights go out will we care about Carbon Emissions?
- 22 September, The Redemption of the British Breakfast! Re-evaluating the importance of the role of saturated fats and cholesterol in the diet of healthy adults.
- 9 June, Lord Lawson of Blaby - Energy Policy and Global Warming.
- 14 April, Prof Sir Brian Hoskins - The Challenge of Climate Change.
2010
- 12 December, GM Foods: Genetic Manipulation or Global Malnutrition? Colin Tudge and Prof Jonathan Jones
- 18 November, Jerry Stone - Space Exploration: An alternative history.
- 21 October, Prof David Phillips - A Little Light Relief
- 6 September, Fred Pearce - Peoplequake: Mass Migration, Ageing Nations and the Coming Population Crash
2009
- 15 October, Ben Goldacre - How to recognise bad science.