The British Science Association is today (Wednesday 30 April) announcing the British Science Festival 2025 Award Lecturers: seven innovative early-career researchers committed to sharing their work with non-specialist audiences.
From the impact of junk food advertising in computer games to the past and future of prosthetics, our seven Award Lecture subjects are drawn from different areas of the sciences and social sciences. Each lecture seeks to highlight the interdisciplinarity of science, research and innovation.
This year’s British Science Festival takes place in Liverpool from 10 – 14 September, and is a partnership between the British Science Association, University of Liverpool, and Liverpool John Moores University.
Across the festival, more than 100 free talks, events and installations – including the Award Lectures – are held in venues around the city.
Our 2025 Award Lecturers are:
Tom Wingfield – Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, for the Agricultural, Biological and Medical Sciences Lecture
Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas – Lecturer at University of Glasgow, for the Digital Innovation Lecture
Bryony Buck – Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, for the Engineering, Technology and Industry Lecture
Katie Reilly – Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Birmingham, for the Environmental Sciences Lecture
Alex Baker – Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at University of Warwick, for the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Lecture
Rae Gillibrand – Lecturer in Inclusive Learning at University of Leeds, for the Science and the Arts Lecture
Rebecca Evans – Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Liverpool, for the Social Sciences Lecture
James Brown, the British Science Association’s Head of Festivals and Director of the British Science Festival says“The Award Lectures are always a highlight of the British Science Festival programme, shining a spotlight on the very best early-career researchers working in the UK. We were incredibly impressed by the quantity, quality and diversity of brilliant ideas submitted through this year’s Award Lectures open call. Our winning speakers have been chosen for their innovative and impactful interdisciplinary research as well as for their passion for communicating their work and engaging new audiences. I can’t wait to attend their events in September.”
More about this year’s Award Lectures:
Tom Wingfield – Fighting poverty and stigma to defeat TB
It’s preventable and curable, yet over a million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2023. Combining cutting-edge research with powerful personal testimony, Tom and Fatima Karmadwala (advocate and TB survivor) will argue why a person-centered approach is key if we’re to eradicate this infectious disease.
Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas – How do we build the animal internet?
Imagine a world where animals aren’t limited by physical boundaries but instead can roam free online. Ilyena invites you to consider what would happen if digital connectivity could extend beyond humans to include wildlife and our pets. Join her to explore what it might mean to construct an internet for animals.
Bryony Buck – Hearing the bigger picture
Can you help improve new audio-visual hearing aid algorithms? Bryony will discuss future hearing aid developments and invite your feedback. Using real-time examples, we’ll reflect on the stigma surrounding hearing loss and explore what future hearing aids might be like.
Katie Reilly – What’s in our water and should we be worried?
Many of us love a paddle or a bracing wild swim. But is it safe? Regular reports of sewage in our seas and rivers mean anxiety about UK water quality is growing. Katie will talk honestly but optimistically about water pollution and what we can do about it.
Alex Baker – Synthetic antibodies, from snakebites to Covid-19
Delve into the world of snake venoms and synthetic antibodies and discover their significance for global health. Alex will share work that ranges from treating snakebites to testing for Covid-19. Explore the pros and cons of animal-derived antibodies versus synthetic ones, and debate which approach we should choose for the future.
Rae Gillibrand – Prosthetics: past, present, future
Myths about artificial limbs will be debunked and protheses will be explored as both functional tools and symbols of resilience, innovation and identity. Rae will give an empowering talk that reflects on the development of prostheses from the medieval period to the modern day.
Rebecca Evans – Game on, snack more
Is digital gaming affecting what you eat? Brands are everywhere on videogame livestreaming platforms, targeting young people with ads for food high in fat, sugar and salt. Rebecca Evans will show how this marketing affects eating habits, asking what we should do to protect gamers from junk-food marketing.
The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest standing science festival, hosted in a different UK city each year. The Festival connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists in an inspiring programme of free events.
Further information on the Awards can be found on the British Science Association website here www.britishscienceassociation.org/award-lectures
Bookings will be available when the full British Science Festival 2025 programme launches in early July.