Speakers

Professor Lisa Jardine-Wright

Professor Lisa Jardine-Wright is currently educational outreach officer at the Cavendish Laboratory, the Physics department of the University of Cambridge.  Lisa did her undergraduate degree in experimental and theoretical physics at Trinity College in Cambridge and then went on to do a PhD in theoretical cosmology at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge.

Lisa's research focussed on the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies, from the Big Bang to the present day.  During her time as a PhD student she also began her science communication career. From 2004 to 2007 Lisa was the astronomy consultant for the recently opened astronomy galleries at the Royal Observatory Museum in Greenwich.  In 2004 Lisa was awarded a BA Media Fellowship which placed her as a science writer for the Financial Times writing international news and feature articles.  Her media experience also includes a number of appearances on radio and television including live appearances on the Children's BBC channel.

Professor John Hedley Brooke

Professor John Hedley Brooke held the Andreas Idreos Professorship of Science & Religion and Directorship of the Ian Ramsey Centre at Oxford University from 1999 to 2006.  He is an Emeritus Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford and Honorary Professor of the History of Science at Lancaster University.  In 2007 he was a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Durham.  His books include Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, 1991); Thinking About Matter: Studies in the History of Chemical Philosophy (Ashgate, 1995); and (with Geoffrey Cantor) Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement of Science & Religion (T & T Clark, 1998).  A former President of the British Society for the History of Science and of the Historical Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, he is currently President of the Forum for Science & Religion.

Professor Jonathan Osborne

Professor Jonathon Osbourne is the Head of the Department of Education and Professional Studies and the chair of science education at King's College London where he has been since 1985.  Prior to that he taught physics in Inner London for 9 years.  He has an extensive record of publications and research grants in science education in the field of primary science (the SPACE project), science education policy (Beyond 2000:Science Education for the Future), the teaching of the history of science, argumentation (the IDEAS project) and informal science education.  He was an advisor to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee for their report on Science Education in 2002 and President of the US National Association for Research in Science Teaching (2006-7).  In January 2009 he will be taking up the a position of an Endowed Chair in Science Education at the University of Stanford, California.

Dr David Bainbridge

Dr David Bainbridge is the 'University Clinical Veterinary Anatomist' at the University of Cambridge.  Between 1992 and 1996 he studied pregnancy in red deer at the Institute of Zoology at London Zoo before moving to the University of Oxford where researched human pregnancy immunology.  In 1999 he was made a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College.  He now runs the Veterinary Anatomy Programme at Cambridge and also coordinates pre-clinical teaching in reproductive biology.  He is a fellow of St Catharine's College.

He has written four popular science books: A Visitor Within - The Science of Pregnancy (Weidenfeld and Nicolson 2000), The X in Sex - How the X Chromosome Controls our Lives (Harvard 2003), Beyond the Zonules of Zinn - A Fantastic Journey through your Brain (Harvard 2008) and Teenagers - A Natural History (Portobello, publication 2008).

Dr Richard Barnes 

Dr Richard Barnes read natural Sciences at Cambridge and then took a medical degree, studying for clinical work at University College Hospital in London.  He is Senior Tutor of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has a special interest in access, outreach, admissions and welfare.  He has recently completed eight years of service as Chair of the Senior Tutor’s Standing Committee on Education.  This Committee oversees the management of supervisions, small group teaching, and is thus made immediately aware of any transition problems between school and University, and of discrepancies between levels of provision in different sectors of the education system.  He has also been Chair of Governors of a State Primary School and a Governor of a large Comprehensive School and currently is Non-Executive Chair of Thomas Deacon Academy in Peterborough.     

Professor David Phillips

Professor Phillips is currently Professor Emeritus, and Senior Research Investigator in the Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, where he was for 10 years Head of Department, before becoming Dean of Sciences for four years.  He is a specialist in photochemistry, laser spectroscopy, photomedicine and is the author of over 580 scientific articles, books, reviews.  He has served as chairman or as a committe member on numerous Scientific panels and steering groups.  He delivered the 1987 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures jointly with J.M. Thomas and regularly gives 30 demonstration lectures per annum to schoolchildren and the general public.

Dr. Hugh Hunt

Dr. Hugh Hunt is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, and a Fellow of Trinity College.  He took his first degree in Engineering from Melbourne University, Australia where he started is now impressive collection of boomerangs, many of them home made.  He now uses them to inspire students in the study of Dynamics and Mechanics.  His research in Cambridge focuses in particular on the control of vibration from underground railways, but he is also interested in the integrity of church bell towers and in amateur rocketry.

Dr Joseph Milne

Dr Joseph Milne is honorary lecturer at the University of Kent at Canterbury, Fellow of the Temenos Academy, and Research Associate, International Institute of India Studies, Canada. His interests include, philosophical anthropology, Indian, Greek and Medieval philosophy.  His publications include numerous articles on Shakespeare, Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta and Christian Platonism.  His most recent books are The Ground of Being (2002) and Metaphysics and the Cosmic Order (2008).

Ian Skelly

Ian Skelly is a broadcaster and writer.  He has been a regular voice on BBC Radio 3 for over a decade introducing concerts and programmes and he has also written and produced documentaries for Radios 3 and 4, some of which have explored the principles discussed by Joseph Milne.  He has also had spells as a television producer and was an award winning travel writer for the Observer Newspaper. He writes for a number of periodicals and journals.

Peter Slade

Peter Slade is a Curriculum Adviser within the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). QCA is a public body, sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), responsible for developing and modernising the curriculum, assessments, examinations and qualifications. Peter's role within the Curriculum Division involves working towards achieving QCA's key result area to "Develop a modern world-class curriculum that will inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future".  He has recently been involved in the development of the new secondary curriculum and is currently leading on a national assessment pilot at key stage 3, Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP) in Science. 

Peter graduated in Chemistry and then qualified as a science teacher. He taught in a number of schools over a period of ten years, latterly as Head of Department, before joining QCA in 2005. He has also travelled extensively and has spent time working in Australia within the pharmaceutical industry.

Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca Edwards is a Curriculum Adviser within the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Her responsibilities are mainly focused on science, for which she is the subject lead, and on standards and assessment policy. A former science teacher, head of science and head of science and technology, she joined QCA in 2001. 

Rebecca has been a member of the Association for Science Education for many years, serving the Association in various capacities at regional and national level, including Chair of the Association in 1999-2000.