Scientists and researchers will give science talks in local pubs as part of an international festival next month, with events already in high demand
The annual worldwide festival is back and bigger this year, bringing an array of researchers to local pubs to mix socialising with science.
The event, which features around 450 events nationwide and around 3000 globally, brings a range of scientific topics into local pubs, giving attendees the chance to learn more in a relaxed, social setting.
Pint of Science is a non-profit organisation founded thirteen years ago by two UK researchers, with the aim of bringing scientists and the public together to explore a wide range of topics in an informal setting - opposed to a science lab.
In , events will be held at The Barley Mow, The Florence Arms, Guildhall Village and Keppel's Head Hotel on Monday 18 May, Tuesday 19 May and Wednesday 20 May 2026.
This year features 26 speakers across nine evenings of talks, with each session lasting around 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A and activities including quizzes.
Topics include forensic science, the use of drones and AI in search and rescue, glacier research, neurodiversity and plastic pollution, among much more - offering something for everyone.
Dr Anthony Butcher, Programme Lead (Geography & Geosciences) at the University’s School of the Environment and Life Sciences and Pint of Science co-organiser, said: “This is a fun way to share our work and a valuable opportunity for our researchers to think about how they communicate what they do to a general audience.
“We have a mix of academic staff and PhD students taking part, and for many of them it’s a chance to step back and consider how to make complex ideas accessible to the public.”
Co-organiser Dr Luke Hauser, from the University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, added: “ has a long-standing culture of civic engagement and Pint of Science embodies this by bringing world-class research directly into the community.
“This event is always popular, and this year one of our sessions has already sold out - something the national organisers have praised which is a clear sign of just how engaging it is.”
Talks include:
The Florence Arms
Monday 18 May: Tools for Finding Missing Persons
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The Eye's the Limit! Eye Tracking in Search and Rescue by Dr Craig Collie, Principal Lecturer in in Criminology and Criminal Justice
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Describing Missing Persons by Dr Alejandra De La Fuente Vilar, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods
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The uses of Drones and AI in Search and Rescue by PhD student Morgan Woodford.
Tuesday 19 May: From Clues to Conclusions
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Next-Generation Forensic Science, featuring Single Cell DNA Profiling and Lego! By Dr Kat Brown, Associate Professor of Forensic Science
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Can we use Artificial Intelligence for post-mortem interval estimation? By PhD student Caitlin O'Farrell
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Ships, Shopping and Dirty Money: How Trade Hides Crime by Dr Branislav Hock, Associate Professor in Economic Crime and Compliance
Wednesday 20 May: Survival Inside Systems
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'Navigating complexity': Exploring Whole-System Approaches to Women Offenders by Laura Haggar, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Desistance
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Criminology and Sex work: What Needs to Change? By Dr Amy Duvanage, Lecturer in Criminology and Psychology
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Women who Survived a Brutal War by Dr Dina de Sousa e Santos, Senior Teaching Fellow from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Guildhall Village
Monday 18 May: The Hidden Answers in Our Cells: Using Genetics to Understand Diseases and Disorders
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From Patient to Pathology: The Journey You Never See by Abbie Hanlon, Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist, UHSussex NHS Foundation Trust
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Modelling Human Disease by Carlos Aguilar, Senior Research Associate
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Part of the FAMily: The diagnostic journey of FAM177A1-related rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder by PhD student Rosie Currams
Tuesday 19 May: A Song of Ice and Fire...and Clay
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Glaciers Gone Rogue by Dr Harold Lovell, Senior Lecturer
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Making the Invisible Visible: Exposing the Saboteur in the Soil by Rosamund Gray, Lecturer in Engineering Geology and PhD Student
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Britain's Burning Question: Navigating a More Flammable Future by Dr Mark Hardiman, Senior Lecturer
Wednesday 20 May: Rocks of Ages: Telling the Time in Earth's History
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Earth's Ancient Breaths by Dr Hugo Moreira, Research Fellow
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The Clock Within Rocks: Dating Ore Deposits by Sarah Bowie, PhD student in Geology
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Using Giant Meteorite Impacts to Understand Earth's Earliest Crust by Ari Guest, PhD Student from Institute of the Earth & Environment
Keppel's Head Hotel
Monday 18 May: Creatures Great and Small: Dinosaurs, Wasps and Primate Conservation
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Lies, Illusions, and Mud: What Dinosaur Footprints Really Tell Us by Megan Jacobs, PhD student in Palaeontology
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Parasitoid Wasps: Tiny Assassins on Land and Why We Should Love Them by Snata Chakraborty, PhD candidate in Biology
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Small Primates, Big Responsibility by Amanda Bartlett, PhD student in Biological Sciences
The Barley Mow
Tuesday 19 May: The Uniqueness (or not) of the Human Mind
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What is (the) Neurodiversity (Movement) and Why Does It Matter? By Dr Steven Kapp, Senior Lecturer in Psychology
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Are Humans Special? Comparing Cognition Across Humans and Other Species by Dr Sophie Milward, Senior Lecturer
Wednesday 20 May: Ocean Experiments: Corals, Manta Rays, Rowing Races and Plastic Pollution (SOLD OUT)
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It Takes Many Corals to Keep a Reef by Dr Fran Cabada, Senior Lecturer in Marine Tropical Ecology
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Rowing Around Britain: What the Ocean Whispered Back by Professor Fay Couceiro, Professor of Environmental Pollution
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Plastic Pollution and Reef Manta Rays: Sources and Exposure by Dr Jessica Savage, Teaching Fellow in Marine Biology
Doors open at 6:30pm with the talks beginning at 7pm. Tickets are £5 and can be purchased through the website.
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