Theme: The Road Less Travelled

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Bramall Music Building`
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT
United Kingdom

Abbas Shapuri

Abbas is a first year Mathematics student at the University of Birmingham, with a passion for education and mental health.

Andrew Bagshaw

Dr Andrew Bagshaw is a Reader in Imaging Neuroscience in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, and Director of the Birmingham University Imaging Centre. After a PhD in Nuclear Physics he gradually migrated to the more fertile pastures of brain science. His current focus is on developing and applying neuroimaging methods to understand how sleep and epilepsy affect the brain.

Bob Stone

Professor Bob Stone is the Director of the Human Interface Technologies Team at the University of Birmingham. A Chartered Psychologist, Bob joined academia in 2003, after a long and successful career in defence, robotics, surgical simulation and Virtual Reality (VR). He was involved in research with British Aerospace for 9 years, including for the nuclear industry and NASA. For over six years, Bob was the Research Director of the UK’s Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre, where many of his projects originate, with successes in developing simulation and VR training systems in such fields as submarine safety and counter-IED activities. More recently, Bob’s research has focused on military healthcare applications, supported by the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine. An Honorary Cossack, his work has received numerous awards, including, uniquely, three from the Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors, and the MoD Chief Scientific Adviser’s Commendation in 2011.

Chris Allen

Chris Allen is a Lecturer in the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Birmingham having previously been a Director at a national equalities agency. For the past decade and a half, he has been undertaking research into Islamophobia and other discriminatory phenomena. This has included researching the experience of victims of Islamophobic hate crimes and the ideologies of the British far-right among others. As well as publishing widely and appearing in the media regularly, he was until recently an independent member of the Government’s Anti-Muslim Hate Working Group. He was born in London and has been a lifelong supporter of Millwall Football Club.

Hannah Batchelor

Dr Hannah Batchelor is a Formulations Research Fellow funded by the Medicines for children Research Network to support high quality clinical research into medicines for children and young people, ensuring that medicines are both safe and effective. Her previous experience within pharmaceutical industry and the NHS brings extensive knowledge of drug delivery and the design of clinical trials. Hannah is passionate about involving children and young people in research and undertakes a lot of public engagement activity. Her research focuses on the design and manipulation of medicines to create age appropriate drug formulations to maximise clinical efficacy in paediatric patients. She is an expert in optimisation of drug formulations to maximise their biopharmaceutical performance.

Karen Rowlingson

Karen Rowlingson is Professor of Social Policy, Director of the Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM) and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. From 2010-2012 she was the Vice Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council's Research Committee and Chair of its Grants Delivery Group. Karen previously worked at the Universities of Bath and Derby as well as at the Policy Studies Institute and in market research. She has degrees in Modern History (University of Oxford), Sociology (London School of Economics) and Social Policy (University of Bath).

Martin Freer

Martin Freer, Professor of Nuclear Physics is Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute (BEI) and the Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research at the University of Birmingham. His main research area is the study of the structure of light nuclei, using nuclear reactions. This research is performed at international facilities worldwide. In addition, he is actively engaged in promoting research and educational programmes to support the UK’s investment in nuclear power generation. He received the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize, Humboldt Foundation, Germany in 2004 and the Rutherford Medal (IoP) in 2010.

Pam Relph

Pam Relph MBE is a member of the Great Britain Paralympic Rowing Team. Pam was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at a young age and has severe degeneration in her right hand and wrist. Pam was on an army scholarship to attend Birmingham to study Physics and Astronomy, with a view to joining the Royal Engineers as an engineering officer. In 2010, this career was cut short due to her disability. Pam’s sister Monica, an international GB Rower herself, encouraged Pam to enquire into classification for Paralympic rowing. Within 10 months of her first rowing stroke, Pam was crowned World Champion in the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed 4 (LTA4+) classification. The following year Pam and her crew, against tough opposition, won Gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Pam won consecutive world championship titles in 2013 and 2014. She is now training hard on the Road to Rio and for selection for the 2015 World Championship Team which will be heading out to France in August.

Scott Lucas

Scott Lucas became Professor of International Politics in 2014, having been on the staff of the University of Birmingham since 1989 and a Professor of American Studies since 1997. He began his career as a specialist in US and British foreign policy, but his research interests now also cover current international affairs - especially North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran - New Media, and Intelligence Services. Professor Lucas is the founder and editor of EA WorldView, one of the leading news and analysis sites on US foreign policy and international affairs, especially in the Middle East and Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Before this, he was the creator of Libertas, an academic website connected with the Centre for US Foreign Policy at Birmingham.

Yvonne Sawbridge

Yvonne Sawbridge joined HSMC as a Senior Fellow in 2011 and previously worked in the NHS in a variety of posts since qualifying as a nurse and health visitor in the 1980’s. She spent 10 years as a Director of Nursing in a number of PCTs including South Staffs PCT which commissioned from Mid Staffs Hospital, at the time of a public inquiry into failings in the provision of care. Since moving to HSMC in the University of Birmingham, she has written and undertaken research on both the concept of emotional labour and potential interventions to support emotional labourers (healthcare staff specifically) to provide compassionate care. Recognition of this is key to the provision of good patient care, which is her overall motivation.

Zoe Schnepp

Zoe Schnepp is passionate about Green Chemistry both in her research and the potential for changing negative public perceptions of chemistry. She is from the UK but has also lived and worked in the US, Germany and Japan. With diverse interests in sustainable materials, nanotechnology and biomass, Zoe leads a growing research group in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham.

Zsuszanna Nagy

Zsuzsanna Nagy is a Senior Lecturer and the lead of the Neurodegeneration and Repair team. Zsuzsanna Nagy qualified as an MD from the Medical School in Tirgu Mures Romania in 1989. The main topic of her interest was the development of the central nervous system, with special interest in the teratogenic effect of some hypnotic drugs. Following the completion of her internship in 1991 she returned to research as a visiting scientist in the Human Anatomy Department of Oxford University. The following year, she went on to study neurodegeneration from CNS development. She joined the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) in 1992 and completed her DPhil on Alzheimer’s disease in 1995. Since then she has been working on the pathogenic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, novel biomarker development and early stage drug discovery for disease-modifying drugs. In 2004, she moved to University of Birmingham Medical School.