The British Science Association is today (Wednesday 22 April) announcing the British Science Festival 2026 Award Lecturers: seven innovative early-career researchers committed to sharing their work with non-specialist audiences. 

From deep sea sharks to Artificial Intelligence use in spinal surgery, church-going robots to electromagnet art, our 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 – the 195^th – takes place in Southampton from 16 – 20 September 2026. It is run by the British Science Association and hosted by the University of Southampton.

Three of this year’s Award Lecturers represent the University of Southampton, with others based at University College London, University of Glasgow, University of Exeter and one of last year’s British Science Festival partners, Liverpool John Moores University.

Across the Festival, some 90 free talks, events and installations – including the Award Lectures – will be held in venues around Southampton and the university campus. The full programme and ticket booking will be available from early July. 

Our 2026 Award Lecturers are: 

Daniel Moore, Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Exeter, for the Agricultural, Biological and Medical Sciences lecture - Dark stories from deep-sea sharks

Until recently, our deep seas were dominated by large, long-living sharks. Deep-sea biologist Daniel Moore will explain how humans are affecting these dwellers of the deep and why we, on dry land, should be concerned.

Anna Heller-Szabó, PhD Researcher at UCL Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science, for the Digital Innovation lecture - Surgery ahead of the game

Have you ever played Operation? With Anna Heller-Szabó, explore how virtual reality can be used by medical professionals to practice surgery ahead of time, and find out who benefits when medicine gets a reset button.

Andrew Blair, PhD Researcher at the University of Glasgow, for the Engineering, Technology and Industry lecture - Holy Motherboard!

Have you ever met a church-going robot before? Andrew Blair will tell you about what happened when he introduced a robot to a centuries-old cathedral, and you’ll get a chance to meet the robot for yourself.

Eva Stewart, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southampton and the Natural History Museum, for the Environmental Sciences lecture - The deep sea dilemma

In the darkness, on the Pacific Ocean floor, lies a treasure trove of minerals that could replace the fossil fuel driving climate change. Eva Stewart will be diving into the homeland of deep sea creatures and the potential consequences of mining the treasures found there.

Antonia Marcu, New Frontiers Fellow at the University of Southampton, for the Physical Sciences and Mathematics lecture - AI: friend or fraud?

Have you ever been excited by ChatGPT? Scared by Siri? Antonia Marcu will reveal a more grounded understanding of how AI models really ‘think’, and what we can expect from our futures alongside these evolving technologies.

Tom Hyatt, PhD Researcher at Liverpool John Moores University, for the Science and the Arts lecture - Electromagnetic Art

You might have heard of an electromagnetic field, but have you ever heard of electromagnetic art? What does it mean to create it? Tom Hyatt will recount his journey to answer this question and watch art and science collide.

Hannah Dalgleish, Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, for the Social Sciences lecture – Southampton and the disappearing night

Humans are generating more light than ever, which has big consequences for our cities and the people and animals who live there. Hannah Dalgleish will explore how, together, we can create safe and healthy nighttime for all living things.

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James Brown, the British Science Association’s Head of Festivals and Director of the British Science Festival says:  

Each year at the British Science Festival, our Award Lectures act as a spotlight for the best early-career researchers working in the UK.  As well as working in some of the most exciting, developing and growing areas of research from across the UK’s institutions, they are also excellent communicators, and we hope these talks will capture imaginations and inspire.

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.

Visit www.britishsciencefestival.org for more information and updates

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Image: an audience at a British Science Festival 2025 event. Photograph by Gavin Trafford.