Guest Speakers

Forged deep in the suburbs of Belgium, Siân Docksey arrived in the UK in a glitter canon of surrealist stand-up with political zing. Siân most recently had a five-star run of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her pole dancing comedy hour ‘Pole Yourself Together!’, asking whether hanging off a stick can cure your existential dread. As seen on BBC Three, Siân is a BBC New Comedy Award nominee, and a past winner of The Telegraph’s Funniest One-Liners of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was described as ‘Joy and bewilderment in equal measure’ by The Skinny, ‘really quirky, funny and charming’ by Audience Club, and ‘flat-out hilarious’ by The Wee Review. Siân will be the emcee for QED 2024.

Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster is a writer and historian of medicine, science, and the emotions. She works at the University of Edinburgh, and has spent time at the University of Bristol, McGill University, University College London, Queen Mary University of London, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has a PhD in modern medical history from King’s College London and is the author of three books: The Cancer Problem, Cold, Hard Steel: The Myth of the Modern Surgeon, and Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion. She co-leads a project called Healthy Scepticism which seeks to know and better under the people who have been placed, or place themselves, outside the medical mainstream. She has published widely in academic and medical journals, appeared on BBC radio, and has written for The Guardian, Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the TLS, the Independent, and Refinery29.

Dr Flint Dibble is an archaeologist whose research focuses on foodways in ancient Greece, touching on topics of urbanism, climate change, religious ritual, and everyday life. Earlier this year, he earned international plaudits when he appeared on Joe Rogan’s show to debate and comprehensively debunk claims made by Graham Hancock, a promoter of the lost city of Atlantis. Flint’s current project, ZOOCRETE: The Zooarchaeology of Historical Crete: A Multiscalar Approach to Animals in Ancient Greece, combines archaeological, textual, and biomolecular evidence for the human management and consumption of animals.

Prof. Bola Grace has over two decades of Healthtech experience across industry and academia. She has extensive senior leadership experience providing strategic and technical direction and delivering award-winning digital health products. Within academia, she lectures, supervises research projects, and publishes in leading journals, including on topics such as reproductive health, and the role of big data in healthcare. She holds a PhD from University College London and an Executive MBA from University of Cambridge Judge Business School. She is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, Member of the Institute of Directors, and Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Dr Sabine Hossenfelder is a physicist, author, and science communicator. She currently works at the Munich Institute for Mathematical Philosophy and is Creative Director of the popular YouTube channel ‘Science with Sabine’, with over 1.29 million subscribers. She is author of the books ‘Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray’ and ‘Existential Physics: A Scientist's Guide to Life's Biggest Questions’.

Robin Ince is many things. A multi award winning comedian, author, broadcaster, bibliomaniac and a populariser of scientific ideas. He is perhaps best known as the co-host and co-creator of the Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. As a stand up Robin has toured the world, and as an author he has written four acclaimed books, the latest of which, Bibliomaniac, earned him the prestigious Booksellers Association Author of the Year award. Robin co-created the Cosmic Shambles Network and created the groundbreaking science variety night Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People which has been adapted worldwide. He has received an Honorary Fellowship of UCL, an honorary doctorate from Royal Holloway College (University of London), and is a fellow of the British Science Association.

Dr Idrees Mughal, widely recognised as Dr Idz, is a registered medical doctor with a Master's degree in Nutritional Research and qualification in Lifestyle Medicine. He is an internationally renowned expert, celebrated for his published work, including his book ‘Saturated Facts.’ Dr Idz frequently appears on prominent national TV outlets such as the BBC, ITV, and 60 Minutes Australia, where he debunks widespread and harmful health myths. With a substantial social media following of over three million, he is acclaimed for his evidence-based refutations of inaccurate health advice. Dr Idz also conducts educational workshops and lectures at various schools, universities, hospitals, and health institutes throughout the UK. Additionally, he is actively engaged in several research publications within the medical and nutritional fields.

Dr Joe Ondrak is the Research, Technology, and Policy Senior Analyst at Logically – a company using AI and human experts to tackle the harm caused by online mis- and disinformation. He and his team analyse domestic and international disinformation from a host of sources, from hostile state campaigns to domestic conspiracy groups. His PhD – ‘Digesting Creepypasta: Social Media Horror Narratives as Gothic Fourth-Generation Digital Fiction’ – explored how social media blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction when used as a venue for storytelling, and the wider implications for society. His research interests include virality and memetics, the ‘truthiness‘ of false narratives, and all things to do with digital text and what it can do (for good or ill).

Jenny Radcliffe, aka The People Hacker, has spent a lifetime learning how to use the ‘human element’ to gain access to the buildings, data and information, and the things we would wish to keep private. A burglar for hire, a professional con-artist, and an expert in Non-verbal communications, deception and persuasion techniques, she is an ethical Social Engineer, a ‘people hacker’ hired to break security measures using psychology, con-artistry, cunning and guile. She has led simulated criminal attacks on businesses of all types and sizes, running crews with varied expertise and experience, in order to help secure client sites and information from malicious attacks. She is a regular speaker at leading security and corporate events including Infosec, Rant, DISA, Nordic IT Security, ICS2, Trend Micro, Cisco, NTT, Bright talk, and Cyber Security Week. Jenny is also a go-to guest expert on the human element of security, scams and social engineering, has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, online media and traditional press outlets, and was a ‘HQ Hunter’ in the TV show HUNTED for Channel 4, were she performed various OSINT and undercover roles and was seconded to the special operations unit of the show. She hosts the award winning podcast ‘The Human Factor’ interviewing industry leaders, bloggers, experts and fellow social engineers and con-artists about all elements of security.

Rina Raphael is a journalist who specialises in health, wellness, and misinformation. She covered the wellness industry for Fast Company magazine and has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and New York magazine, among other publications. She is the author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care and her wellness industry newsletter, Well To Do, covers wellness trends and news.

Dr Shema Tariq is a Principal Research Fellow at University College London’s Institute for Global Health and Honorary Consultant HIV Physician at the Mortimer Market Centre. Shema qualified in Medicine from Newcastle University in 1999, is trained in both Medical Anthropology and Epidemiology, has a PhD in Public Health, and is a former Fulbright Scholar. Shema is recognised internationally as a leading expert in the care of women living with HIV, leading a number of large studies and founding one of the UK's largest specialist clinics for women living with HIV transitioning through menopause. She has authored national and international guidelines and is a Trustee of two charities, Positively UK and Tommy's. Shema is passionate about the meaningful inclusion of women in HIV research, in all their diversity, to ensure equitable HIV care.

James Wilson, aka ‘The Sleep Geek’, is a globally renowned sleep expert who has helped hundreds of thousands of people sleep better with his considerate, caring and no nonsense approach, called Taking The Stress Out Of Sleep, which rather than delivering prescriptive and unsuccessful world-class-basics, gives people an understanding of their sleep, and how to get the best sleep they can, within the constraints of jobs, kids, pets, hobbies, relationships and all the things that can impact on our sleep. He has worked with Marks & Spencer, Next, Pataks, Under Armour, and helped West Ham United’s men’s team win the Europa Conference league as their sleep coach. He regularly appears in the national press, on radio and on TV, where he was one of the four experts on Channel 4’s The Secrets Of Sleep, as well as numerous appearances as an expert on BBC Breakfast. He is the creator of the Sleep Bollocks Awards, which are designed to call out the misinterpretation of the science around sleep, and the ridiculous claims, advice and approaches some brands and experts promote.

Prof. Richard Wiseman (University of Hertfordshire) has published over 100 academic papers examining the psychology of magic, illusion, and the paranormal. He has written several popular psychology books (including The Luck Factor and 59 Seconds) that have been published around the world and created psychology-based YouTube videos that have attracted over 800 million views. He is one of the most followed psychologists on social media, and the Independent On Sunday chose him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live. A Member of the Inner Magic Circle, Richard acts as a creative consultant on several stage and television projects, including work with Derren Brown. Richard has been described by Elizabeth Loftus as ‘one of the world’s most creative psychologists.’ The first season of his On Your Mind Podcast reached No.1 in Apple Podcast’s Science charts, and in 2023 Richard was given the Royal Society’s prestigious David Attenborough Award for his research and public engagement activities.

David Alnwick is an award-winning actor, comedian, writer, and ritual sorcerer (and former QED emcee). A fifteen year veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Alnwick's sold-out shows are regularly performed in theatres throughout the UK. David's work combines dark narratives with supernatural illusion and, as one reviewer put it, ‘pushes the boundaries of magic as a genre.’

James Ball is an award-winning journalist, author, and political editor of The New European. He has held key roles at The Guardian, BuzzFeed UK, and TBIJ, contributing to Pulitzer-winning coverage of the Edward Snowden NSA leaks and major investigative projects. He worked with WikiLeaks on Cablegate and Iraq War Logs. A fellow at Demos, he is also chair of the UK committee of the Ethical Journalism Network. His latest book, The Other Pandemic, was published in 2023 by Bloomsbury.

Alasdair is a legendary comedian, in that there is little historical evidence that he exists. But he does exist. The multi-award-winning stand-up comedian has performed on the BBC's Mock the Week, Comedy Central Live, Radio 4's The News Quiz and at Glastonbury. Following several viral videos and a sell out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Alasdair embarked upon his first UK tour in 2023. In the same year, Walker Books published ABK's Montgomery Bonbon series of children's mystery novels. Alasdair is also the co-host of the Loremen Podcast, offering listeners irreverent updates on local folklore. People ask him for directions all the time. He looks like the kind of guy who knows shortcuts.

Louise Berger is a qualified Occupational Therapist with extensive experience in the fields of physical and mental health rehabilitation. She established the Insomnia Sleep Service at the Royal Surrey County NHS Hospital, providing tailored, 1:1 sleep interventions for some of the UKs worst sleepers. Louise has become a recognised expert in sleep disorders, behavioural sleep medicine and the impact of sleep on overall health and wellbeing. As a committed advocate for sleep health she acts as an associate lecturer on the UWE Sleep Medicine course, a trustee for the British Society of Sleep Pharmacy Services and supports the British Sleep Society in their member communications.

Pontus Böckman has an educational background in finance, but has always had a great interest in history, sci-fi and popular science. He became involved with the skeptical movement in 2010, organising ‘Skeptics in the Pub’ and giving lectures on skepticism in local schools. He is a member of the board of the Swedish Skeptics (VoF) in 2013, where he served as President between 2018 and 2022. In 2017 he was elected to the board of ECSO (the European Council of Skeptical Organisations) and was elected president in 2024.

Abi Clarke is a stand-up comedian from Bristol who has achieved remarkable success across her social media platforms, amassing two million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Abi was recently named as one of the eleven comedy stars of the internet by The Independent and has had her viral sketches shared by the likes of ENews, Buzzfeed, LadBible, Good Morning Britain, and BBC One. Abi’s debut show (Role) Model was a sellout at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, receiving critical acclaim.

Lizzi Collinge MP is the Labour Member of Parliament for Morecambe and Lunesdale. Elected to Parliament in July 2024, Lizzi previously served as a councillor on Lancashire County Council where she specialised in health and social care. She is keen to see the new Parliament get serious about evidence-based policy and her national work brings in issues relevant both to skepticism and her Humanist beliefs. Lizzi’s national policy interests include housing, health and social care, maternity and infant safety.

Dr. Emily C. Collins is an interdisciplinary Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) researcher with expertise in biomimetic, therapeutic, and industrial robotics, HRI methodologies, and ethical considerations in Robotics and AI (RAI). Her research currently focuses on trustworthiness and responsibility in RAI development and deployment. She holds degrees in Philosophy, Experimental Psychology, and a PhD in Social Robotics. Dr. Collins has worked in the UK, Kenya, Japan, and the US, and currently holds a Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellowship at the University of Manchester.

Brian Eggo has been running Glasgow Skeptics since 2015. He also writes for the Skeptic magazine, and is part of the Skeptics in the Pub Online livestream team. Outside of his Skeptical life, he works in training and development by day, and has a sizable family to occupy his evenings and weekends.

Dan Evans is a lecturer in sociology at Swansea University who specialises in social class. He has written for The Guardian, New Statesman, Open Democracy, Jacobin and more. He is the author of the book ‘A Nation of Shopkeepers: The Unstoppable Rise of the Petty Bourgeoisie’.

Chris French is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is also Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, as well as being a Patron of the Humanists UK.

He frequently appears on radio and television casting a skeptical eye over paranormal claims, as well as writing for the Guardian and The Skeptic magazine which, for more than a decade, he also edited.

His books include Why Statues Weep: The Best of The Skeptic, co-edited with Wendy Grossman (2010), Anomalistic Psychology, co-authored with Nicola Holt, Christine Simmonds-Moore, and David Luke (2012), and Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience, co-authored with Anna Stone (2014). His latest book, The Science of Weird Shit, was published by MIT Press in 2024.

Dr Jamie Gallagher is an engagement trainer and consultant who works with universities, charities, museums and professional bodies helping them to engage more effectively. Working full time in public engagement for over a decade he has helped improve the reach, profile and impact in almost every academic discipline. Jamie is also a science communicator and can often be found on TV, radio or stage making research accessible.

LeaSuwanna Griffith has lived with HIV for over 20 years. Despite her diagnosis, her three children and her husband are all HIV-negative. For the past 18 years, she has been a visible advocate for women’s sexual health, and has been involved with Act Up London, HIV Voices, Her Story and Changing Perception. Her most recent role is as an HIV ambassador for Fast-track Cities London. She sits on two HIV organisation boards, Positively UK and CAFPH, and participates in many steering groups.

Mike Hall is producer and host of the long-running podcast Skeptics with a K, part of the organising committee for QED, and co-founder, secretary, and past president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. Outside of his life as a skeptic, Mike is a sofware engineer, a Doctor Who fan, and is still coming to terms with a diagnosis of autism. Over recent years he has garnered a reputation as the ‘placebo effect guy’, much to his continual annoyance.

Matthew Hodson was recently described as ‘one of the most influential gay activists in Britain’. He has over 25 years’ experience of charity leadership, including Chief Executive at Gay Men Fighting AIDS, a community-based sexual health charity, and Executive Director of the global HIV information charity, aidsmap. In 2021 he became the first person living openly with HIV to chair an international medical AIDS conference. Through his work and his personal advocacy, Matthew tackles the ignorance and fear that still surrounds HIV.

Dr Alice Howarth is cancer cell biologist, science communicator, podcaster and writer. She has been part of the skeptical community for well over a decade, and is host of Skeptics with a K, vice president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, deputy editor of The Skeptic magazine, co-organiser of QED and co-founder of Skeptics in the Pub Online. Alice has delivered lectures on the topics of science and skepticism all over the world, written for publications such as The Guardian, and worked on numerous investigations into pseudoscientific claims. In her day job, Alice is an open research advocate for the University of Liverpool and the UK Reproducibility Network, working to make research available beyond academia. She believes that accessibility and inclusivity is crucial to how we engage with science and critical thinking.

Jonathan Jarry is a science communicator with McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (OSS), dedicated to separating sense from nonsense on the scientific stage. He has a Master’s degree in molecular biology and he brings his experience in cancer research, human genetics, rehabilitation research, and forensic biology to the work he does for the public. He talks about science most Fridays on CTV Montreal News and is regularly interviewed in both English- and French-language media.

Meirion Jones is a freelance journalist who was previously Editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and before that worked for Panorama, Newsnight, WATO/PM and Today. He is known for his investigations into Bogus Bomb Detectors, Jimmy Savile, the Fake Sheikh, toxic waste dumping and Vulture Funds.

Helen Keen is known for creating original, award-winning comedy and documentaries on subjects such as space travel, neurodivergence, and the far future for BBC Radio 4. She was appointed as an Innovation Fellow by WIRED magazine. For the past four years, Helen has been pursuing a Wellcome-funded PhD at Exeter University, where she researches social connection, loneliness, and autism.

Evie King is a former stand up comedian, sometime writer and local government worker who was compelled to publish a memoir about her little known role in dealing with such situations and what they can teach us about life, death and our own 3am fears about legacy and being forgotten.

Claire Klingenberg is former President of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations - ECSO. In the Czech Republic, she leads the critical thinking project, Don't Let Yourself Be Fooled! which provides seminars on critical thinking to high schools. She has been involved in the skeptical movement since 2013 - originally as co-organizer of the Paranormal Challenge. She has been a consultant for various projects where science meets the supernatural. Claire is the protagonist of the documentary series 'Investigátori,' co-produced by Czech and Slovak state TVs, bringing a skeptic and science-popularizing perspective on the paranormal to the wider public. She contributes to the Czech religious studies journal Dingir and its news site, the Religious Infoservice.

Noah Lugeons is a podcaster, author, and atheist activist. He’s the host of The Scathing Atheist, the 2014 Podcast Award winner for Best Religious Podcast, and God Awful Movies, which has been recorded live at the largest atheist conferences in the US, the UK, and Australia. He’s the author of several books on the subject of atheism. His most recent book, Outbreak: A Crisis of Faith - How Religion Ruined Our Global Pandemic examines religion’s role in America’s error riddled response to the COVID-19 crisis. He temporarily resides in rural South Georgia, but not temporarily enough.

Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, and editor of The Skeptic. Since 2013 he has interviewed proponents of pseudoscience for the podcast Be Reasonable, including leaders of the Flat Earth movement. His work has seen him organising international homeopathy protests, and lecturing on journalism and PR at a number of universities.

Junaid Mubeen is a mathematician turned educator, writer and speaker. He is author of Mathematical Intelligence: What we have that machines don't, which examines the role of mathematics in the age of AI. Junaid has a DPhil in mathematics from Oxford and a Master's in Education from Harvard. He develops maths education initiatives with Simon Singh at parallel.org.uk. He earned fleeting fame in 2008 as a series winner of television game show Countdown.

Rick Owen is founding member of the Greater Manchester Skeptics In The Pub Society, and has been on the QED organising committee since the start of QED in 2011. He has worked in IT and computer software throughout his career.

András Pintér has an enthusiasm for science that started in childhood, and he has identified as a skeptic all his adult life, having been active in the Hungarian skeptic movement since 1997. A biology and environmental science teacher by training, he has worked as a travelling tour director and guide for 15 years, meeting like-minded skeptics and making connections along the way wherever he could. An initiator and co-host of the European Skeptics Podcast, he’s also the current president of the Hungarian Skeptic Society and a board member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations.

Yvonne Richards-Cooper has been diagnosed with HIV since 1998 but only began living well in 2015. She was supported by George House Trust to come to terms with her diagnosis and rethink her experience. She has volunteered supporting women as a Peer Mentor and as a Positive Speaker where she visits schools, surgeries and conferences talking about living well as a woman with HIV. She has been involved in developing women's projects at George House Trust, culminating in the Stepping Out Project, aimed at increasing the confidence of women to live well with HIV. She hopes to raise the visibility of women's experience in the narratives of HIV, so that they are empowered to ask for the care and quality of life they want.

Catherine Roy is a patient safety campaigner with an interest in pseudoscience in maternity care. She is a founder of Maternity Safety Alliance, a group dedicated to improving maternity outcomes and part of the Infant Feeding Alliance which aims to promote better inclusivity in infant feeding policy and practise. She has written the book Autonomous: The Pregnancy Book for First-Time Mums and Birthing People.

James produces and co-hosts Loremen. Once a comedy actor and stand up you could spot him in a self-penned episode of Channel 4's Comedy Lap and a thing called ‘The Looky Likey Show’. Nowadays he lurks in the shadows, waiting. Well either in the shadows or in a Greggs, waiting.

Tracy Shildrick is Professor of Inequalities at Newcastle University. She has researched and written widely on issues relating to young people, inequality and social class. She has undertaken research in the North East of England, in Teesside, and in Glasgow. Her book Poverty and Insecurity: Life in low pay, no pay Britain (2012) won the British Academy, Policy Press Peter Townsend prize in 2013, and was followed in 2017 by Poverty Propaganda: Exploring the myths. Across all of her research and writing there is a focus on challenging popular and political rhetoric about the causes and the consequences of poverty and inequality in the UK.

Dr Annabel Sowemimo is doctor, academic, activist, and writer. Annabel is a London-based Consultant in Community Sexual & Reproductive Health in the NHS, and founder of charity the Reproductive Justice Initiative (RJI), which aims to address health inequalities and racial disparities. Annabel is a part-time PhD candidate and Harold Moody Scholar at King’s College London, with her research focusing on the experiences of Black women in Britain with fertility control methods.

Hayley Stevens is a paranormal investigator known for blending scientific skepticism with a love for solving spooky mysteries. She writes the award-winning blog Hayley is a Ghost, examining the stranger elements of life, society, and culture, and acts as a consultant for paranormal media projects spanning radio, television, publishing, and more.

Lewis Thorogood is a junior software developer who was drawn to alternative narratives and explanations early in the pandemic, leading him to join groups opposing Covid restrictions and vaccinations. Over time, having questioned his own beliefs, he chose to leave behind conspiracy theories, and to share his concerns about the radicalisation and extremism he witnessed from some corners of the anti-vax movement.

Nicola Throp is a member of the QED organising committee as well as working for the civil service, where she holds the role of Chair of the Gender Equality Network and is a trained Menopause Champion. She is passionate about spreading awareness of menopause, especially the symptoms and experiences of early menopause.

Andy Wilson is co-organiser of the QED conference and host of perennial QED-favourite InKredulous. As a former board member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society he was one of the driving forces behind the 2010 10:23 overdose campaign, and he took the role of emcee at QED 2012. Andy will be recording a live episode of InKredulous on the QED podcast track.

Layla Wright is a multi-award winning documentary presenter and maker from Liverpool, mentored by Louis Theroux. She has made a number of films for the BBC, including investigations into alternative cancer treatments and the failings at the Champions League Final featuring Liverpool FC and Real Madrid. Her most recent film, The Rise of America’s New Female Far Right, saw her investigating the growth in extremist anti-feminist beliefs in young, female social media stars in America.