Whatʼs on at QED?

Dr Tom Berry has worked as a general and breast disease surgeon, and is the former Head of Scotland for Breast Cancer Now. He is currently studying for a law degree, and for more than twelve years has delivered Medics Against Violence (MAV) content in schools and community projects such as The Prince’s Trust. As a director of MAV, he is passionate about advocating and promoting a public health approach to violence reduction. His campaign work has seen him appear on BBC News, Channel 4 Dispatches, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours.

Eli Bosnick is a comedian and podcaster living in New Jersey with his wife and son. As co-host of God Awful Movies, The Scathing Atheist, The Skepticrat, D&D-, and Citation Needed>, heʼs managed to turn high school class clowning into a life-long career, which is exactly the opposite of what the guidance counsellor told him. In his spare time he enjoys card tricks, licking Christian apologists, and making prank websites about the organizers of this conference.

Heath Enwright is the co-creator of the Podcast Award winning Scathing Atheist podcast, and the co-host of God Awful Movies; a Christian movie review podcast that lambastes the very worst Christian cinema has to offer, alongside his other shows, The Skepticrat and Citation Needed. In his spare time, Heath enjoys being constitutionally protected from self-incrimination. Heath will also be the quiz master for the Friday night trivia quiz.

Mike Hall is producer and host of the long-running podcast Skeptics with a K, part of the organising committee for QED, and former president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. In the last few years he has garnered a reputation as the ‘placebo effect guy’, much to his annoyance.

Dr Chris Jackson is former Chair in Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester. When not studying rocks, Chris gives geoscience lectures to the public and in schools, having appeared on several Earth Science-focused, television productions and podcasts. Chris is engaged in efforts to improve equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Higher Education.

He is the author of Diatribes Volume One: 50 Essays From a Godless Misanthrope, and his most recent book, Outbreak: A Crisis of Faith: How Religion Ruined Our Global Pandemic, tracked the ways in which White Christian Nationalism undermined the American pandemic response, resulting in a barrage of dangerous health misinformation, church-based COVID outbreaks, and – ultimately – countless preventable infections and deaths.

Dr Christina Pagel studied Mathematics at the University of Oxford and holds two Masters degrees in Mathematics, two Masters degrees in History and a PhD in Space Physics. She is Professor of Operational Research at UCL and Director of the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit, where she uses mathematical tools to support delivery of health services. She is co-director of the UCL CHIMERA hub, which uses mathematical modelling on anonymised data from 40,000 patients to develop a better understanding of how people’s physiology changes during ill health and recovery. Since May 2020, she has been a member of Independent SAGE, a group of scientists who are working together to provide independent scientific advice to support Britain’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr Azra Raza is the Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director of The Evans Foundation MDS Center at Columbia University. A practising oncologist seeing thirty to forty cancer patients per week, she also directs a basic cancer research lab with hundreds of original publications in high profile journals. She worked with President Clinton designing Breakthrough Developments in Science and Technology and with VP Joe Biden for the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Her latest book, The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last was published in October 2019. Her life is devoted to early detection and prevention of cancer.

Dr Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, writer and broadcaster. He is a Lecturer in Biology and Society and UCL, and on BBC Radio 4 presents Start the Week, and the Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry. He's written lots of books, mostly about genes, evolution, racism, eugenics and that sort of thing, but in at least two of them, goes into anatomical and quite frankly very nerdy detail about genetic genealogy and commercial ancestry testing kits. Adam has done one too, and it informed him that he has a 69% chance of having brown eyes. He has brown eyes.

Rachel Schraer is a senior reporter for BBC News, covering health and misinformation. She led the health team’s coverage of misinformation during the pandemic, highlighting claims about fertility targeting women and unproven treatments like Vitamin D and ivermectin pushed by anti-vaxxers, and was then appointed as the first specialist health and disinformation reporter within the BBC’s fact-checking team.

Professor Tom Shakespeare is professor of disability research at LSHTM, has published over 100 papers and chapters about disability as a qualitative sociologist. His books include The Sexual Politics of Disability, and Disability Rights and Wrongs. He has worked for the WHO, and has been a member of the Arts Council of England, and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

Dr Ema Sullivan-Bissett is a Reader in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. She works on issues in the philosophy of mind and psychology, in particular, belief, delusion, and implicit bias. She is the Principal Investigator of two research projects: Deluded by Experience; and Conspiratorial Ideation and Pathological Belief.

Dr Hannah Wakeford is a lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Bristol where she leads a team working with Hubble and James Webb Space telescopes to examine exoplanet atmospheres. She loves data analysis is particularly interested in finding out what exoplanet atmospheres are made of and their strange exotic clouds. She can often be heard on TV or the radio talking about JWST and all things planetary science. Hannah also hosts Exocast: The Exoplanet Podcast, and co-authored the latest update to the popular book Bang!! The Complete History of the Universe along with co-authors Professor Chris Lintott, Dr Brian May, and Sir Patrick Moore. In her spare time, she is a scuba diver and painter of miniature models.

Dr Joy Y. Zhang is Reader in Sociology and the Founding Director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice at the University of Kent. Originally trained as a medical doctor, her research investigates the transnational governance of scientific uncertainty and the democratisation of knowledge production. Her work contributes to sociological theories of risk, cosmopolitanism, decolonisation and subaltern politics. She has undertaken empirical studies on stem cells, synthetic biology, genome editing, food movements and environmental politics. She is the author of: The Cosmopolitanization of Science: Stem Cell Governance in China, Green Politics in China: Environmental Governance and State-Society Relations, The Elephant and the Dragon in Contemporary Life Sciences: A Call for Decolonising Global Governance, and Democratic Participation and the Cosmopolitics of Science: Why Scientific Citizenship Matters in the 21st Century (coming soon).

When Paul McGarrity last graced the QED stage he did it in a full suit of armour. Since then things have changed a bit, including a significant reduction in the protective quality of his attire. He’s the former host of the Ask an Archaeologist and the current host of Chronology Crew: The Unofficial Time Team Podcast. Paul mostly just does kids gigs these days, so this should be fun. Paul will be the emcee for QED 2022.

Looking around at a world awash with misinformation, it’s easy to feel disheartened. Across the world, we’ve watched as viral pseudoscience has exacerbated a viral pandemic, as patients have put their trust and their health in the hands of would-be gurus and healers, and as conspiracy theories have inspired thousands to take to the streets in order to fight back against one moral panic or another.

Yet, that isn’t to say that we ought to pessimistic. Recent years have seen significant advances in fight against alternative medicine, particularly in Europe; the community of people who reject religious dogma appears to be growing year-on-year; and the pandemic itself demonstrated to the public the importance of evidence-based policy and the life-saving nature of scientific ingenuity. So, are we winning?

Featuring Diana Barbosa, Claire Klingenberg, Noah Lugeons, and chair Michael Marshall.

In a world where chronic illnesses go undiagnosed for years and access to medical support for mental health illnesses is either prohibitively expensive or subject to gargantuan wait times, it’s easy to see how there is a gap in provision for people with medical needs. Stepping enthusiastically forward to fill that gap is the wellness industry, with its claims to give patients control over their health, to empower them to make medical choices that suit their needs, and to give them the gentle ear of a practitioner who’s always willing to listen. But is ‘wellness’ truly empowering patients? Or is it exploiting their need for answers in difficult times, support in the face of challenging symptoms, and certainty when they’re exhausted by understanding the complexities of their health issues? Featuring Dr Alice Howarth, Britt Hermes, Jonathan Jarry, and chair Nicola Throp.

Is torture ever acceptable? Was former Prime Minister David Cameron reasonable in feeling ‘physically ill’ at the idea of giving prisoners the vote? For which crimes should we be able to strip someone of their citizenship, rendering them stateless? And on what basis should we consider deporting asylum seekers to a third state?

The term ‘human rights’ has become a punchline for opinion pieces in right-leaning publications, decrying the influence of ‘foreign-based judges who are able to overall(sic) government policy initiatives.’ The declarations and conventions which have emerged as a response to the second-world war are frequently being assailed with national security concerns and issues of sovereignty.

Joining Rick Owen to discuss these issues will be Emma McClure and Qays Sediqi.

Sex - everyone’s doing it, and if you’re not; is there something wrong with you? Everyone’s talking about it, but are the conversations actually including everyone? The media is saturated with coverage of sex and relationships, but how much of that coverage is responsible, accurate, inclusive and positive? In this panel we’ll examine the discourse around sex and sexuality, and how it can overlook the needs, desires and pleasures of almost everyone. From the pseudoscientific and potentially dangerous products that pop up to fill needs created by media distortions and misconceptions, to the myths and misguided beliefs that persist across society, there’s certainly plenty for our panel of sex experts (never ‘sexperts’) to grapple with. Featuring Justin Hancock, Tom Shakespeare, and Alice Howarth with chair Lana Donaghy.

Parenting can be a minefield of misleading claims - from pregnancy pseudoscience and maternity misinformation, to navigating schooling and avoiding indoctrination, to a near-constant barrage of regressive stereotypes and cultural clichés. In a society that has no end of ideas about how children should be raised, how can parents hope to steer clear of the pitfalls to engender a sense of curiosity, compassion and skepticism in their children? Joining chair Lana Donaghy for this session on how we might raise kids skeptically, will be Ruth Abbott, Eli Bosnick, Britt Hermes, and Thomas Smith.

Step aside Captain Marvel, buzz off Ant-Man. The real superheroes are here. Neurodiversity is on the rise, and with it come a legion of superpowered savants with enhanced memories, superior problem solving abilities, and debilitating anxiety disorders. Though initially coined by the autistic community itself, the narrative of ‘neurodiversity as a superpower` is now pushed onto neurodiverse individuals by well-meaning allies. This leaves many who struggle with the experience of being socially ostracised, patronised, or compared to heartless robots, wondering ‘what superpowers?’ Featuring Alice Howarth, Lana Donaghy, Lindsay Osterman, and chair Mike Hall.

From the flat earth, to QAnon, to pandemic denialism, recent years have seen an astonishing rise of grand, all-encompassing conspiracy theories. How do so many people come to believe in such dark and sinister versions of reality, and what are the factors - social, psychological and technological - that draw them deeper and deeper into their delusions? Our panel to discuss why people fall into conspiracy theory rabbitholes, and how to help them back out, will be Aaron Rabinowitz, Rachel Schraer, and Ema Sullivan-Bissett with chair Michael Marshall.

The companies behind at-home DNA testing claim health conditions can be diagnosed, dietary requirements can be finessed, prescriptions can be targeted, and long lost relatives can be identified. But how accurate are these tests, what are the risks involved with them? Chairing our genealogy panel at QED will be Andy Wilson, who has been on his own four year journey to identify his previously unidentified father, and joined by Penny Walters, Adam Rutherford, and Jonathan Jarry.

The European Skeptics Podcast was brought to life in 2015 with a clear mission to serve the international community of skeptics as an information and networking hub, focusing on Europe. Coming up to 350 episodes and close to 170 interviews with a wide range of skeptics representing all kinds of projects and organisations spread across dozens of countries, this award-winning weekly show is also a celebration of the diversity of the European skeptic movement. Featuring Pontus Böckman, Annika Harrison, and András Pintér.

If there were really a god, would he inspire such god awful cinema? Join Noah Lugeons, Heath Enwright, and Eli Bosnick as they tackle a ‘classic’ of religious movie-making. The trio, who also produce The Scathing Atheist and The Skepticrat, have tackled some of the very worst offerings from Christian cinema, and will be appearing for the first time on the QED main stage to break down another piece of pseudoscience propaganda.

InKredulous takes to the stage in a live version of this satirical, skeptically themed podcast. Join QED co-organiser Andy Wilson and his guests in a comedy panel show designed for the curious. The panellists will find the funny in recent news stories, castigate the perpetrators of pseudoscience and marvel at how they get away with it.

Science Shambles is the podcast where world leading scientists just chat about scientific things like physics and biology and sometimes less scientific things like the Sharknado films. From cutting edge research and big ideas to popular science books and documentaries, everything is open for discussion.

Like everything at The Cosmic Shambles Network the approach is fun, open and accessible for everyone whether you’ve got a PhD in astrophysics or are simply curious about how this universe works.

Serious Inquiries Only digs deep on the science behind viral headlines, right-wing talking points, and other public misconceptions! Running for over 300 shows since 2016, when it took over from its predecessor Atheistically Speaking, Serious Inquiries Only is hosted by Thomas Smith and Lindsey Osterman.

Produced by the Merseyside Skeptics Society, Skeptics with a K is the longest-running skeptical podcast in the UK, featuring Mike Hall, Dr Alice Howarth, and Michael Marshall. Each episode features skeptical breakdowns of credulous newspaper stories, the latest health fads, myths and misconceptions, and reports on skeptical activism and investigations.

Ruth Abbott went accidentally viral with their gender non-reveal photoshoot and has been busy fighting trolls ever since. Morphing from a vicar’s daughter raised in the epicentre of UK purity culture, into a queer atheist activist, they have worked with Sunday Assembly and Sparkle. Nowadays they focus on how to bring up their two skeptical kids while surrounded by religious and antivaxxer family members.

Diana Barbosa graduated in Biology, having done research on topics related to ethology and evolution. Since 2010, she dedicated herself professionally to science communication, with experience in institutional communication, science exhibitions, training, and production of science popularisation activities. In 2012, she co-founded COMCEPT, the Portuguese Skeptic Community, of which she is President of the Board since 2016. Having crossed the bridge of 'the two cultures', she is currently the science communication officer of the Institute of Contemporary History, at NOVA University Lisbon.

Clio Bellenis is a member of the organising team of Winchester Skeptics in the Pub, and is their regular emcee. She is also one of the hosts at Skeptics in the Pub Online.

Pontus Böckman is based in Sweden and a skeptical activist since 2010. In 2018 he was elected president of the Swedish Skeptics (VoF), a position he still holds. He is also a board member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations and was recently one of the organisers of the European Skeptics Congress in Vienna. He has given several talks at international events (in person and on-line) and has appeared on other podcasts.

Dr Helen Czerski is, first and foremost, a physicist... but she’s picked up a few other labels along the way. Oceanographer, author, broadcaster and bubble enthusiast. She is a regular presenter on both The Cosmic Shambles Network and Fully Charged as well as having fronted a number of acclaimed TV documentaries for the BBC. Her first book, Storm in a Teacup, was a bestseller. She has previously been awarded the prestigious William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics, was a 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer and is currently a Research Fellow in the department of mechanical engineering at University College London.

Lana Donaghy is a software developer, Twitch streamer, and single mum to her eleven-year-old son with ASD. She is a long time friend of Merseyside Skeptics Society and QED, and has guested on the podcast Skeptics with a K. She can usually be found on Twitch talking about video games, skepticism, and all the fun of raising children in a neurodivergent-friendly blended polyamorous home.

Brian Eggo is most definitely not a rocket scientist. He is however the primary mouthpiece of Glasgow Skeptics, an occasional writer for The Skeptic, and he's even got a degree in Engineering.

Rachel Fairburn is a comedian and writer who was featured in Chortle’s ‘One to Watch’ list in 2020 and picked up the 2019 online content award from Joe.co.uk. She has been a finalist of Funny Women, City Life Comedian of the Year, the NATYS and English Comedian of the Year. Rachel is co-host and co-writer of the worldwide smash hit podcast All Killa No Filla. With a huge international following of over a quarter of a million listeners and growing, she has taken the podcast on several sell-out UK tours and a tour of the USA.

Dr Kat Ford is a board member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, a recovering PhD student, and a procrastinator extraordinaire.

David Glass is an organiser for Skeptics in the Pub Online who have been running skeptical talks throughout the last couple of years. He generally tries to hide behind the camera.

Justin Hancock is a sex and relationships educator, trainer and practitioner working with young people and adults. His website BISHuk.com is one of the leading sex and relationships advice websites for all those over 14, receiving thousands of visits per day. Justin works with practitioners in sex and relationships education and sexual health services to provide training and resources. He has made media appearances on television, radio and has written several pieces for newspapers and blogs. Most recently for Mashable and as an ‘Agony Uncle’ for Novara Media. He is the author of Can We Talk About Consent, co-author of Enjoy Sex - How, When and If You Want To. A Practical and Inclusive Guide, and host of the Culture Sex Relationships podcast. Justin will be appearing on the Let's Really Talk About Sex podcast.

Annika Harrison is a History and English teacher from Germany. Although her family had always been on the skeptical side of things, she encountered homeopathy, pseudoscience and other woo as a little girl and a young adult. She now is a member of the board of the German Skeptics’ Organisation (GWUP) and a member of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia. She is also a writer for the Skeptical Inquirer and does interviews with European skeptics and reports on events like SkepKon (German Skeptics conference), the ESC (European Skeptics Congress) and QED.

Britt Marie Hermes is an ex-naturopathic doctor who is transforming into a science communicator and biomedical researcher. Having realised she had fallen prey to the misinformation machine of alternative medicine, Hermes gave up her naturopathic practice in the United States and began vocally criticising her former profession. She writes about her experiences in a woo-filled world of cognitive dissonance and flawed critical thinking on her blog, Naturopathic Diaries.

Dr Alice Howarth is a cancer researcher, science communicator, and Deputy Editor of The Skeptic. She has investigated psychic shows, cancer quackery events, and has written for The Guardian. Alice is co-host of the Skeptics with a K podcast, where - among other things - she talks about sex, sexuality and sex-based products.

Jonathan Jarry is a science communicator with the McGill Office for Science and Society, dedicated to separating sense from nonsense on the scientific stage. He brings his experience in cancer research, human genetics, rehabilitation research, and forensic biology to the work he does for the public. He is the creator of the YouTube show Cracked Science, and with cardiologist Dr. Christopher Labos he co-hosts the award-winning medical podcast The Body of Evidence. He has been featured on the BBC, CBC, Wired.com, Global TV, RDI, and La Presse.

Claire Klingenberg is the president of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations. She has been involved in the skeptic movement since 2013 as co-organiser of the Czech Paranormal Challenge. Since then, she has consulted on various projects where woo and belief meets science, including a Czech and Slovak state-funded TV show, Investigátori. Claire organized the European Skeptics Congress 2017 and three years of the Czech March for Science. She currently runs the ‘Don’t Let Yourself Be Fooled’ project (which provides free critical thinking seminars to interested high schools), contributes to the news site of the Czech Religious Studies journal Dingir, and visits various religious, esoteric, and alternative movements to better understand what draws people to certain beliefs.

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 Be Reasonable podcast, 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. He has written for The Guardian, The Times and New Statesman.

Emma McClure is a solicitor who represents prisoners both in parole and public law proceedings. She is also a Trustee at Intervene Project, a charity which provides free legal representation to prisoners. In her spare time Emma gives talks and appears on podcasts (including Skeptics with a K) seeking to educate people on the parole system and prisoner rights. She also enjoys running and boring other people with how much she enjoys running.

Dr Lindsey Osterman earned a PhD in social psychology in 2012 and was an associate professor of psychology until 2022, when she left to pursue a career in public science communication. She co-hosts the podcasts Serious Inquiries Only, What The FUP? Downloads From The Secret Ghost Library, and We’re On The Same Page.

András G Pintér a former believer in all the weird things out there, has been a regular attendee at the Annual Conference of Hungarian Skeptics since 1997. He is an original member and incumbent president of the Hungarian Skeptic Society and a board member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations. He is the initiator, co-producer and co-host of The European Skeptics Podcast and an editor at the international Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia project. A professional tour guide, he’s been fascinated by the nonsense filtering through the world of tourism and has lately found an interest in the role of science in society.

Ella Podmore MBE is the ET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2020 and a materials scientist at McLaren Automotive. Having solved a key industrial (automotive) problem upon the completion of her MEng thesis she is now a key member of a high performance supercar brand, leading on metallic material science research and development on all McLaren Automotive products. She was instrumental in the development of the McLaren Artura, the first series-production, high-performance hybrid vehicle from McLaren which incorporates a number of ground breaking sustainable elements.

Aaron Rabinowitz is a secular moral philosophy educator at Rutgers University. His extended research interests include emerging technologies, personhood, conspiracism, and counterculture memetics, and he has written extensively on conspiracy theory and moral panics, and their use in onboarding vulnerable people into supporting and sharing extremist positions. He is the host of two philosophy podcasts, Embrace the Void, and Philosophers in Space which he co-hosts with Thomas Smith.

Qays Sediqi is a solicitor and head of public law at Barnes Harrild & Dyer Solicitors. He specialises in public law, human rights and immigration law. Being a former refugee himself, he is passionate in fighting for people’s human rights (particularly the most vulnerable in our society) and holding public bodies accountable for breaching them. He frequently challenges public bodies, mainly the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at the High Court. His current work includes challenging the Rwanda policy and representing Afghan interpreters who were refused under the ARAP scheme. His work has resulted in him appearing on LBC, ITV news, News24, Al Jazeera’s The Take etc.

Thomas Smith is a professional podcaster who began podcasting in 2010 with a quest to read the entire bible while providing critical commentary and humour along the way. That project soon led to many others, including Serious Inquiries Only, Opening Arguments, Philosophers in Space, Dear Old Dads, and several other shows. Thomas will be hosting a live edition of Serious Inquiries Only on the QED podcast track.

Tiff Stevenson is an awarding winning stand up comedian, actor and writer, whose thought provoking comedy and satire has played to audiences worldwide from London, Sydney, Montreal, New York, Shanghai and beyond. As a stand up and TV personality Tiff is a regular on British TV shows such as Drunk History, Mock The Week, 8 out of 10 Cats, The Apprentice-You’re Fired, The Blame Game & This Week. In 2015 Tiff became the UK & European correspondent on Logie winning Australian TV show The Weekly.

Dr. Penny Walters has been a University lecturer for 35 years, currently teaching Masters’ Business studies at Bristol and Bath Spa Universities, England; and previously Psychology and Ethics. Penny's interest in genealogy started after having her first baby and then wondering about her biological parents, as she was adopted. Penny has six mixed race children, who have all enjoyed discovering their roots through DNA ethnicity results. Penny lectures internationally in-person, writes articles, and is sought after for a wide range of webinar topics. She also authored the books: Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy and The Psychology of Searching.

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.

Paul Zenon has been a full-time trickster for 40 years and has performed in 40 countries. He currently lives at number 42 though, to demonstrate his disdain for Numerology. He is a multi-award-winning comedy magician, respected actor and writer, and enjoys producing odd bits of art and baiting psychics. Possibly best known both for Children's TV appearances in the early '90s (with no associated investigations), and later as the UK pioneer of 'Street Magic', Paul has been a regular Countdown Dictionary Corner guest since 2004.