As Dr Suzie Sheehy explains, the conveniences of our modern lives owe much to curiosity-driven research. In this entertaining talk, she celebrates the virtue of seemingly pointless scientific research that leads to extraordinary discoveries, which underpin the technologies on which our lives depend.
Evoking the words of celebrated English physicist J.J. Thompson, “The electron: may it never be of use to anybody.” Dr Suzie Sheehy is a physicist, academic and science communicator based at the University of Oxford, where she holds a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on developing new particle accelerators for future applications, in areas such as medicine and energy. Alongside her research, Suzie is an award-winning public speaker and presenter. Because she is dedicated to sharing science beyond the academic community, she has delivered professional lectures and keynote presentations, written and delivered live shows to tens of thousands of students and is presenter of Impossible Engineering for Discovery Channel.