List of Frontiers of Sciences Speakers
March 2023
24) Dr Terry Kee, University of Leeds: what isn't life
23) Michael Macey, The Open University, Milton Keynes: The microbiology of extreme environments, analogue environments and the limits of life
22) Dr Kevin Devine, London Met: An Astronaut in Structure Space: Probing the structure, function and evolution of nucleic acids using synthetic organic chemistry
21) Prof Michael Garrett is the inaugural Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester: Establishing a SETI capability in the UK
MARCH 2022 Online event due to COVID-19 (FoS VI)
20) Prof Tadej Kotnik, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia: The role of abiotic HGT—currently and throughout evolution.
19) Dr Margareta Segerståhl, Bisari Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland: A new way of describing the cell
18) Prof Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain: Early protoplanetary disk chemistry preserved in a xenoleth, discovered in the CR chondrite lapaz ice field (LAP) 02342
17) Prof Sávio Torres de Farias, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil: What can tRNA tell us about the organisation of biological systems?
MARCH 2021 Online event due to COVID-19 (FoS V)
16) Prof David Holmes, Center for Bioinformatics and Genome Biology, Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago, Chile: Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas for Life Detection on Exoplanets: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
15) Rowena Ball, Australian University: Anomalous thermal fluctuation distribution favours primordial chemical evolution
14) Prof Elias Chatztheodoridis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece: Detecting the signatures of life: state-of-the-art instruments and methods
March 2020 Cancelled the event due to COVID-19
March 2019 (FoS IV)
13) Dr Klara Capova, University of Durham: “What is life? Where do we come from?” The increasing role of astrobiology in the shaping of the European popular worldview
12) Dr Frances Westall, CNRS, France: Volcanic rocks, hydrothermal vents and the origin of life
11) Prof Christine Foyer, University of Leeds: Antioxidants and redox and sensing mechanisms
March 2018 (FoS III)
10) Dr Dominic Papineau, UCL: Biosignatures in the Eoarchean rock record
9) Dr Sohan Jheeta: Astrobiology: a new kid on the block
8) Dr Sergio Ioppolo, Queen Mary University of London: Star formation process, putting emphasis on the several physical and chemical steps
7) Prof Peter Strazewski, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1: Chemist's Challenges of the Future: How to Animate Dead Matter?
March 2017 (FoS II)
6) Prof Nick Lane, UCL: chemistry and energetics of the origin of life
5) Prof Mark Burchell, University of Kent: panspermia hypothesis, therefore biology
4) Prof Elias Chatztheodoridis: National Technology University of Athens: physics & geology of meteorites
March 2016 (FoS I)
3) Prof Dave Waltham, Royal Holloway, University of London: Why is the Sun so big?
2) Prof Martin Mccoustra, Heriot Watt University: Stars ‘r’ Us - role played by soot and stoor
1) Dr Mukesh Bhatt, Birkbeck College, University of London: Astrobiology and legal definition of life