Join us this National Science Week for the launch of our new public event series, The Impact Factor!
Have you ever wondered how we got here? How our Universe formed? And how life on Earth began? Join University of Sydney researchers, astrophysicist Professor Geraint Lewis and chemist Dr Haihui Joy Jiang, as they tackle some of humanity's biggest questions.
Through stories of cosmic evolution, lightning-powered chemistry and world-leading research, discover how understanding our past could help shape our future.
Don’t miss our inaugural event hosted by academic and science communicator Professor Alice Motion.
| When | Thursday 20 August, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Doors open 5:45 pm. |
| Where | York Theatre, Seymour Centre |
| Accessability | Visit Seymour Centre website for more information |
| Entry | Free and open to all with registrations essential |
Geraint F. Lewis is a professor of astrophysics at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, part of the University of Sydney's School of Physics. He has published more than 500 papers across cosmology, galactic archaeology, gravitational lensing and the fundamental nature of the universe, and four books of popular science, including The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook and Where Did the Universe Come From? His latest book, The Shortest History of Reality, is out now.
Joy Jiang is based in the School of Chemistry, where she previously received her Ph.D. in Chemistry before moving to Harvard University. At Harvard, she worked across the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to investigate astrobiology and the chemical pathways that underpin the origin of life.
Now leading her own interdisciplinary research group back in Sydney, Joy integrates chemistry, materials science, and astrophysics. Her team focuses on solving urgent energy challenges through electrified, sustainable solutions, alongside ongoing explorations into prebiotic chemistry and how the building blocks of life first emerged on Earth.
Alice Motion is Professor of Science and Culture at the School of Chemistry, University of Sydney where they lead the Science Communication, Outreach, Participation and Education (SCOPE) Research Group.
Alice's research and practice explores science democratisation through open-source drug discovery, citizen science, and exploring intersections between science and culture as creative methods for science communication.
Alice was awarded the Australian Museum's Eureka Prize for Promoting Public Understanding of Science in 2020. They have written a monthly column, Citizen Chem, for Chemistry World Magazine since 2019, are the creator of Live From The Lab, founder of the Breaking Good citizen science initiative and regularly produce and host creative science content for the public in live venues and across the media.
