Science Talks and Lectures

Having researched wildlife around the world, as well as rebuilt a dinosaur brain, I can honestly say I love science and the natural world.

From sitting on top of Mayan Temples in the pitch dark of a Belizean jungle night just to count leaf-cutter ants, attempting to follow a single marine iguana across the exceptionally sharp lava boulders of its coastal home, to attempting to catch, measure and release Galapagos finches without stepping into a dead sea lion, my research has given me the opportunity to see some of the purest, most delicate and untouched ecosystems in the world. It has shown me the effects of what humans are doing to Earth and why we need to spread as much education about our natural world as possible.

With these talks I want to inspire and educate, to get people excited about our world and to show some the amazing science that is going on to understand and to save it.

I have talked to several audiences about my previous lab research; on how to understand what prehistoric animals were thinking and how they may have behaved, with the evidence we have at the moment. This cutting edge, fascinating science is awe-inspiring and can give hope to people who think the golden days of palaeontology are over.

In the future I am planning a talk on some of nature's oddest animals which deserve a mention, and can give us a fantastic insight into evolution and the importance of conservation.

Below you can find details on my talks; both previously given and upcoming.

If you are interested in an evolutionary biologist and zoologist coming to give a talk somewhere near you, feel free to contact me!

I would love nothing more than have permission to chat at length to an audience about the natural world.

Below you can see what people have thought of my past talks (all reviews from actual audience members...promise).

Reviews

Previous Talks and lectures

Earth LIVE Lesson (2020)

2nd May 2020

I presented a live talk on Darwin's Galapagos, as part of a larger group of scientists committing to a live-stream lesson about their subject every day during the period of global unrest (set up by biologist and presenter Lizzie Daly). I spoke about Charles Darwin and what he actually got up to on the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, what he saw, and how this influenced one of the development of one of the greatest ideas in modern biology; the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.

There were 4 potential endings, each where I spoken about a separate animal. The main talk saw me chat about the Waved Albatross, with three other smaller videos going into detail about; the Galapagos Finches, the Galapagos Mockingbirds and the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.

The Original talk can be found on the button below.

Alternative Ending Part.1- The Galapagos Finches:

https://youtu.be/zhZT1itqwyc

Alternative Ending Part.2- The Galapagos Mockingbirds:

https://youtu.be/NTC93PCtpVA

Alternative Ending Part.3- The Galapagos Giant Tortoise:

https://youtu.be/njCDB8lIMug

(Picture credits: LizzieDalyWildlifeTV)

Original talk

Bath Geological Society (BGS) (2020)

5th March 2020

I was invited to lecture at the Bath Geological Society, on a talk entitled, " Prehistoric Behaviour: Understanding Extinct Minds". This was the combination of the Oxford and BCA talks with a geological flair, looking a little deeper into the different forms of evidence we can review and interrogate in order to reveal the mysteries of a long extinct world.

I further discussed the current scientific techniques of understanding the behaviour of extinct animals, from rebuilding dinosaur brains to some cutting edge research; understanding trace fossils left by some of the first burrowing organisms 550 million years ago.

Berkshire College of Agriculture (BCA) (2020)

7th January 2020

I spoke, as a guest lecturer, for the college and undergraduate students of animal welfare and behaviour. I spoke about how to work out the behaviour of fossilised animals before teaching how to read behaviour from an endocast/brain. This is a technique applicable for animals dead 2 hours or 200 million years.

I then concluded by connecting this to current day conservation methods and how we can advance the quality and success of sanctuaries and breeding programmes by understanding how animals may think and how they perceive the world.

Oxford Museum of Natural History (2019)

7th December 2019

I presented a "Science Short" talk on how scientists work out the behaviour of long extinct animals; from Dinosaurs to Sea Scorpions. Using fossils and specimens from the museum's collection I explained how we can understand and learn complex life histories; from old fashioned evidence hunting, to cutting edge new technologies (like CT scanning and 3D brain reconstructions). This talk was so successful, I was further invited to present to the Bath Geological Society.

It was a talk accessible for both the public and interesting from the academic.