© Pint of Science, 2025. All rights reserved.
From a local hero to all of us, chances in life are there to be taken. But how much depends on the quirks of quarks and social settings? And how do we turn back time? Meet Stokie scientist Dorothy Hodgkin, then duck into the quantum world while having a pint and asking forgiveness.
Penicillin, pots and prizes
Laura Hibberts
(Microbiologist)
"Penicillin, pots and prizes" tells the story of how the Potteries played their part in making penicillin a widely available medicine through the efforts of a local potbank, and a Keele lecturer, who went on to win a Nobel prize.
Laura trained as a microbiologist and now teaches Life Sciences at Keele University. Her PhD research investigated an outbreak of antibiotic resistance on a hospital ward that allowed bacteria to survive treatment with a drug derived from penicillin.
Laura trained as a microbiologist and now teaches Life Sciences at Keele University. Her PhD research investigated an outbreak of antibiotic resistance on a hospital ward that allowed bacteria to survive treatment with a drug derived from penicillin.

Raising a Glass to Quantum: Exploring the Quantum Technology Revolution
Nilanthy Balakrishnan
(Experimental Physicist)
Join us on an exciting journey into the world of quantum mechanics! In celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we’ll explore the revolutionary advancements in quantum technology and discover how quantum science is pushing the boundaries of both science and industry, transforming fields like healthcare and communication.
Nilanthy Balakrishnan is a Senior Lecturer in Physics and an Experimental Physicist. Her research focuses on understanding the fundamental physics of novel materials and exploiting their applications for sustainable technologies, including quantum.
Nilanthy Balakrishnan is a Senior Lecturer in Physics and an Experimental Physicist. Her research focuses on understanding the fundamental physics of novel materials and exploiting their applications for sustainable technologies, including quantum.

Who drinks, with whom, where, and why do they do it?
Emma Rousse
(PhD student)
Richard Cooke
(Health Psychologist)
Drinking behaviour varies according to a range of cultural, contextual, environmental, and social factors. Research has shown that psychological factors can also predict drinking behaviour and that this prediction can be influenced by these factors. Join this pub quiz to test your knowledge of these issues and learn more about how psychologists conduct research into factors that drive alcohol consumption.
Richard Cooke is Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Staffordshire and co-editor of The Palgrave MacMillan Handbook of Psychological Perspectives on Alcohol Consumption. His main research interest is to better understand what motivates people to drink alcohol. He has recently begun a programme of research to investigate this issue in middle-aged populations. Emma Rouse is a PhD student at the University of Staffordshire.
Richard Cooke is Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Staffordshire and co-editor of The Palgrave MacMillan Handbook of Psychological Perspectives on Alcohol Consumption. His main research interest is to better understand what motivates people to drink alcohol. He has recently begun a programme of research to investigate this issue in middle-aged populations. Emma Rouse is a PhD student at the University of Staffordshire.

Forgiveness is Really Strange
Masi Noor
(Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology)
What is forgiveness? What enables people to forgive? Why do we even choose to forgive those who have harmed us? What can the latest psychological research tell us about the nature of forgiveness, its benefits and risks?
Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, author of the graphic book, Forgiveness Is Really Strange, based on the science and real-life stories of forgiveness, and co-founder of the Forgiveness Toolbox.
Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, author of the graphic book, Forgiveness Is Really Strange, based on the science and real-life stories of forgiveness, and co-founder of the Forgiveness Toolbox.

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