Profile

I’m passionate about public engagement with university research and teaching, and I’ve been Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham since 2012.

Originally, I studied and practiced medicine in Cardiff. I then became a lecturer at the University of Bristol, focusing on biological, evolutionary anthropology, before moving to Birmingham.

I’ve also presented a wide range of biology and archaeology programmes on television and written books, including ‘The incredible human journey’, ‘Evolution: the human story’, ‘The incredible unlikeliness of being’, and my latest – ‘Tamed: ten species that changed our world’.

I’ve a long held affection for the Royal Institution, and remember watching the Christmas Lectures as a child. I believe that science is very much part of our culture – providing us with knowledge about the world around us – as well as being a source of wonderful stories, and helping us to make sense of who we are.