Theme: Crossing Paths - Intersecting Ideas

The TEDxUniversityofBolton will be held at Queen's Specialist Building (Farnworth), University of Bolton on March 8, 2016. Our audience will consist of up to 100 students, academics and members of the local community. The event is open, but we want participants who will truly appreciate the TED concept. Our goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter.

The TEDxUniversityofBolton 2016 theme is “Crossing Paths – Intersecting Ideas.” Our theme is multidisciplinary and broad. It encompasses a range of ideas and approaches which represent some of TED’s core values of forward-thinking, innovation and inspiration.

The University of Bolton, Queens Specialist Building
Queens Street
Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 7DX
United Kingdom

Annabelle Wilkins

Researcher in Migration and Diaspora. Feminist Geographer.

Dr Wilkins PhD is based in the School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London. She has a background in anthropology and have worked with a number of charities and NGOs in the UK and in Thailand. Her current research explores experiences of, and relationships between, home and work for Vietnamese migrants who now live and/or work in the East End of London. Her research explores ‘Home-work: Connections and Transitions in London from the seventeenth century to the present’ at the Centre for Studies of Home, a collaboration between QMUL and the Geffrye Museum of the Home.

Chathurika Kannangara

Doctoral Candidate in Psychology, The University of Bolton

Chathurika is a PhD candidate at the University of Bolton. She is currently researching in the area of Positive Psychology and Dyslexia. Her contributions and work have been recognized at international conferences.

Clare Campbell

Artist / Freelance Arts in Health Specialist

Clare is an Artist and Wild Creative Soul working alongside Public Health and CCG Teams on innovative projects. With a radical and irreverent approach, Clare carries poetry, hope, circle work, creativity and art to new audiences: from prisons to housing estates, government conferences to dole queues […] reawakening lost dreams and inspiring a bigger vision of what is possible.

Colin Robertson

Senior Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science, The University of Bolton.

Dr Colin Robertson is Senior Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Bolton. Colin has been involved in human performance and sports science his entire professional career, and is currently the Head of the Athletic Development Centre, University of Bolton. Over the past five years Colin has traveled the globe to speak at an extensive number of international conferences, on issues and topics ranging from nutrition, chronobiology, athlete preparation, and the changing state of health in western industrialised countries.

Howard Boland

Artistic Director C-LAB/ Technical Director at Isobar.

Dr Howard Boland is a multidisciplinary practitioner working across art, science and technology. With a strong technical and innovative creative skills, his experience spans from artistic and scientific research contexts to leading projects and teams in the interactive industry. He has an extensive experience in the digital creative industry leading creative and technical teams to award-winning projects. Howard is artistic director of the the art-science organisation C-LAB specialising in biological art.

Jen Waring

Senior Lecturer in Biology, The University of Bolton.

Dr Jen Waring teaches subjects including research methods, physiology, aquatic sciences and ecotoxicology at University of Bolton. By emphasising emerging research themes during her teaching, Jen encourages students to identify novel questions to develop the scope of their scientific thinking. Central to Jen’s teaching philosophy is the wellbeing of her students. Through her approach to pastoral care, Jen strives to help students overcome barriers to their learning. She encourages honest and open dialogue with the aim of eliminating the stigma that, all too often, prevents people from reaching out for and receiving help.

Jerome Carson

Professor of Psychology, The University of Bolton.

Jerome Carson BA (Hons), MSc., PhD, C.Psychol is Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton. Jerome previously worked at the world renowned Institute of Psychiatry and the Maudsley Hospital, where he was a senior lecturer in clinical psychology. Jerome’s main research interests are in the fields of occupational stress, recovery from mental health problems and Positive Psychology. He has published over 200 book chapters and journal papers. Jerome has lectured all over the world.

Kondal Reddy Kandadi

Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic), The University of Bolton.

Dr Kandadi’s academic interests include Knowledge Management, e-Commerce, and Enterprise IT Systems. Dr Kandadi has developed and successfully delivered a number of enterprise research projects which included Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), ERDF projects and numerous bespoke research projects with businesses in the Aerospace and other manufacturing sectors.

Mark Durkin

Postgraduate Student in Psychology, The University of Bolton

Mark is a doctoral researcher in Psychology. He is very interested in mental wellbeing, compassion fatigue and burnout in health and social care professionals.

Nigel Ackland

In 2006 Nigel suffered a life-changing accident at work when his right forearm was crushed in an industrial blender.

Nigel is a former precious metals smelter. In 2006 Nigel suffered a life-changing accident at work when his right forearm was crushed in an industrial blender. That was followed by six months of pain, surgery and infections before he made the decision to have an elective trans-radial amputation. After a series of unhappy experiences with old-fashioned prostheses Nigel became the first person to trial RSL Steeper's ground-breaking, myoelectric prosthetic hand, the bebionic3. In the past Nigel has spoken of how he struggled to cope after his accident, and he speaks eloquently and passionately about the huge psychological benefits of being able to wear an advanced prosthesis like the bebionic3.

Patrick McGhee

Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Quality), The University of Bolton.

Professor Patrick McGhee is a Chartered Health Psychologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a UK National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has been a member of national funding panels for Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning. He has also been a member of the HEFCE Teaching, Quality and Student Experience Committee. Professor McGhee is an occasional Guardian and BBC columnist and a regular social media commentator.’

Rebecca Nesbit

Scientific Programme Manager in Nobel Media.

Dr Rebecca Nesbit is Scientific Programme Manager in Nobel Media. She works on events around the world bringing Nobel Laureates closer to young scientists and the wider public. Her role involves communications, social media, event management and building international relationships with sponsors and universities. She is fortunate to work on the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative (www.nobelprizeii.org) and Nobel Week Dialogue (www.nobelweekdialogue.org). Dr Nesbit studied butterfly migration for her PhD, based at Rothamsted Research, then trained honeybees to detect explosives. She writes fiction and blogs about science and art. More information about her interests in science and art can be found on her website: http://rebeccanesbit.com. She tweets as @RebeccaNesbit.