The British Science Festival is just around the corner - we can’t wait for you to join us in the city of Liverpool from 10 - 14 September 2025.
In partnership with Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool, Festival events take place in venues at both university campuses, and across the city centre – from landmarks like The Bluecoat and the Museum of Liverpool, to lively venues such as Quirky Quarter, Unity Theatre and Kazimier Garden.
At this year's British Science Festival, you’ll find more than 100 free talks, workshops, performances and activities covering science in all its forms.
Among them, a number of events will explore medicine, inequality, and healing that goes beyond the science.
Taking a people-centred approach, these events share the voices, stories and lived experiences that shape modern healthcare.
From the fight to defeat TB and tackling racial inequalities in medicine, to patient perspectives on prescribed cannabis, bionic innovation, and living with neurodiversity, these highlights show where research meets empathy, and medicine meets lived experience.
Some events are available for booking, while others are open for drop-ins.
Please check event pages for accessibility information.
Fighting poverty and stigma to defeat TB
A powerful talk blending cutting-edge research with personal testimony. Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable, yet over a million people died from it in 2023. Tom Wingfield from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Fatima Karmadwala, advocate and TB survivor, reveal why a person-centred approach is key to eradicating this infectious disease.
(Talk – Thursday 11 September - 12:30-13:30)
Prescribed cannabis: patient stories
What is cannabis medicine, how does it work and who’s using it?
Researchers from the Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion at Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool share the voices of people in the UK who are prescribed cannabis, exploring how it feels to use something that is otherwise illegal.
(Talk – Wednesday 10 September - 12:00-13:00)
Colonialism, race & health: visions of Black health and healing
"To understand our healthcare systems, and to understand the racial inequalities that define our societies, we must recognise how the theory of race began and how it continues to be reinforced”.
An unmissable talk with Annabel Sowemimo – doctor, academic, activist and writer – who offers her widely acclaimed and timely analysis of racial health disparities and racism in medicine. Annabel is joined by panellists Dr Leona Vaughn, Dr Rebecca Loy, and Stephen Kenny.
(Talk – Saturday 13 September - 12:00–13:30)
Bionically beautiful: Tilly Lockey
Advocate, social media star and presenter Tilly Lockey, is changing how the world sees bionics and human augmentation. Drawing on her passion for fashion and sci-fi, Tilly explores the future of accessible, inclusive technology and challenges the stigmas that surround it in this inspiring talk.
(Talk – Saturday - 19:30–20:30)
Wired differently: step inside the neurodivergent brain
At least one in five of us are diagnosed as neurodivergent. Let’s talk about what it’s like to experience the world differently.
Take part in this interactive talk, co-created by neurodivergent people across Liverpool and the Institute of Population Health. Experience activities that challenge stereotypes, open conversations, and offer new perspectives on what it means to see the world differently.
(Interactive Talk – Wednesday 10 September - 12:00–15:00)