Forum Forum Talks aim to ignite teens' innate curiosity on science and provide a place to ask silly questions and explore ideas.  

Dr Mark Lorch's biography

Mark got his BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick. He then completed doctoral studies and a post-doc on protein folding at the University of Bristol. Next Mark moved to Goethe University in Frankfurt where he acquired (some of) the tricks of solid state NMR. In 2006 he took up an RCUK fellowship at the University of Hull, and has since been promoted to Senior Lecturer in the Chemistry Department.

In 2014 Mark was appointed Associate Dean for Engagement for the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Mark is committed to science communication. He hosts the Beverley Science Cafe, holds regular family learning science workshops and has even been spotted doing kitchen chemistry in Hull's shopping centres. He was a UK national finalist of Famelab and has since appeared on BBC’s Coast, BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours, US public service radio and numerous regional radio and TV shows. Mark also has a talent for blogging and science journalism. He now blogs at Chemistry Blog for the chemical community and for everyone else in places such as The Guardian and The Conversation. His prose has also appeared in Nature Chemistry, The Hindu Times, Scientific American and Ars Technica.

Professor Ian Henderson's biography

Ian Henderson is Professor of Microbial Biology and Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham.  His research interests include studies on the biology of bacterial cell surface components:  how they are synthesised, how they interact with the environment surrounding the bacterium and how this knowledge can be exploited to benefit society. Ian began his life in Microbiology when he graduated from University College Dublin in 1990. After his degree he worked on HIV at Wellcome Ltd, Beckenham, Kent before returning to Trinity College Dublin to pursue a PhD.  Upon completion of his PhD, Prof. Henderson began his postdoctoral studies at the Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland Baltimore.  He returned to Ireland in 2000 to take up a lecturing position at Queens University Belfast before moving to The University of Birmingham in 2001. During this time, Ian has published over 100 scientific articles. He is passionate about communicating science and in particular the importance of microbiology to our health and the environment.