Speakers

  Felicity Powell, artist/curator of 'Charmed Life: The solace of objects', was born in London in 1961 and is a London-based artist whose work in various media has been exhibited in the UK and internationally and is represented in the collections of major museums. Her work has been commissioned by the V&A Museum, the British Museum, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Linnaen Society. She was the co-curator of the 2009 exhibition 'Medals of Dishonour' at the British Museum and has recently been commissioned to make the British Museum medal. She was a contributor to 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'.  
       
  Thomas Dixon is an intellectual historian who teaches at Queen Mary, University of London. He has expertise in the histories of science, philosophy and religion and is the author of 'Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction'. In 2010 he presented 'The End of God? A Horizon Guide to Science and Religion' on BBC Four.  
       
  Alom Shaha is the author of 'The Young Atheist's Handbook'. He was born in Bangladesh but grew up in London. He has represented the community in which he grew up as a local councillor, been chair of a children’s charity and continues to volunteer for a number of organisations. A recipient of fellowships from NESTA and The Nuffield Foundation, Alom has spent most of his professional life trying to share his passion for science and education with the public through activities including teaching, writing and making TV programmes and short films.  
       
  John Polkinghorne worked for 25 years in theoretical elementary particle physics, holding a Chair at the University of Cambridge, 1968–79. After ordination as an Anglican priest and five years in parish ministry, he returned to Cambridge, eventually retiring in 1996 after seven years as the President of Queens' College. He has served on a number of committees advising the UK Government on ethical issues relating to scientific advances, particularly in the area of human genetics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 1997. The author of many books on science and religion, Polkinghorne was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2002.  
       
  Chris French is Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. His main research interest is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. French frequently appears in the media casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. He edited the 'Skeptic' for more than a decade and writes for the Guardian's online science pages.  
       
  Henrietta L Moore is a cultural commentator and social theorist. She is the William Wyse Chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and writes regularly on art and related issues. Professor Moore has a continuing long-term research engagement with Africa, where her research programme has focused on gender, social transformation and symbolic systems. Professor Moore is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and Academician of the Learned Societies for the Social Sciences. She is also the Chair and co-founder of SHM Productions Ltd, a strategy and insight consultancy based in central London. Her most recent book is 'Still Life: Hopes, Desires and Satisfactions' (2011, Polity Press).  
       
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