Dig Deeper

Chris is an astrophysicist, author, broadcaster and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. A self-professed ‘distractable astronomer’, he’s also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Astronomer in Residence at Gresham College. 

He specialises in galaxy formation, machine learning and planet hunting through his citizen science platform Zooniverse. He also presents the BBC’s long-running Sky at Night show. In March 2024, Chris is releasing his fourth book, Our Accidental Universe: Stories of Discovery from Asteroids to Aliens.

Sandra is our Merit Researcher in our Plants Division. As a plant taxonomist she’s spent a lot of her time in Central and South America collecting plants and researching the taxonomy of the nightshade family Solanaceae. Her work focuses on the diverse genus Solanum, which contains potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines and is one of only a handful of flowering plant genera with more than 1,000 species.

During the course of her career she’s described more than 75 new plant species and in 2023 was awarded an OBE for her contributions to science. Sandra’s also a regular on BBC Radio 4, appearing on The Life Scientific, In Our Time and The Museum of Curiosity. 

Robin is our Curator of Minerals and Gemstones. She has more than 13 years’ experience in the mining and private mineral collector sector and is particularly interested in gem and pegmatite minerals. Day to day, Robin looks after the mineral and gem collections we care for, which includes the incredible Aurora Pyramid of Hope and the infamous cursed amethyst.

From curation and auditing to rehousing and adding new specimens, Robin is securing the future of the collection. You’ll often find Robin at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival and the York Fossil Festival, sharing the marvel of minerals with others.

Ashley is a planetary scientist and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow in our Mineral and Planetary Sciences Division. By studying the physical and chemical properties of meteorites and extraterrestrial materials returned to Earth by space missions, Ashley is exploring the origin of our solar system.

His research is striving to uncover how our solar system formed from a cloud of gas and dust into the Sun, planets, asteroids and comets we see today. In the coming years Ashley will be investigating material returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. 

Simon is our Principal Curator of Vertebrates. His research is mainly focused on the vertebrates of the African region. As an evolutionary biologist, he’s fascinated by biodiversity and the processes that govern its distribution. By applying a range of systematics approaches, Simon is studying current biodiversity patterns in Africa and investigating the processes that drive and maintain biodiversity.

Onsite

Book your place to join us in-person in our Flett Events Theatre.   

Online

If you’re a Member, Patron or Corporate Supporter and you’re unable to join us in person, you can watch these talks for free online via a private web link accessible on The Hive.  

Our Members, Patrons and Corporate Supporters will also receive an email with the private web link on the day of the talk. Make sure you’re opted in to receive our e-newsletters. If you haven’t received an e-newsletter recently, contact us to confirm your email address.  

Non-Members 

If you’re a not a member, you can book an online-only ticket. This will give you access to the livestream and online recording. You’ll be emailed the link to the livestream on the day of the event. 

How to ask a question

You can ask questions in real-time during the livestream by heading to the video on YouTube and typing your question in the chat box. 

We’ll also take questions from our in-person audience as part of the question and answer section of the talk.

• Members, please remember to bring your membership card to present alongside your Members ticket.
• Members, patrons and corporate supporters receive discounted tickets. Tickets for patrons are £13.50 and £15 for corporate supporters. 
• You must bring an electronic or printed copy of your ticket.
• Tickets are non-transferrable and no refunds or exchanges will be given  
• We'll send an email with more information the week of the event to help you prepare for your visit.
• Doors open at 18.30, the event ends at 20.00.
• The event will begin promptly and we cannot allow entry more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
• This event is recommended for ages 12+ but all ages are welcome.
• You're not allowed to bring alcohol, any alcohol will be confiscated.
• This event is wheelchair accessible.
• Got a question? Contact us anytime via after-hours@nhm.ac.uk