Theme: Creative Minds

The theme for our TEDx event is 'Creative Minds'. We will explore the abilities and limits of human creation and innovation. Humans can create inspiring things, such as art, technology and social movements but we are also responsible for creating waste, deadly weapons and war. We will explore the inner workings of our minds and personalities to judge whether we truly are a creative species and how we can each use our abilities to better our world as a whole.

Mumford Theatre
Anglia Ruskin University
East Road
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 1PT
United Kingdom

David Pearson

Cognitive Psychologist and Reader in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University

Dr David Pearson is a cognitive psychologist whose research examines the mental processes involved during memory, mental imagery and creative visual thinking. He joined Anglia Ruskin University as Reader in Psychology in 2015, having previously worked at the University of Aberdeen and the University of the Saarland in Germany. He has published widely on the topic of mental imagery and creative thinking, including contributing to the books ‘Imaginative Minds’ (Roth, 2007, Oxford University Press) and ‘Imagery, Language and Visuo-Spatial Thinking (Denis et al., 2016, Routledge).

Frances Quinn

Designer and Baker

Frances Quinn is a well known designer and baker who is renowned for mixing the two mediums to create delightful, creative works and she herself notes that ‘creativity is at the heart of everything I do’. Frances wowed the judges with her imaginative showstoppers and extraordinary baking skill to win The Great British Bake Off in 2013 and her first book, Quinntessential Baking, was published in 2015.

Jenny Williams

Founder - Take The Space

Take the Space is a creative agency set up by Jenny Williams in 2006 with the aim of working alongside artists from Black and multi-ethnic backgrounds to take their space and tell their stories. At its core, TTS is committed to telling stories which are generally not seen and not heard and finding spaces which connect people with each other. Along with commissioning partners, TTS has facilitated talks, conferences, manifestos for change; through to producing, bid writing, and programme management. Over the past five years, TTS has helped to raise over £3.5m for this work.

John Lambie

Reader in Psychology

Dr John Lambie is Reader in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, and has been a lecturer and a researcher for more than 20 years. His research focuses on emotions and mental health, but also with an interest in rationality and the philosophy of science.

Jon Torrens

Professional speaking coach

Jon’s worked as a designer (and experienced the joy of deadlines) at games companies including Sony and Electronic Arts, and as a professional stand-up comic for a few years, so he knows how to engage and motivate. Occasionally he can be funny too. Now, as a coach and speaker, Jon teaches effective communication, using his personal skills to both show and tell. He has delivered communication skills training for Foster+Partners, Electronic Arts and Cambridge University. A unique combination of insights from the worlds of computer game design and stand-up comedy enables even the most introverted of his clients to deliver presentations that enhance their professional persona and both delight and motivate their audiences.

Jonty Sharples

Co-founder of Hactar

Jonty Sharples is the Co-founder of Hactar, a product and service design agency specialising in helping grow organisations with a social conscience.

Leah Fitzpatrick

Zoology Student and Volunteer

A Zoology student in a long-term relationship with improvisational drama, glitter & wanting to be the person that reminds everyone that learning isn't just what you were taught at school. Her hobbies include volunteering at the Natural History Museum, collecting seal figurines & smashing the idea that museums can be reduced to "stuffy buildings with dead animals in them".

Lisa-Marie Dixon

Full-time Law Undergraduate at Anglia Ruskin University

I am a 43 year old full-time Law undergraduate, mother of four, and daily survivor.

Mark Calleja

Co-Founder and Headteacher at HackLab

MrC is the Co-Founder and Headteacher at HackLab and oversees the curriculum development across courses. MrC was recognised by Ofsted as an ‘Outstanding’ classroom teacher in 2014, and is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator. He has been interviewed about coding on the BBC and the Naked Scientists show, given a TEDx Talk at King’s College London about why we should teach hacking to kids and will chat enthusiastically about education and technology to anyone who will listen.

Megan Beech

Performance Poet

Megan Beech has lived with mental illness for the last six years of her life. She was the winner of the Poetry Society’s SLAMbassadors national youth slam in 2011. She has performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Parliament, the Southbank Centre, Glastonbury Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival. Her debut collection ‘When I Grow Up I Want to be Mary Beard’ was published in 2013. She was featured in The Guardian lists of ‘inspiring young feminists in 2014’ and ‘Must Read Books of the Year 2014’ and the Evening Standard’s list of ‘Ten 21st Century feminist icons’. She made a film with the BBC for the iPlayer series ‘Women Who Spit’.

Nick Looby

Motivational speaker, communication specialist + author

Nick is the owner of Feet on the Ground Training, a motivational speaker, author and communication specialist. Over the last thirteen years Nick has been responsible for assisting numerous corporate giants (and some much smaller organisations) with their communication expertise, enabling them to deliver greater clarity, more success and essential business growth.

Satvinder Sehmbey

Travel Photographer and musician

Satvinder Sehmbey is a critically acclaimed photographer who travels all over the world capturing cultures to inspire others to ‘Learn the Art of Travel.’ Capturing the essence of the people and the destinations he visits, his images stir emotion in the viewer, pulling them right into the story. With an MA in Art and Design, a BA in Tabla Studies (North Indian Classical Percussion) and a passion for travel photography, Sehmbey seamlessly blends the world of art, travel, culture and storytelling in an inspiring, imaginative and skillful way.

Simon Bransfield-Garth

CEO Azuri Technologies

Simon Bransfield-Garth is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology and its use to address some of the world’s most challenging problems. Simon is CEO of Azuri Technologies, a business based in Cambridge UK that combines solar power and mobile phone technology to bring affordable renewable energy some of the 600 million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa that have no access to mains power.