Theme: Wonder

We want to encourage our audience to marvel at the wonders of the world and take a moment to appreciate the beauty all around us. Our speakers will spark the audience’s curiosity by posing questions, sharing stories, starting conversations and revealing insights into their work. They will open doors to new understanding and provide inspiration for anyone who has ever asked themselves the question: ‘I wonder?’

Truro & Penwith College
College Road
Truro, Cornwall, TR1 3XX
United Kingdom

Christine Jensen

Cake maker

Multi-award winning cake designer from Peboryon, Christine Jensen along with her husband Phil create their incredible cakes at their studio in Penzance, in the far West of Cornwall. A regular on Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers, Christine’s creations are enjoyed by customers across the UK

Dimitar Dimov

Research Consultant

Dimitar, who is currently a Research Consultant at Cast, was Monica’s PhD student at the University of Exeter. He came up with the idea of using graphene to make concrete stronger, which ultimately leads to 50% reduction of carbon emissions in the construction industry. His invention attracted a lot of media attention and got shortlisted for the UK TechFest 2018 awards.

Hugh Hastings

Photographer

Hugh Hastings is a professional photographer and writer who lives in Cornwall. He was the official photographer for Chelsea Football Club for 10 years and has managed the Club’s official photographic archives since 2008. He has ghost written several biographies and is the author of several books including a children’s adventure novel and book of his Chelsea FC images. He is an ambassador for a number of big photography brands, including Panasonic Lumix and Sony and has given talks on photography around the world.

James Lyne

A self-professed 'massive geek' and renowned cyber security expert, James Lyne is an information security speaker committed to educating those outside of the industry on security threats and best practice. He has given talks at the main TED conference and TEDx events. Energetic, passionate, and charmingly nerdy, he has become a leading keynote presenter by maximizing the impact of his security expertise through engaging presentations.

Kari Herbert

author, traveller and artist

As an author, traveller and artist, Kari has had vivid and varied experiences of living and travelling in remote places. She first started travelling at the age of ten months when her father, pioneering explorer Sir Wally Herbert, took his family to live with a tribe of Polar Inuit on a remote island off the coast of Northwest Greenland. Exploration and shaping stories have been her passions ever since. Kari’s work has been published in magazines and newspapers all over the world. Her first book – The Explorer’s Daughter – published by Penguin, was aired as Book of the Week for BBC Radio 4. Her other books include Heart of the Hero, which drew attention to the remarkable achievements of the wives of celebrated explorers, and the international bestseller Explorers’ Sketchbooks, co-authored with her husband Huw Lewis-Jones.

Lucy Edge

Spacecraft engineer

Lucy is a Spacecraft engineer and COO of the Satellite Applications Catapult. Having launched a fleet of satellites and built a spacecraft control centre, her experience spans disciplines, but her focus is always the same: strong, supportive relationships make for happier, kinder more productive people.

Mat Upton

Professor in Medical Microbiology

Mathew is a Professor in Medical Microbiology at the University of Plymouth. He is also the lead for Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens Research Group.

Monica Cracuin

Professor in Engineering

Monica Craciun is Professor in the Engineering Department at the University of Exeter and a leading expert in nanomaterials. She has been awarded a prestigious Engineering Fellowship for Growth, aimed at maintaining UK’s leadership in Advanced Materials (which is one of the eight Great Technologies identified as crucial for the future prosperity of the UK).

Nicola Hodgins

head of science and research at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation

Aged just four, Nicola announced her intention to work with dolphins. However, hailing from inner-city Glasgow, no-one took much notice. Yet today, after working on numerous marine conservation projects around the world, becoming a PADI Diving Instructor and acquiring a degree in Marine Biology, Nicola works for the international charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) heading up their science and research work. After spending so much of her adult life in far-flung countries throughout Africa and Asia, Nicola has come back home, and perhaps appropriately, a focal area of interest and study are the dolphins found off the North West of Scotland.

Ollie Oakenshield

Storyteller and performer

Ollie Oakenshield is a writer, performer and storyteller who creates immersive theatre in wild places. He is a founder member and company director of Cornwall’s Rogue Theatre, whose work mixes rich atmosphere and a highly visual style with instinct, energy and a passion for wild places.

Peter Sjostedt-H

Anglo-Scandinavian philosopher of mind and author

Peter is an Anglo-Scandinavian philosopher of mind and author. He lives in West Cornwall and is engaged in his PhD with the University of Exeter, where he also teaches philosophy modules and writing skills. Peter is the inspiration behind the inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.

Rachel Warmington

plant pathologist

Rachel is the plant pathologist at Cornwall’s award-winning Eden Project, where she is responsible for detection and control of plant diseases, as well as keeping an eye on soil health. She completed a PhD at Warwick University, working on a fungal pathogen that affects more than 400 plant species, for which she was awarded the Marsh Horticultural Science Award in 2013.

Sacha Dench

Conservationist and Adventurer

Sacha is a conservationist and adventurer. She has also been a competitive free diver and worked as a stuntwoman. Despite being terrified of flying before she embarked on her epic paramotor journey, she is the first woman for 50 years to win the 2018 Britannia Trophy for the most meritorious performance in aviation, which was previously awarded to Sir Richard Branson and the Red Arrows. She was also named a Woman of the Year 2017 and won the Environment Campaign of the Year 2017.