Pint of Science 2024

Conceptualised in 2012 and now held in over 40 towns and cities across the UK alone, Pint of Science is an annual worldwide science festival which brings researchers to local pubs, cafes and spaces to share their scientific discoveries with the public.

Held at the Artillery Arms pub, 102 Bunhill Row, from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 May, these talks featured two speakers on different themes who informed and amused audiences on topics ranging from faux food to ageing whiskeys.

This year’s sessions quickly sold out, as audience members clamoured to get a spot to attend.

Dr Sabrina Gottschalk, Lecturer in Marketing at Bayes (formerly Cass), said:

“I was excited to again co-organise the Bayes edition of the Pint of Science Festival with Chrysa Gkotsi. It's a wonderful chance to share our passion for research with the wider public in a fun, relaxed setting. Our speakers, from both faculty and PhD levels, truly enjoyed connecting with the community, while enjoying a pint together.”

From explorations into the tensions, obstacles that arise when artists commercialise their hobbies, to new research that found chief executive pay is partly influenced by the person's surname, these well attended sessions were on point for the audience and the venue.

Dr Jay Jung, Senior Lecturer in Accounting, gave a talk on unconscious bias in relation to chief executives' pay. He said:

"It was fun to present our research findings to a non-academic audience in a non-academic setting. Our research introduces a name-induced psychological bias, surname favourability, and its impact on people’s investment decisions and salaries.

"Since everyone has their own name, some of our findings would be relevant to everyone who attended the event in the pub in one way or another. I had a good chat with them after the talk. I was able to look at our findings from their fresh perspective, which I really enjoyed."

Another of the talks, led by Dr Aneesh Banerjee, Reader in Management, discussed whether a whisky’s age was really a good indication of its quality.  He said:

“It was great to have a platform to discuss some of our research findings on the launch of no age statement scotch whiskies. The audience was well spirited and super engaged.”