TEDxUniversityofSalford

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Akwondytiem Otu

  AJ has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering & masters in Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management. He has worked on major construction & logistics projects, with experience in Project, Estates & Facility Management and Procurement Act compliance. He is a member of UoS Green Impact, an affiliate CIPS member and achieved 3 prestigious Deans awards in 2024/25 for Sustainability, Employability & Student of the year.

• Bryan Cassady

  Bryan Cassady teaches people how to think clearly when the pressure to produce answers is high. He has worked with leaders and teams on innovation, and has taught innovation as a guest professor, where the same challenge kept surfacing: smart people move fast, but often on the wrong problem. In this talk, he brings that professional lens together with a personal story as a father to make a simple case. In a world of instant answers, the most valuable skill is upstream. Defining the problem worth solving, and having the discipline to stay with it.

• Dan Sodergren

  Dan Sodergren is a keynote speaker, author, and technology futurist specialising in AI and the future of work. A TEDx alumnus, BBC technology expert across BBC Breakfast, Watchdog, and The One Show, and author of The Fifth Industrial Revolution, Dan has spent two decades making complex ideas about technology accessible, human-centred, and actionable. He has trained global organisations including Kellogg's, IHG, ONS, and LRQA, and reaches over 30,000 people through his newsletter, speaking, and media work each year. His core belief — that technology should serve people, not replace them — is the foundation of everything in this talk.

• Daniel Wales

  Danny Wales is a PhD researcher with a strong focus on biotechnology and sustainable innovation. His academic work explores advanced biological systems and their potential to address real-world challenges. Alongside his research, he has a keen interest in emerging fields such as 3D printing, bioprinting, and genomics, particularly in their applications within healthcare and future technologies.

• Dr. Joanne Tippett

  Dr Joanne Tippett is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester. Her research is driven by two questions, how do we imagine a sustainable future, and how can we work together effectively to achieve systemic change? Joanne was granted a British Academy Innovation Fellowship with the UK National Commission for UNESCO in 2023, to develop innovative new ways to activate the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This fellowship is developing and testing new ways to inspire sustainability action in place-based partnerships (such as UNESCO-designated sites) with the RoundView, a science-based framework for sustainability learning, visioning and decision-making. The RoundView is one of her award-winning innovations, and was a key engagement approach in the 5-year, £3.2 million Carbon Lanscape landscape restoration project. She is an internationally-recognised expert on co-production and participatory methodologies, with research and knowledge exchange funded by the ESRC and AHRC. She developed the Ketso toolkit for community and stakeholder engagement ane lerning from her research, and this has been the focus of two REF Impact Case studies.

• Dr. Rosa Arrigo

  Dr Rosa Arrigo is an Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Salford and a Visiting Scientist at Diamond Light Source. Her research focuses on catalysis, sustainable chemical processes and the use of operando spectroscopy to understand chemical reactivity. She works on the development of cleaner technologies that make better use of renewable resources. Alongside her research activities, she serves on scientific peer review panels at national and international facilities, including her role as a member of the Peer Review Panel at Diamond Light Source and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. She contributes to the Royal Society of Chemistry through her involvement in the Dalton Community, supporting work related to inorganic and materials chemistry. She contributes to academic governance and ethics within the University of Salford and is actively involved in programmes that widen participation in science and support the development of early career researchers. Her work reflects a broader interest in how chemistry can contribute to sustainable practice, responsible innovation and long term environmental integrity. She is committed to advancing scientific knowledge that supports society and encourages the development of resilient and adaptable technologies for the future.

• Matt Wallace

  Dr. Matt Wallace is Associate Professor and Reader in Social Inequality in the Centre for Research on Inclusive Society at the University of Salford. A previous winner of the prestigious European Demographer of the Year Award (Population Europe), Matthew is also the Principal Investigator of the £1.3 million, ERC-awarded, UKRI-funded Horizon European Guarantee Grant “Living Longer in Poorer Health? Understanding the Immigrant Morbidity Mortality Paradox”. Matthew’s research interests lie in population health, international migration, health, mortality and the intersections thereof.

• Perelandra Beedles

  Perelandra Beedles is an educator, researcher, and television production professional with extensive experience as a director, producer, and production manager in the screen industries. She is a Lecturer in Production Management at the University of Salford, where her work explores working conditions, sustainability, and equality within film and television production. Alongside her academic career, Perelandra consults and writes about improving creative working environments and supporting the next generation of media professionals. Her work bridges industry practice and education, with a focus on building more inclusive, sustainable, and innovative screen industries.

• Sophia Deans

  Sophia Deans is a Transport Planner with a Geography Degree and a diverse background in sustainability. She has helped schools enhance sustainable travel and discovered that the school run isn't perceived as a transport choice at all. It's a series of tiny fears and habits dressed as one. In her talk, she shares what the school run reveals about behaviour change, sustainable travel, and why data and monitoring matter. That familiar journey holds the clearest lessons for how we move, why we resist change, and how monitoring can bridge the gap.

• Thomas Macpherson-Pope

  Tom is director of The Making Rooms, one of the UK’s leading makerspaces and digital fabrication hubs where they champion hands-on tech education, prototyping, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. He is a director of the European Creative Hubs Network and in 2023 his team hosted 15 hub leaders from 11 countries in Blackburn for a week to learn from each other and local partners. Tom got his start in this field at 19 as a volunteer at the UK’s first FabLab in Manchester and went on to volunteer teaching young people at CoderDojos, Raspberry Jams and Maker Faires. With a background in educational electronics and a degree in Computer Science, Tom helped to develop tools that have inspired millions of learners worldwide, such as the Micro:bit, CodeBug, and PiFace platforms.